Južna Morava
Encyclopedia
South Morava or in the past Bulgarian Morava (Serbian
Јужна Морава, Južna Morava; jûːʒnaː mɔ̝̌rav̞a; Macedonian
Јужна Морава; Bulgarian
Южна Морава or Българска Морава) is a river
in the Republic of Macedonia
and Serbia
which represents the shorter headwater of Great Morava. Today, it is 295 km long, flowing generally in the south to north direction, from Macedonian
border through Kosovo
to Central Serbia
, where it meets West Morava at Stalać
, to create Great Morava.
, in Republic of Macedonia, north of its capital Skopje
. Streams of Ključevska reka and Slatinska reka join together to form the river Golema, which, after passing the Macedonian-Serbian border, is known as Binačka Morava. After 49 km it meets Preševska Moravica at Bujanovac
, and for the remaining of 246 km flows as South Morava.
drainage basin, and its own drainage area is 15,469 km², out of which 1,237 is in Bulgaria
(through its right tributary Nišava). Its average discharge at the mouth is 100 m³/s and it is not navigable.
South Morava has a composite valley, which means it consists of series of gorges and depressions in this order: Gnjilane
depression-Končulj gorge-Vranje
depression-Grdelica gorge-Leskovac
depression-Niš
depression-Aleksinac
depression-Stalać
gorge. After breaking through the last, Stalać gorge, it meets West Morava.
In macro-geological point of view, South Morava connects Aegean basin with Pannonian basin. This creates a phenomenon named apparent flow inversion, because it seems that river from one lowland climbs up the mountains and then flows into another lowland. The point connecting these two large geological basins is Grdelica gorge (Serbian: Grdelička klisura/Грделичка клисура), but the bottom of the gorge, where river flows, is much lower than the mountains surrounding it, so river flows normally.
South Morava used to be 318 km long and represented longer and natural (flowing in the same direction) headwater of Great Morava. Causing severe floods in history, meandering river has been shortened by almost 30 km until today, so it became shorter than West Morava. However, West Morava always had bigger discharge.
Areas in southern Serbia where South Morava flows have been almost completely deforested which causes one of the most severe cases of excessive erosion in the Balkans. As a result of this, river brings large amount of materials to Great Morava, filling and elevating its river bed, which helps the huge floods of its daughter river.
, Veternica
, Pusta reka and Toplica
. Right tributaries are: Vrla
, Vlasina
, Nišava (the longest) and Sokobanjska Moravica
.
To a certain extent, its waters are used for irrigation.
The most important role river valley has in transportation. It's the natural route for both railway and highway Belgrade-Skopje-Thessaloniki
.
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
Јужна Морава, Južna Morava; jûːʒnaː mɔ̝̌rav̞a; Macedonian
Macedonian language
Macedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
Јужна Морава; Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
Южна Морава or Българска Морава) is a river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
which represents the shorter headwater of Great Morava. Today, it is 295 km long, flowing generally in the south to north direction, from Macedonian
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
border through Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
to Central Serbia
Central Serbia
Central Serbia , also referred to as Serbia proper , was the region of Serbia from 1945 to 2009. It included central parts of Serbia outside of the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina. The region of Central Serbia was not an administrative division of Serbia as such; it was under the...
, where it meets West Morava at Stalać
Stalać
Stalać is a village in the municipality of Ćićevac, western Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 1828 people.Stalać lies at the banks of South Morava, near its confluence with West Morava into Great Morava...
, to create Great Morava.
Source
It begins in the mountain of Skopska Crna GoraSkopska Crna Gora
Skopska Crna Gora , formerly called Kara-dagh also called simply Crna Gora, is a mountain range on the border between Kosovo and the Republic of Macedonia, between the cities of Kačanik and Skopje.The Monastery of St...
, in Republic of Macedonia, north of its capital Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
. Streams of Ključevska reka and Slatinska reka join together to form the river Golema, which, after passing the Macedonian-Serbian border, is known as Binačka Morava. After 49 km it meets Preševska Moravica at Bujanovac
Bujanovac
Bujanovac is a town and municipality in Pčinja District of southern Serbia, located at the South Morava basin.It is known for its source of mineral water, so it is also known as Bujanovačka Banja ....
, and for the remaining of 246 km flows as South Morava.
Geography
River belongs to the Black SeaBlack Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
drainage basin, and its own drainage area is 15,469 km², out of which 1,237 is in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
(through its right tributary Nišava). Its average discharge at the mouth is 100 m³/s and it is not navigable.
South Morava has a composite valley, which means it consists of series of gorges and depressions in this order: Gnjilane
Gnjilane
Gnjilane or Gjilan is a city and municipality in eastern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the District of Gjilan. It is famous for having been recorded the lowest temperature in Kosovo with on 25 January 1963.-Name and history:...
depression-Končulj gorge-Vranje
Vranje
Vranje is a city and municipality located in southern Serbia. In 2011 the city has total population of 82,782, while the urban area has 54,456...
depression-Grdelica gorge-Leskovac
Leskovac
Leskovac is a city and municipality in southern Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Jablanica District of Serbia...
depression-Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
depression-Aleksinac
Aleksinac
Aleksinac is a town which is a center of Aleksinac Municipality, located in the Nišava District of Serbia. According to 2011 census, the town has a population of 16,420 inhabitants, while the municipality has 51,462.-Name:...
depression-Stalać
Stalać
Stalać is a village in the municipality of Ćićevac, western Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 1828 people.Stalać lies at the banks of South Morava, near its confluence with West Morava into Great Morava...
gorge. After breaking through the last, Stalać gorge, it meets West Morava.
South Morava used to be 318 km long and represented longer and natural (flowing in the same direction) headwater of Great Morava. Causing severe floods in history, meandering river has been shortened by almost 30 km until today, so it became shorter than West Morava. However, West Morava always had bigger discharge.
Areas in southern Serbia where South Morava flows have been almost completely deforested which causes one of the most severe cases of excessive erosion in the Balkans. As a result of this, river brings large amount of materials to Great Morava, filling and elevating its river bed, which helps the huge floods of its daughter river.
Tributaries
South Morava has 157 tributaries. Most important left ones are: JablanicaJablanica River
The Jablanica is a 85 km long river is southern Serbia. Left tributary of the South Morava river, it gives its name to the region of Jablanica and to modern Serbia's Jablanica District, with the region contributing about one third of the district's area.- Origin :The Jablanica originates from the...
, Veternica
Veternica
The Veternica is a river in southern Serbia, a 75 km long left tributary to the Južna Morava, which gives the name to the region surrounding its valley....
, Pusta reka and Toplica
Toplica River
The Toplica is the river in southern Serbia. The river is 130 km long and gives its name to the whole region it flows through, which constitutes most of the modern Toplica District of Serbia.- Upper course :...
. Right tributaries are: Vrla
VRLA
A VRLA battery is a type of low-maintenance lead–acid rechargeable battery. Because of their construction, VRLA batteries do not require regular addition of water to the cells....
, Vlasina
Vlasina River
The Vlasina , is a river in southeastern Serbia, a 68 km-long outflow of the Vlasina Lake and a right tributary to the Južna Morava, which also gives its name to the surrounding Vlasina region.- River :...
, Nišava (the longest) and Sokobanjska Moravica
Sokobanjska Moravica
The Sokobanjska Moravica or simply Moravica is a river in central eastern Serbia, a 58 km-long right tributary to the Južna Morava river.- Devica and Ozren mountains :...
.
Economy
It has significant potential for electricity production, but this has not been used at all. Huge hydroelectrical system has been constructed in its drainage basin, though (Vlasina- Vrla I-IV power stations).To a certain extent, its waters are used for irrigation.
The most important role river valley has in transportation. It's the natural route for both railway and highway Belgrade-Skopje-Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
.
See also
- Great Morava
- West Morava
- Pčinja RiverPcinja RiverThe Pčinja is a 128 km long river in Serbia and Macedonia, a left tributary of the Vardar river.- Serbia :...
- PIM "Ivan Milutinović", Belgrade, Serbia ; Morava - Vardar (Axios) Navigation Route (About 1,200 km shorter route (three days shorter time of navigation) from BelgradeBelgradeBelgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
to Port of Thessaloniki than across DanubeDanubeThe Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, Black SeaBlack SeaThe Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
and Agean Sea. Electric power production, improvement of water quality and regulation of flooding wave.) - Hydropower and navigation syustem "Morava" (Concepts of regulation of rivers Great Morava and South Morava for navigation and hydropower production.)