Čikola () is a
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
of in
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
, southern
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
.
Description
Čikola is in length, from
Mirlović Polje to
Krka at
Nos Kalik, while its headwater Vrba that rises near
Muć would add up to a combined length of about .
Čikola river's springs is near the village
Čavoglave, flows through the city of
Drniš
Drniš is a town in the Šibenik-Knin County, Croatia. Located in the Dalmatian Hinterland, it is about halfway between Šibenik and Knin.
History
The name Drniš was mentioned for the first time in a contract dated March 8, 1494. However, the ...
and then flows near village of
Miljevci into the river of
Krka which flows into the
Adriatic Sea
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 Se ...
. The canyon contrasts with the nearby mountains of
Moseća,
Promina, and
Svilaja. The canyon is 14 km long and 170 m deep in places. It ends 3 km from the lake part of the river, i.e. 6 km before the mouth. Due to the diversity of flora and fauna, and more underwater caves that can be easily entered in summer when the river is partly dry, and even the rich historical heritage, Čikola canyon gained the status of a
protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...
in 1965.
In addition to its natural beauty, the Čikola canyon is known for its
zipline
A zip-line, zip line, zip-wire, flying fox, or death slide''Who Really Benefits from Tourism'', Publ. Equations, Karnataka, India, 2010. Working Papers Series. "Canopy Tourism"page 37/ref>Jacques Marais, Lisa De Speville, ''Adventure Racing'', ...
, which stretches from 30 to 120 m above sea level and has a total length of 1.4 km, which makes it one of the longest ziplines in Croatia. Thrill enthusiasts can choose between three ziplines 250, 500 and 650 meters long, along which they can ride on a steel rope at speeds up to 70 km/h (~43 mph).
The confluence of the rivers Čikola and Krka is one of the most unusual in Croatia. They are divided by the island of Kalički Basin and the "lake" Torak, which is in actually a spring resembling a lake. The unusualness of the scene is contributed by the imbalance between these two rivers - the Krka on one side, which is a lake, and 3 kilometers of Čikola, which are submerged by the rising travertine barrier of Skradinski Buk. Lake Torak spring is 150 m in diameter and 30 m deep.
The narrower area around the source of the Čikola River is climatically strongly influenced by the continental climate. The lowest average air temperature at the Čikola estuary is around 7.7°C (46°F), while the highest summer average air temperature is around 23.7°C (74°F). Around the source, the lowest average air temperature is around 5.6°C (42°F), while the highest summer average air temperature is around 22.1°C (72°F).
Wildlife
In the Čikola, there is a very large number of
gambusia
''Gambusia'' is a large genus of viviparous fish in the family Poeciliidae (order Cyprinodontiformes). ''Gambusia'' contains over 40 species, most of which are principally found in freshwater habitats, though some species may also be found in bra ...
(Gambusia affinis), an introduced foreign, invasive species that suppresses native species.
Domestic species
In Čikola live two exclusively
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...
species:
Turkish chub (Telestes turski), and
Dalmatian gaovica (Phoxinellus dalmaticus). During the dry season, Turkish chub retreats into groundwater, especially to the Čikola spring.
In popular culture
It is mentioned in
Thompson's hit song "
Bojna Čavoglave".
See also
*
Krka National Park
Krka National Park () is one of the Croatian national parks, named after the river Krka (Adriatic Sea), Krka (ancient Greek language, ancient Greek: ''Kyrikos'') that it encloses. It is located along the middle-lower course of the Krka (Adriatic ...
References
Rivers of Croatia
1Čikola
{{Croatia-river-stub