![Buna-muendung](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Buna-muendung.jpg)
The Bojana ( cnr, Бојана), also known as the Buna ( sq, Bunë), is a river in
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
and
Montenegro
)
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which flows into the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
. An outflow of
Lake Skadar
Lake Skadar ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Скадарско језеро, Skadarsko jezero, ; sq, Liqeni i Shkodrës, ) also called Lake Scutari, Lake Shkodër and Lake Shkodra lies on the border of Albania and Montenegro, and is the largest lake in Southern ...
, measured from the source of the lake's longest tributary, the
Morača
The Morača ( sr-cyrl, Морача, ) is a major river in Montenegro that originates in the northern region in Kolašin Municipality under Mount Rzača. It meanders southwards for before emptying into Lake Skadar. Its drainage basin covers ...
, the Morača-Lake Skadar-Bojana system is long.
Etymology
The modern Albanian name of the river delivers from
Illyrian ''Barbanna'' ''and'' follows
Albanian phonetic sound rules.
Course
The river in Albania
The river used to be longer, but due to a rise in the level of Lake Shkodër, the uppermost part of the river is now under the lake's surface. The river initially flows east, but after only few kilometers reaches the city of
Shkodër
Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Shkod ...
and turns to the south. On the southern outskirts of the city, the river receives its most important tributary, the
Great Drin, the greater part of which became its tributary after changing course during a flood in 1858 and now brings more water (352 m³/s) than the Buna itself (320 m³/s). After flowing around the Peak of Tarabosh, it passes through the villages of Zues,
Bërdicë
Bërdicë is a former municipality in the Shkodër County, northwestern Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is ...
, Darragjat, Oblikë, Obot, Shirq,
Dajç and Goricë.
Border river and the mouth
After in Albania, it forms the
border
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
between
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
and
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
. On this border section, which is long, the river meanders widely, flowing around Lakes
Šas and
Zogajsko blato, both in Montenegro. Settlements include villages of Sveti Đorđe and
Reč
Reč ( cyrl, Реч; sq, Reç) is a small town in the municipality of Ulcinj, southeastern Montenegro.Reč is mentioned in 1413 in the Scutarias taxable income part of the Albanian (''arbanas'') ''katun'' (semi-nomadic pastoral community) of Gj ...
on the Montenegrin, and Luarzë and Pulaj on the Albanian side. The area surrounding the river in this section is low and marshy, the Bojana being the eastern border of the Field of
Ulcinj
Ulcinj ( cyrl, Улцињ, ; ) is a town on the southern coast of Montenegro and the capital of Ulcinj Municipality. It has an urban population of 10,707 (2011), the majority being Albanians.
As one of the oldest settlements in the Adriatic coast ...
and of the Long Beach (''
Velika Plaža
Velika Plaža ( sq, Plazhi i Madh; sr-cyrl, Велика Плажа, ;, lit. "Big Beach") is a beach in Ulcinj Municipality, Montenegro. It stretches from Port Milena in Ulcinj to the Bojana River, which separates it from Ada Bojana. '') of Ulcinj.
At its mouth into the
Adriatic
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...
, Bojana forms a small delta with two arms, the left one forming the
border with Albania, and the right one, with the island between the arms, being part of Montenegro. The island is called
Ada Bojana
Ada Bojana ( cnr, Ада Бојана, ; Albanian: Ishulli i Bunës) is an island in the Ulcinj Municipality in Montenegro. The name ''Ada'' means river island in Serbo-Croatian.
The island is created by a river delta of the Bojana River. It ...
(''Ada'', the
Turkish word for "island", has found its way into the
Serbian language
Serbian (, ) is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian language mainly used by Serbs. It is the official and national language of Serbia, one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina and co-official in Montenegro and Kos ...
). It was supposedly formed around a ship's wreck in the 19th century, and now covers an area of , and is Montenegro's largest island. With the neighboring resort of Sveti Nikola ("Saint Nicholas"), it is a major center of nudism along the Adriatic.
The other, smaller island belongs to Albania and is called
Franc Jozeph Island
Franz Jozeph Island (or ''Franz Josef'', ''Franc Jozeph'', etc.) ( sq, Ishulli i Franc Jozefit) is an island located at the mouth of the Buna River in Albania. The island is made up of rich alluvial soil and becomes a peninsula depending on the s ...
or Ada Major. This small island is not artificial such as Ada Bojana but natural. The Island of Franz Joseph frequently receives tourists.
Characteristics
![Buna river](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Buna_river.jpg)
The river has a large
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
of . Lake Shkodër, the largest lake in southeastern Europe, at almost sea level, nearby empties into it, draining much of
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
. From Albania, and border lands east, its main tributary is the Great Drin. The Buna ranks second among all tributaries to the Adriatic (measured by average annual discharge) after the
Po in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. Its mean discharge is .
It is highly navigable and is worked and toured by vessels ranging from motorboats, canal barges up to large tour boats and inland goods barges.
References
Bibliography
* ''Mala Prosvetina Enciklopedija'', Third edition, Prosveta, 1985,
* Jovan Đ. Marković, ''Enciklopedijski geografski leksikon Jugoslavije'', Svjetlost-Sarajevo, 1990,
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bojana (River)
Rivers of Albania
Rivers of Montenegro
International rivers of Europe
Geography of Shkodër County
Albania–Montenegro border
Ramsar sites in Albania
Border rivers