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The `rowspan` attribute in HTML is used on `<td>` and `<th>` tags to **merge cells vertically**, meaning it lets a single cell **span several table rows at once**.

---

### Main purpose

`rowspan` defines **how many rows down** a cell will stretch.
While a regular cell occupies one row, with `rowspan` it can merge two, three, or more.

---

### Example:

```html
<table border="1">
  <tr>
    <th>Name</th>
    <th>City</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td rowspan="2">Maria</td>
    <td>Warsaw</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Berlin</td>
  </tr>
</table>
```

Here the cell with the name **"Maria"** spans two rows and sits to the left of two different cities.

---

### Explanation:

- The `rowspan="2"` attribute tells the browser: *this cell should occupy two consecutive rows*.
- Likewise, `rowspan="3"` spans three rows, and so on.

---

### Example in a summary table:

```html
<table border="1">
  <tr>
    <th rowspan="2">Category</th>
    <th colspan="2">Metrics</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <th>2024</th>
    <th>2025</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Income</td>
    <td>1.2M</td>
    <td>1.5M</td>
  </tr>
</table>
```

Here `rowspan="2"` merges the "Category" cell vertically, while `colspan="2"` merges the headers horizontally.

---

### Important:

- The `rowspan` value is a **positive integer** (for example, `rowspan="3"`).
- The default is `1` (the cell is not merged).
- Setting too large a value can break the table's structure.

---

### Difference between `colspan` and `rowspan`:

| Attribute | Merges | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| `colspan` | Columns | Horizontal |
| `rowspan` | Rows | Vertical |

---

### Conclusion:

The `rowspan` attribute merges **cells vertically**, letting a single cell span several rows.
It is used to build more complex tables with data hierarchies, totals, and groupings.

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