Ibar (river)

The Ibar , in Serb Cyrillic Ибар, is a river of Serbia and Montenegro. Its overall length is of 276 km. It takes its source in the East of the Montenegro and is thrown in the Zapadna Morava, in central Serbia, close to Kraljevo.

Ibar belongs to the basin of drainage of the Black Sea. Its own zone of drainage covers a surface of 8.059 km ². The river is not navigable.

Cours superior

Ibar is born from six sources located in the mountains of the Hajla, in the East of Montenegro. The river generally runs in direction of the North-East, crossing the localities of Ibarac, Rožaje, Radetina and Bać. Then it enters to Serbia and crosses the South of the Sandžak, one of the least populated areas of Serbia. In this part of its course, the river does not receive major affluents. Close to the village of Vitkoviće, it obliques towards the South and enters to the Kosovo.

Cours means

Continuing towards the South, the river crosses Gazivode, Zubin Potok, Ugljare, Zupče and Šipolje, then reached the great depression of Kosovo and the town of Kosovska Mitrovica. There, it forks towards North and crosses Zvečan, Slatina, Sočanica, Leposavić, Dren and Lešak. It penetrates in central Serbia at the village of Donje Jarinje.

With Gazivode, a stopping created the artificial lake of Gazivode (surface: 11,9 km ², altitude 693 m, depth 105 m). The water of this lake is used by the industrial facilities and mining of the area of Kosovska Mitrovica and Trepča. Close to Gazivode also the lake of reserve of Pridvorice is. These lakes allow the irrigation of an area of 300 km ³; they represent part of a plan which was to create vast the hydrosystème of Ibar- Lepenac, supposed to control the course of Ibar, Sitnica and Lepenac. This plan, which completed forever, envisaged the irrigation of the grounds, the electrical production and environmental protection.

At the place where oblique Ibar towards North, it receives its longer affluent, the river Sitnica.

Cours inferior

While running towards North, the river follows the Western slopes of the mounts Kopaonik, then it reaches Raška, Brvenik, Bela Stena, Baljevac, Ušće, Bogutovac, Mataruška Banja, Žiča and Kraljevo, to throw itself finally in Zapadna Morava.

It is in this part of its course that Ibar receives its most important affluents: the Raška, the Studenica the Lopatnica and the Jošanica. In this sector, the river dug a throat of 40 km length and 550 m of depth, the throat of Ibar.

Extending on 110 km, the area which the lower course of Ibar crosses is known under the name of Ibarski kraj (into Serb Cyrillic: Ибарскикрај); it is familiarly divided into valleys with the evocative names:

Dolina istorije (in Serb Долинаисторије), the " Valley of the histoire" , which shelters the ruins of the medieval city of Maglič, monasteries of Studenica, Žiča, Gradac, etc;

Dolina jorgovana (in Serb Долинајоргована), the " Valley of the lilas" ;

Dolina banja (in Serb Долинабања), the " Valleys of the bains" , which shelters thermal spas like Jošanička Banja, Mataruška Banja and Bogutovačka Banja.

References

Mala Prosvetina Enciklopedija , 3rd edition (1985); Prosveta; ISBN 86-07-00001-2
Jovan Đ. Marković (1990): Enciklopedijski geografski leksikon Jugoslavije Svjetlost-Sarajevo; ISBN 86-01-02651-6

Internal bond

List of the rivers of Serbia

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