Dinara is a long

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have ari ...

in the Dinaric Alps, located on the border of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...

and

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

. It has four major mountains or peaks, from north-west to south-east: * Ilica or Ujilica (1654 m) * Sinjal or Dinara (1831 m),

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

to the range, highest mountain in Croatia * Troglav (1913 m), highest peak in the range * Kamešnica, with peak Konj (1855 m) Note the dual use of the name ''Dinara'', which is also the origin of the name for the whole Dinaric Alps.''Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Croatia 2015'', p. 48 The range is composed of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

and

dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...

Etymology

The origin of the name is uncertain. It may deliver from a forgotten Illyrian tribe name, or it is named after a settlement in or near the region. Dinaric Alps subdivisions-fr

Dinara Mountain

Sinjal, often marked as ''Dinara'' on maps, is the highest mountain in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

and has an impressive south-western cliff, several hundred meters high, that is prominently visible from the

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, str ...

n plain below. It has a prominence of 728 m. This explains why the mountain ''Dinara'', not being the highest in the range, still came to give its name to the whole range. In addition, the name is the origin to the name of one of the major mountain regions of Europe, the Dinaric Alps or Dinarides."Dinara" on Peakbagger.com
Retrieved 1 October 2011

Climate

Dinara is located only a few dozen kilometers away from 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 th ...

, and is part of the Dalmatian Hinterland, but the climate on Dinara is a much colder,

mountain climate Alpine climate is the typical weather (climate) for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate. Definition There are multiple definitions of ...

, making it one of the coldest places in Croatia with average temperatures between 2 and 4 °C at the peaks. The average precipitation is high, while the number of sunny hours per year ranges between 1,700 and 1,900.''Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Croatia 2015'', p. 43 There are no inhabited areas on the mountain itself and human presence consists mostly of small shacks that belong to the herdsmen from the nearby valleys such as that of the Cetina river.

Tourism

One of the most fascinating massifs is on the southwestern slope. It is six kilometers long and up to 1700 meters high, providing an interesting landscape for the travelers on the roads in the valley below to view. The massif does not attract many climbers, but its Ošljak peak (1706 m) does.

Flora and fauna

Flora

Native vegetation of the Dinara region comprises a large number of plant communities, or habitat types. According to the data available, in the area of the Dinara mountain there are around 750 plant species, of which more than 110 are strictly protected and 55 are endemics. The flora consists of mountain grasslands, Scopoli's rockcress ('' Arabidopsis arenosa'', ''

Arabidopsis halleri ''Arabidopsis'' (rockcress) is a genus in the family Brassicaceae. They are small flowering plants related to cabbage and mustard. This genus is of great interest since it contains thale cress (''Arabidopsis thaliana''), one of the model org ...

'' and '' Arabidopsis croatica'', dinarian mouse ear ''

Hieracium Pilosella ''Hieracium'' (), known by the common name hawkweed and classically as (from ancient Greek ιεράξ, 'hawk'), is a genus of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, and closely related to dandelion ('' Taraxacum''), chicory (''Cichorium'' ...

'', dalmatian rockbell ''

Edraianthus dalmaticus ''Edraianthus dalmaticus'', (syn. ''Wahlenbergia dalmatica'' A.DC.) or Dalmatian rockbell, is an ornamental plant in the Campanulaceae (bellflower) family. This herbaceous perennial is native to the mountains of Dalmatia in Croatia but now u ...

'', pasque flower '' Pulsatilla'', lion's paw '' Leonotis leonurus'', yellow gentian '' Gentiana lutea'', common juniper '' Juniperus communis'' and hairy azalea ''

Rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...

''.

Fauna

Birds

The Dinara region, particularly Dinara itself and the habitat around the Upper Cetina, from its source to the Peruća dam, is designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) by the EU Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. The bird species include: common pheasant '' Phasianus colchicus'', common quail '' Coturnix coturnix'', shore lark '' Eremophila alpestris'', redshank ''

Tringa totanus The common redshank or simply redshank (''Tringa totanus'') is a Eurasian wader in the large family Scolopacidae. Taxonomy The common redshank was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of hi ...

'', stone curlew ''

Burhinus oedicnemus The Eurasian stone-curlew, Eurasian thick-knee, or simply stone-curlew (''Burhinus oedicnemus'') is a northern species of the Burhinidae (stone-curlew) bird family. Taxonomy The Eurasian stone-curlew was formally described by the Swedish natu ...

'', moustached warbler '' Acrocephalus melanopogon'', golden eagle '' Aquila chrysaetos'' and short-toed snake eagle '' Circaetus gallicus''. Also there is sighting of Eurasian griffon vulture ''

Gyps fulvus ''Gyps'' is a genus of Old World vultures that was proposed by Marie Jules César Savigny in 1809. Its members are sometimes known as griffon vultures. ''Gyps'' vultures have a slim head, a long slender neck with downy feathers, and a ruff aroun ...

'' probably on their flight over to

Cres Cres (; dlm, Crepsa, vec, Cherso, it, Cherso, la, Crepsa, Greek: Χέρσος, ''Chersos'') is an Adriatic island in Croatia. It is one of the northern islands in the Kvarner Gulf and can be reached via ferry from Rijeka, the island K ...

Mammals

The mammals of the Dinara region are: brown bear Ursus arctos, grey wolf Canis lupus, Eurasian lynx

Lynx lynx The Eurasian lynx (''Lynx lynx'') is a medium-sized wild cat widely distributed from Northern, Central and Eastern Europe to Central Asia and Siberia, the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas. It inhabits temperate and boreal forests up to an elev ...

, wildcat Felis silvestris, red fox Vulpes vulpes, wild boar

Sus scrofa The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is n ...

, Eurasian badger Meles meles, brown hare

Lepus europaeus The European hare (''Lepus europaeus''), also known as the brown hare, is a species of hare native to Europe and parts of Asia. It is among the largest hare species and is adapted to temperate, open country. Hares are herbivorous and feed main ...

and balkan snow vole. Dinara is host to an

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

, the Balkan snow vole ('' Dolomys bogdanovi longipedis''), known in Croatian as the ("Dinara mouse"). It is an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

Insects

The relatively well-preserved, extensive and diverse habitats of the Dinara and Svilaja mountains and the Upper Cetina provide a refuge to a number of invertebrate species whose natural habitats have been endangered due to specific living conditions they require, while many of them are endemics and placed on the Red List (certain species of caddisflies, dragonflies, stoneflies, orthoptera, etc.). Invertebrates living in caves and holes make a special group – their biology remains relatively unknown, but they are protected as the cave fauna together with cave vertebrates. Insects include: dalmatian ringlet Proterebia afra dalmata, rosalia longicorn, longhorn beetle, firebug, hornet, bumblebee, stag beetle and marsh fritillary.

Herpetology

The herpetofauna of the Dinara region comprises around 15 species of lizards, snakes and amphibians, some of which are endangered, mostly due to the fact that their natural habitats have been either reduced in extent or suffered degradation. The herpetofauna comprises: smooth snake, balkan whip snake, nose-horned viper, fire salamander, slow worm, karst meadow viper and alpine newt.