Šator ( sr-cyrl, Шатор) is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

in the

Dinaric Alps The Dinaric Alps (), also Dinarides, are a mountain range in Southern Europe, Southern and Southcentral Europe, separating the continental Balkan Peninsula from the Adriatic Sea. They stretch from Italy in the northwest through Slovenia, Croatia ...

, in the western regions of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. The name ''šator'' means "tent". The highest peak Veliki Šator is above sea level. Dimensions of the mountain are some in the west–east and in the north–south direction. The mountain area includes a lake, rich

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

and

fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

, numerous

geomorphological Geomorphology () is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topography, topographic and bathymetry, bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. Ge ...

and

hydrological Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and drainage basin sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydro ...

phenomena, as well as the

aesthetic Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,'' , acces ...

appearance in general.

Geography

Šator rises some 1000 meters above high

plain In geography, a plain, commonly known as flatland, is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and ...

s and enormous karstic fields which surround it. These plains are among highest and most spacious karstic fields in the Dinaric Alps and certainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina. On the south is Livanjsko Polje field located some above sea level, which is over long. Šator rises from its north - north-west end. In the opposite direction, south - south-east, are Mount Staretina, peaking at above sea level, and Mountain Golija, above sea level. These mountains divide the Livanjsko field from the Glamočko Polje field. To the east is a huge grassy plain, which is around above sea level. To the north is deep

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

where the

Unac River The Unac ( sr-cyrl, Унац) is a sinking river in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It rises beneath Šator mountain, flows through the municipality of Drvar and finally meets Una River in Martin Brod. Also runs through two deep and rugged karstic cany ...

emerge and

Župica Lake Župica Lake () is an artificial lake of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Unac River. The Unac River rises beneath Šator mountain, flows through the municipality of Drvar and finally meets Una (Sava), Una River in Martin Brod. It's dammed to form sm ...

. On the north-west is an grassy

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

, and a mountain of Jadovnik. The spacious and grassy Grahovsko Polje field is on the west, with an

altitude Altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum (geodesy), datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometr ...

above sea level of around meters. At the middle of the Grahovsko field is a small town of Bosansko Grahovo at an altitude around above sea level, a place which is a main approach to Šator. This whole area is bounded with a long mountain chain, which includes the peaks of Dinara on the border with

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 ...

Peaks

Šator peaks start rising with a sort of plateau meters above sea level, at the end of the dense forests of beech, fir and

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...

. Those 5 peaks have a shape like

tent A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using g ...

and form a string in east–west direction. That is almost perpendicular to most of

mountains, which stretch in southeast–northwest direction. From a distance the whole mountain gives the impression of

and that is how it got its name ( = ). The highest peak, on the western end, is Veliki Šator ( = ) which rises to above sea level, while somewhat isolated, on the eastern end, is Mali Šator ( = ), slightly shorter at . Two of the remaining three peaks exceed above sea level, while the third, the neighbor of ''Mali Šator'', exceeds above sea level.

Flora and fauna

South

slope In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a Line (mathematics), line is a number that describes the direction (geometry), direction of the line on a plane (geometry), plane. Often denoted by the letter ''m'', slope is calculated as the ratio of t ...

s of Šator are grassy, in spring covered with carpets of flowers. On the opposite, north side are steep

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. ...

s and

scree Scree is a collection of broken rock fragments at the base of a cliff or other steep rocky mass that has accumulated through periodic rockfall. Landforms associated with these materials are often called talus deposits. The term ''scree'' is ap ...

slopes (also: ''talus piles'') and

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

depression with lot of dwarf

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

. Šator and area around the mountain were enormous pastures for thousands of

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

, which were driven from as far as

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 ...

, but are now almost depopulated.

Tourism

Šator is a tame mountain in general, in a sense, and therefore more suitable for family trips instead of serious

mountaineering Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...

. A mountain road that reaches Šatorsko Lake at above sea level, grassy slopes, carpets of flowers and dense forests make this mountain attractive for visitors.

References

Bibliography