The Romanian forms Bârzava and Bêrzava are of Dacianorigin and means "birch river". The Serbian form Brzava is a derivation from Bêrzava and adopted to Serbian brz/брз 'quick', thus meaning "the quick river" in Slavic languages. Bârzava name had been also given to a commune in Arad, and a village in Harghita.
Romania
The Bârzava springs out in the Semenic Mountains part of the Carpathian Mountains, western Romania, east of the city ofReșița. The river runs to the northeast, close to the Piatra Goznei peak and through the village of Vâliug, reaching the northernmost part of the Semenic mountains, where it turns to the northwest. It runs through the cities of Reșița and Bocșa the largest settlements on its course, and continues next to the villages of Berzovia, and Șoșdea, where the Bârzava leaves the mountain region of Banat for the lower western plain. This is also where the river turns to the southwest, spills in several parallel streams and flows next to the villages of Sculia, Gătaia, Sângeorge, Rovinița Mare and Denta. From this point, until its confluence into the Tamiš, the Bârzava's river bed is channeled. After it flows next to the village of Partoș, it forms the Romanian-Serbian border for a few kilometers and after the course of 127 km through Romania, the Bârzava enters the Serbian province of Vojvodina near the hamlet of Markovićevo.
Serbia
The Brzava runs next to the villages of Konak and Banatska Dubica, where it becomes part of the largest canal system in Serbia, Canal Danube-Tisa-Danube. The only remaining settlement on the river is the village of Jarkovac, before it empties into the Tamiš, south of the village of Botoš. The river's complete 39 km course through Serbia is statistically classified as a Canal Brzava, but it is not navigable.
Tributaries
The following rivers are tributaries to the river Bârzava : Left: Crivaia Mare, Grindieș, Văliug, Lișcovu Mare, Râul Alb, Secu, Sodol, Doman, Bârzăvița, Moravița, Copăș, Moscădin, Fizeș, Boruga, Gorova, Ciopa, Moravița Right: Berzovița, Alibeg, Pârâul Băilor Mari, Bolnovăț, Gozna, Izvoru Rău, Breazova, Groposu, Pietrosu, Țerova, Cremeni, Vornic, Stoiconic, Birdanca
Settlements located near the river
In Romania: Văliug, Reșița, Bocșa, Berzovia, Gătaia, Denta In Serbia: Markovićevo, Konak, Banatska Dubica, Jarkovac