Kočani valley
Encyclopedia
Kočani valley is located along the river of Bregalnica
in eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia
, at the latitude of 41° and 55' and longitude 22° and 25'. It covers an area of 1020 km² and extends from both sides of Bregalnica
, from west-southwest to east-northeast, with the length of 26 km. Bottom of the valley, i.e. its flat portion covers an area of 115 km². The lowest point is in the western part, where Zletovska River flows into Bregalnica
, which has an altitude of 290 meters. Going east, the plane is gradually rising up to 330 meters. The difference from the lowest to the highest part of the plane is 40 meters.
For certain parts of the valley there are specific names. Thus, the middle part is known as Fields of Kočani (or Kočansko), the southeast part as Viničko, and the west as Zletovsko. The territory around the major villages is named as: Orizarsko, Istibanjsko, Zrnovsko, Obleshevsko and others.
The valley has fertile soil and convenience with the available hydrographic network allows natural movement of water which is ideal for cereals, especially rice, to exist in the excellent natural conditions.
. At that period the ground came down between two splitting lines, one from the north (Osogovo
) and another from the south (Plačkovica
). In late Miocene
and early Pliocene
, the valley was flooded by freshwater lake, which along with other neighboring lakes created the Middle Vardar
's Lake. The depth of this pliocene
lake was over 500 meters.
or Strumica
valley. Kočani valley is rich in thermal springs, especially in the villages of Istibanja, Dolni Podlog, Banja
and Krupište. In the village of Dolni Podlog, near Kočani
, two drillings of 35 meters and 460 meters are made, with 300 liter/sec. and temperatures between 70-80°C. Medicinal properties of the thermal water from Kočani valley, according to Risto Chanev, are identical with the water in the baths of Negorci, near Gevgelija
.
Bregalnica
Bregalnica is the second largest river in the Republic of Macedonia. It starts as a spring near the mountain city of Berovo and it passes near the cities of Makedonska Kamenica, Kočani, Vinica and Štip, before joining the river Vardar on its way to the Aegean Sea...
in eastern part of 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...
, at the latitude of 41° and 55' and longitude 22° and 25'. It covers an area of 1020 km² and extends from both sides of Bregalnica
Bregalnica
Bregalnica is the second largest river in the Republic of Macedonia. It starts as a spring near the mountain city of Berovo and it passes near the cities of Makedonska Kamenica, Kočani, Vinica and Štip, before joining the river Vardar on its way to the Aegean Sea...
, from west-southwest to east-northeast, with the length of 26 km. Bottom of the valley, i.e. its flat portion covers an area of 115 km². The lowest point is in the western part, where Zletovska River flows into Bregalnica
Bregalnica
Bregalnica is the second largest river in the Republic of Macedonia. It starts as a spring near the mountain city of Berovo and it passes near the cities of Makedonska Kamenica, Kočani, Vinica and Štip, before joining the river Vardar on its way to the Aegean Sea...
, which has an altitude of 290 meters. Going east, the plane is gradually rising up to 330 meters. The difference from the lowest to the highest part of the plane is 40 meters.
For certain parts of the valley there are specific names. Thus, the middle part is known as Fields of Kočani (or Kočansko), the southeast part as Viničko, and the west as Zletovsko. The territory around the major villages is named as: Orizarsko, Istibanjsko, Zrnovsko, Obleshevsko and others.
The valley has fertile soil and convenience with the available hydrographic network allows natural movement of water which is ideal for cereals, especially rice, to exist in the excellent natural conditions.
History
According to previous tests, come up to scientific findings that the valley emerged by tectonic influences. Crucial importance for today's form and relief structure had tectonic movements that occurred before the middle of OligoceneOligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
. At that period the ground came down between two splitting lines, one from the north (Osogovo
Osogovo
Osogovo or Osogovska Planina is a mountain and ski resort between southwestern Bulgaria and northeastern Republic of Macedonia,...
) and another from the south (Plačkovica
Plackovica
Plačkovica is a mountain in the eastern part of Republic of Macedonia which extends between the cities of Radoviš, and Vinica.The highest peak is Lisec at 1754 m, the length of main valley slopes of the peak Lisec is 34 km. Valley of river Zrnovska splits the mountain in two parts, eastern and...
). In late Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
and early Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
, the valley was flooded by freshwater lake, which along with other neighboring lakes created the Middle Vardar
Vardar
The Vardar or Axios is the longest and major river in the Republic of Macedonia and also a major river of Greece. It is long, and drains an area of around . The maximum depth of river is ....
's Lake. The depth of this pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
lake was over 500 meters.
Climate
The annual air temperature at average is 13°C, which ranks this valley among warm valleys in the country. It is similar to the air temperature at VelesVeles (city)
Veles is a city in the center of the Republic of Macedonia on the Vardar river. The city of Veles is the seat of Veles Municipality.-Name:The city's name was Vylosa in Ancient Greek and before the Balkan Wars, it was a township with the name Köprülü in the Üsküp sandjak, Ottoman empire for 600...
or Strumica
Strumica
Strumica is the largest city in eastern Macedonia, near the Novo Selo-Petrich border crossing with Bulgaria. About 100,000 people live in the region surrounding the city. The city is named after the Strumica River which runs through it...
valley. Kočani valley is rich in thermal springs, especially in the villages of Istibanja, Dolni Podlog, Banja
Banja
Banja is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. It is named after a significant mountain located in the woreda, Mount Banja, where Fasil crushed a revolt of the Agaw in the late 18th century. Part of the Agew Awi Zone, Banja is bordered on the south by Ankesha, on the west by...
and Krupište. In the village of Dolni Podlog, near Kočani
Kocani
Kočani is a town away from Skopje, situated in the Eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia, with population of 28 330. The town of Kočani is the seat of Kočani Municipality.-Geography and population:...
, two drillings of 35 meters and 460 meters are made, with 300 liter/sec. and temperatures between 70-80°C. Medicinal properties of the thermal water from Kočani valley, according to Risto Chanev, are identical with the water in the baths of Negorci, near Gevgelija
Gevgelija
Gevgelija is a town with a population of 15,685 located in the very southeast of the Republic of Macedonia along the banks of the Vardar River, situated at the country's main border with Greece , the point which links the motorway from Skopje and three other former Yugoslav capitals with...
.