The Lim (
Serbian Cyrillic
The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet ( sr, / , ) is a variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language, updated in 1818 by Serbian linguist Vuk Karadžić. It is one of the two alphabets used to write standard modern Serbian, th ...
: Лим, ) is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...
that flows through
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
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, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = ...
,
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
and
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 is long.
[Statistical Yearbook of Montenegro 2017, Geography]
Statistical Office of Montenegro It is also the right and the longest tributary of the
Drina
The Drina ( sr-Cyrl, Дрина, ) is a long Balkans river, which forms a large portion of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps whi ...
.
Montenegro and Serbia
The Lim rises below Maglić peak in the
Kuči area of eastern Montenegro, very close to the Albanian border, under the name of ''Vrmoša''. Its source is only few kilometers away from the source of the
Tara river, but the two rivers go in opposite directions: the Tara to the north-west and the Vrmoša to the east, and after only few kilometers it crosses over to Albania ( sq, Lumi i Vermoshit). Passing through
Prokletije
The Accursed Mountains ( sq, Bjeshkët e Nemuna; sh-Cyrl-Latn, Проклетије, Prokletije, ; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), also known as the Albanian Alps ( sq, Alpet Shqiptare), are a mountain group in the western part of the B ...
mountains and the village of
Vermosh, it re-enters Montenegro under the name of ''Grnčar''. Receiving the Vruje stream from
Ali Pasha's Wellsprings from the right at
Gusinje, it continues as ''Ljuča'' for a few more kilometers where it empties into the
Lake Plav, creating small delta. It flows out of the lake to the north, next to the high mountain
Visitor
A visitor, in English and Welsh law and history, is an overseer of an autonomous ecclesiastical or eleemosynary institution, often a charitable institution set up for the perpetual distribution of the founder's alms and bounty, who can inter ...
, under the name Lim for the remaining .
It passes through
Murino, continuing generally to the north through areas of
Vasojevići,
Gornji Kolašin,
Donji Kolašin and Komarani, the Tivran gorge and the cities of
Andrijevica,
Berane
Berane ( cyrl, Беране) is one of the largest towns of northeastern Montenegro and a former administrative centre of the Ivangrad District. The town is located on the Lim river. From 1949 to 1992, it was named Ivangrad ( cyrl, Иванг� ...
,
Bijelo Polje
Bijelo Polje ( cnr, Бијело Поље, ) is a town in northeastern Montenegro on the Lim River. It has an urban population of 15,400 (2011 census). It is the administrative, economic, cultural and educational centre of northern Montenegro.
...
,
Resnik and
Nedakusi, entering
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
between villages of Dobrakovo and
Gostun. It receives the right tributaries of Lješnica (between the villages of Poda and Skakavac) and Bistrica (near the border) and left tributary of Ljuboviđa, near Bijelo Polje.
Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
In the border area, the Lim carved a long gorge ''Kumanička klisura'', between the mountains of
Lisa (in Montenegro) and
Ozren (in Serbia). Lim continues between the mountains of
Jadovnik
Jadovnik (Serbian Cyrillic: Јадовник, ) is a mountain in southwestern Serbia, on the western edge of Pešter plateau, between towns of Prijepolje and Sjenica
Sjenica ( sr-cyr, Сјеница, ) is a town and municipality located in the ...
,
Pobijenik and
Zlatar, and runs through the northern part of the
Sandžak
Sandžak (; sh, / , ; sq, Sanxhaku; ota, سنجاق, Sancak), also known as Sanjak, is a historical geo-political region in Serbia and Montenegro. The name Sandžak derives from the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, a former Ottoman administrative dis ...
area (or Raška oblast). Upstream of
Priboj, the river is dammed by the hydro power plant "Potpeć", creating
Potpeć Reservoir. The villages of Garčanica and Lučice and the towns of
Brodarevo,
Prijepolje,
Pribojska Banja and
Priboj. After Priboj it turns north-west and enters Bosnia and Herzegovina, but only for a few kilometers when it flows back to Serbia and then again to Bosnia at
Rudo
Rudo ( sr-cyrl, Рудо) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 7,963 inhabitants, while the town of Rudo has a population of 1,949 inhabitants.
It is f ...
. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lim flows between the mountains of
Bić,
Javorje and
Vučevica from the south, and the Varda mountain from the north, before it empties into the Drina near the village of Međeđa. The lowest section of the river is flooded by the
Višegrad Reservoir, created by the Višegrad hydroelectrical power plant on the Drina.
Characteristics
Lim belongs to the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
drainage basin through Drina,
Sava
The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally t ...
and
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
. Its drainage basin covers and the river is not navigable.
It receives many smaller streams in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, however, the two most important are its major right tributaries in Serbia, the
Uvac and the
Mileševa river.
Three hypotheses exist about the origin of its name:
* Latin origin derived from the word ''
limes
Limes may refer to:
* the plural form of lime (disambiguation)
Lime commonly refers to:
* Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit
* Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide
* Lime (color), a ...
'', meaning border;
* Celtic origin from the root ''llyn'' or ''llym'', meaning water or lake.
[ This version was supported by ]Miloš Crnjanski
Miloš Crnjanski ( sr-cyr, Милош Црњански, ; 26 October 1893 – 30 November 1977) was a Serbian writer and poet of the expressionist wing of Serbian modernism, author, and a diplomat.
Biography
Crnjanski was born in Csongrád (mod ...
in the section ''Celts in our rivers'' of his book ''British-Balkan connections: Connections in prehistory'';
* Albanian origin from the root ''lymë'', meaning river
Polimlje
The fertile valley of the river is called Polimlje (Полимље), meaning "Lim valley". It represents area around composite river valley, made of several gorges and depressions. The valley is divided in three large parts, Montenegrin, Stari Vlah and Bosnian.
It is important agricultural region, especially for cultivating fruits and stockbreeding. It is also an important route for both the road and railways from Serbia to Montenegro and Adriatic coast, most notably, the Belgrade-Bar railway. Industry is not much developed (smaller industrial centers are Berane, Bijelo Polje and Prijepolje), except for heavily industrialized Priboj. Most use of the river has Serbian electricity production, with power station Potpeć being constructed and several more stations on the Lim's major tributary, the Uvac.
Despite the potentials, the entire area the Lim flows through is undeveloped and for decades highly depopulating.
Border dispute
After breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991-1992, on the part of Lim's course entering and re-entering Serbia and Bosnia, several villages of Serbia remained physically cut off from the rest of the republic's territory. The governments in Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 mi ...
and Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...
proposed an exchange of territories but no agreement was reached.
Lim River tragedy
On 4 April 2004, around 10 PM, a bus carrying Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
n tourists (34 students and 16 adults) back to their native Svishtov from a trip to Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranea ...
in Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
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fell and sank in the river near the Serbian village of Gostun close to the border with Montenegro as the driver lost control over it during a turn on a mountain road. Twelve children died, the other 38 people being saved with the aid of the locals.
See also
*List of rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
This is a list of rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina ordered alphabetically.
Draining into the Black Sea
* Glina (right tributary to Kupa)
** Glinica (right tributary)
*** Bojna
*** Bužimica
** Kladušnica (right tributary in Velika Kladuš ...
* List of rivers of Montenegro
*List of rivers of Serbia
This is a list of the rivers of Serbia, either those flowing entirely or partially within Serbia proper, or just being a border rivers.
Drainage basins
All rivers in Serbia belong to the drainage basins of three seas: Black Sea, Adriatic Se ...
References
* ''Mala Prosvetina Enciklopedija'', Third edition (1985); Prosveta;
* Jovan Đ. Marković (1990): ''Enciklopedijski geografski leksikon Jugoslavije''; Svjetlost-Sarajevo;
External links
Brodarevo, city built on river Lim
{{Authority control
Rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Rivers of Montenegro
Rivers of Serbia
Territorial disputes of Serbia
International rivers of Europe
Accursed Mountains