Built on both riverbanks, the city centre is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the river's mouth and is a significant port.

According to Max Vasmer's Etymological Dictionary, the toponym Dvina cannot stem from a Uralic language; instead, it possibly comes from an Indo-European word which used to mean 'river' or 'stream'.

The Finno-Ugric names Vēna (Livonian), Väinajõgi (Estonian), and Väinäjoki (Finnish) all stem from Proto-Finnic *väin, which roughly translates to 'a large, peacefully rolling river'.

The following are some of the cities and towns built along the Daugava: The river began experiencing environmental deterioration in the Soviet era due to collective agriculture (producing considerable adverse water pollution runoff) and hydroelectric power projects.

[citation needed] In Belarus, water pollution of the Daugava is considered moderately severe, with the chief sources being treated wastewater, fish-farming, and agricultural chemical runoff (such as herbicides, pesticides, nitrates, and phosphates).