The Sana ( sr-cyrl, Сана, ) is a river in the north-western part 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 H ...
. It is a tributary of the
Una
Una and UNA may refer to:
Places
* 160 Una, the asteroid "Una", an asteroid named after the Faerie Queene character
* Una River (disambiguation), numerous rivers
* Una, Himachal Pradesh, a town in India
** Una, Himachal Pradesh Assembly constit ...
, which it flows into at
Novi Grad. It is the longest of the nine rivers that flow through
Sanski Most
Sanski Most ( sr-cyrl, Сански Мост, ) is a town and municipality located in the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of the Sana River in northweste ...
, and is 142 km long. It is not a
navigable waterway
A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary b ...
.
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Name
The name of the river derives from the Latin adjective ''sānus'', feminine ''sāna'' hence ''
sana
Sana may refer to:
Places
* Sanaa, the capital of Yemen
* Sana (river), a river in Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Sana, Bhutan, a town in Bhutan
* Sana, Haute-Garonne, a commune in France
* Sana, Iran, a village in Iran
* Sana, Mali, a commune in M ...
'', which roughly translates "healthy" (''Aqua Sanus'' translates as healthy water / river).
Course and sections
Springs and Upper Sana
![Један од извора Сане](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/%D0%88%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B0%D0%BD_%D0%BE%D0%B4_%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B0_%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B5.jpg)
The Sana in its upper course is fast
mountain river
A mountain river is a river that runs usually in mountains, in narrow, deep valley with steep banks, rocky stream bed, and accumulated rock debris.
Mountain rivers are characterized by high slope and flow velocity, insignificant depth, frequent r ...
with
upland freshwater ecology, and its waters being very clear and cold. Gushing out of the
karst plateau
The Karst Plateau or the Karst region ( sl, Kras, it, Carso), also locally called Karst, is a karst plateau region extending across the border of southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy.
It lies between the Vipava Valley, the low hills sur ...
with Ovčara as most prominent summit (1576 m), between
Klekovača
Klekovača ( sr-cyrl, Клековача) is a mountain in the Dinaric Alps of western Bosnia and Herzegovina, located near Drvar
Drvar (, ) is a town and municipality located in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of ...
and
Vitorog
Vitorog ( sr-cyrl, Виторог) is a mountain in the municipality of Glamoč, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has an altitude of .
See also
*List of mountains in Bosnia and Herzegovina
References
Mountains of Bosnia and Herzegovina
{{Canto ...
mountains, and flows toward
alluvial plains
An alluvial plain is a largely flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A floodplain is part of the process, being the smal ...
of the
Bosanska Krajina
Bosanska Krajina ( sr-cyrl, Босанска Крајина, ) is a geographical region, a subregion of Bosnia, in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is enclosed by a number of rivers, namely the Sava (north), Glina (northwest), Vrbanja and Vrba ...
with
lowland freshwater ecology. Well-spring areal is located in the vicinity of Marići village, between surrounding villages of Gornja and Donja
Pečka, Gornji and
Donji Vrbljani
Donji Vrbljani ( sr-cyrl, Доњи Врбљани) is a village in the municipality of Ribnik, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina ...
, and
Medna
Medna (Serbian Cyrillic: Медна) is a settlement in the Mrkonjic Municipality of Republika Srpska entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Name
There are two theories for the etymology of this settlement. The first is that the Ottomans named it '' ...
, on the territories of
Ribnik and
Mrkonjić Grad
Mrkonjić Grad ( sr-cyrl, Мркоњић Град, ) is a town and municipality located in the western part of Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the region of Bosanska Krajina, between Banja Luka and Jajce. As ...
municipality not far from the town of
Šipovo
Šipovo ( sr-cyrl, Шипово) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the southern part of the Bosanska Krajina region. As of 2013, it has a population of 10,293 inhabitant ...
. The source itself consists of four major and water abundant karstic well-springs, with relatively high average discharge, and after about hundred meters first three individual wellsprings merge with a main course, which is set by the small stream of Korana coming from the right form direction of Gornja Pečka village, receiving the Sana springs one-by-one, with first three supplementing it from the left and, after just a little more than one kilometre downstream, with the fourth from the right. This fourth well-spring is also known for the
Mračaj karstic cave from which it emerges. From this point the Sana is formed river, with steady average discharge.
The river at this point is still with low average discharge, and receiving the waters of several other smaller streams, but after just about 17 km the Sana meet with its first major tributary, the short but water abundant river, the
Ribnik. The area surrounding confluence of the two rivers is called Ribnik, and is divided between two settlements,
Gornji and
Donji Ribnik
Donji Ribnik ( sr-cyrl, Доњи Рибник) is a village in the municipality of Ribnik, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina an ...
. From Ribnik, the Sana runs through a valley in a south-to-north-northwestern direction as it reach the historic town of
Ključ.
Middle course
At this point, passing through Ključ, the upper course ends and river enters its midsection narrow gorge, with steep but relatively low slopes, while turning its course to more clear south-to-north direction. The river here combines with the waters of several typical
karstic streams, abundant in water but short in length. Its main tributary is water abundant the
Sanica
Sanica ( sr-cyrl, Саница) is a village in the municipality of Ključ, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In November 2013, a giant sinkhole abruptly began forming where a pond had been. The postal code is 79285.
Demographics
According to the 2013 ce ...
river, which flows east-to-west from the direction of
Grmeč
Grmeč ( sr-cyrl, Грмеч) is a mountain in north-western Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is more than 60 kilometres long, stretching between the city of Bihać and the town of Ključ. The highest peak of Grmeč is ''Crni vrh'' ("Black Peak") ...
mountain, and in this section reaches the Sana from the left at . After 72 km and the altitude difference of 262.52 m, the Sana then passes through
Sanski Most
Sanski Most ( sr-cyrl, Сански Мост, ) is a town and municipality located in the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of the Sana River in northweste ...
and combines with the significant tributary rivers, the
Dabar
The word ''dabar'' ( he, דָּבָר) means "word", "talk" or "thing" in Hebrew. ''Dabar'' occurs in various contexts in the Hebrew Bible.
The Septuagint, the oldest translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, uses the terms ''rhema'' and ''l ...
, the
Zdena and the
Bliha
The Bliha ( sr-cyrl, Блиха) is a river in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a left tributary of the Sana river, located in region of Bosanska Krajina, on Sanski Most municipality territory and town vicinity.
Bliha Falls
The Bliha Falls ( bs ...
river, both from the left, and two other smaller one. From here it runs toward the town of
Prijedor
Prijedor ( sr-cyrl, Приједор, ) is a city and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 89,397 inhabitants within its administrative limits. Prijedor is situated in ...
, where its middle section ends, and where it receives the waters of
Gomjenica river from the right.
Lower Sana
The Sana then turns sharply under an angle of almost 90 degrees and heads west toward its final destination in Novi Grad, where it empties into the
Una river as its most important and largest tributary. From Sanski Most, through Prijedor, to its confluence with the Una in Bosanski Novi, average drop is 41.21 m. Between Prijedor and Novi Grad, the river also serves as a natural border between the two
subregion
A subregion is a part of a larger region or continent and is usually based on location. Cardinal directions, such as south are commonly used to define a subregion.
United Nations subregions
The United Nations Statistics Division, Statistics ...
s,
Potkozarje and
Podgrmeč. In this section the Sana is characteristically
lowland river.
Before the
war in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war ...
, a paper mill "Celpak" in Prijedor was draining wastewater into the Sana, just downstream from the town, so that the further flow of the river was considered polluted. From the outset of the war, and after the war to this day, the factory has been shut down and the discharge of wastewater is reduced to significantly smaller scale. At the center of Novi Grad the Sana reaches the Una river.
Environmental concerns
Plans to harness
hydropower
Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, converting the Pot ...
on the Sana have been proposed; a concession was granted to begin a project in 2008 or 2009. The
hydroelectric power plant
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...
''
MHE Medna'' opened in 2018 and was developed by the company in the upper reaches of the river, just a few kilometres from the Sana's
source outlets. The project was protested by local and national
NGO
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
s for years, but without success. Opponents raised concerns that the dam would damage the river's flow (
river morphology
The terms river morphology and its synonym stream morphology are used to describe the shapes of river channels and how they change in shape and direction over time. The morphology of a river channel is a function of a number of processes and enviro ...
), ambient value, and beauty; and inflict
habitat destruction
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...
of native fish such as the endangered
Huchen
The huchen (''Hucho hucho'') (, from German), also known as Danube salmon or redfish (german: Rotfisch), is a large species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is the type species of its genus ''Hucho''.
Distri ...
(Danube salmon).
'They dammed everything' - Bosnia's hydropower gone sour
/ref>
Tourism and recreation
Rafting
Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...
is one of the most popular forms of outdoor recreation
Outdoor recreation or outdoor activity refers to recreation done outside, most commonly in natural settings. The activities that encompass outdoor recreation vary depending on the physical environment they are being carried out in. These activitie ...
in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the river Sana is popular destination.
The Sana is known for an abundant ichthyofauna
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...
, rich in species, and recreational and fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly diffe ...
are very popular on entire course of the river. Most important is critically endangered 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 elsew ...
huchen
The huchen (''Hucho hucho'') (, from German), also known as Danube salmon or redfish (german: Rotfisch), is a large species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is the type species of its genus ''Hucho''.
Distri ...
, whose population is maintained healthy in the Sana and its tributary the river Sanica, while the Bliha, Dabar, Zdena, Gomjenica, Kozica, and especially the small river Banjica
Banjica ( sr, Бањица, ) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is divided between the Belgrade's municipalities of Savski Venac (western half) and Voždovac (eastern half).
Location
Banjica is located 5-6 kilomet ...
near Ključ are all important spawning grounds for both, huchen and its prey, common nase ( Chondrostoma nasus) and grayling (Thymallus thymallus
''Thymallus thymallus'', the grayling or European grayling, is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family Salmonidae. It is the only species of the genus ''Thymallus'' (the graylings) native to Europe, where it is widespread from the Unite ...
).
In the Sana's headwaters fly fishing is particularly popular, with the tributary Ribnik being famous throughout the world as a popular fly fishing destination, with a trophy sized greyling being abundant.
Gallery
File:Sana River Donji Vrbljani.jpg, The Sana river near Donji Vrbljani
Donji Vrbljani ( sr-cyrl, Доњи Врбљани) is a village in the municipality of Ribnik, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina ...
, Bosnia.
File:Ribnik - panoramio.jpg, The Ribnik river is a short but significant tributary of the Sana
File:Donja Sanica - panoramio.jpg, The Sanica river, lower section, just a few kilometres before it meets the Sana
File:Парк природе Сана - доњи ток, (21).jpg, The Sana river in Prijedor
Prijedor ( sr-cyrl, Приједор, ) is a city and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 89,397 inhabitants within its administrative limits. Prijedor is situated in ...
File:Park prirode rijeka Sana - donji tok 3.jpg, The Sana river at its mouth in Novi Grad
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 Kladu ...
References
{{Authority control
Rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Rafting in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Hucho habitats in Bosnia and Herzegovina