Lumbardhi I Pejës
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The Lumbardhi i Pejës, or Peja Bistrica or Peć Bistrica (; ), is a river in
Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
. This 62 km-long right tributary to the White Drin river flows entirely within the south-western part of Kosovo.


Name

The river's name, Lumbardh, literally translates to White River in Albanian. The adjective, ''i Pejës'', differentiates it from the other Lumbardh tributaries of the White Drin () in the Dukagjini area. The name ''Bistrica'' means "clearwater" in Serbian. The adjective ''Pećka'' derived from "Peć", the Serbian version of Peja. It is added to distinguish it from other Bistrica rivers in the region: Deçan Bistrica, Prizren Bistrica, Baba Loc Bistrica, Lloqan Bistrica, etc.


Upper course

Peja's Lumbardh originates from the eastern slopes of the Mokra mountain, on the border of Kosovo and
Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...
, at the elevation of , in the Rugova region of Dukagjini. It flows to the south and initially receives many small streams coming down from the neighbouring mountains of Hajla, Micinat and Bogićevica. Passing next to the villages of Bogë, Duganjive and Kuqishtë, on the northern tip of the Micinat mountain it turns east into the Rugova gorge.


Rugova Gorge

The short but powerful Lumbardhi i Pejës carved the impressive Rugova Canyon, between the mountains of Zhleb mountain on the north, and Kopranik, the northern extension of the Accursed Mountains, on the south. The gorge is 23 km long and up to deep. The power of the water cut its way not only through the
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
and slate, but also through the terrain made of
marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
and serpentine. The upper part of the gorge is the glacial trough of the ancient, 25 km-long, Rugova glacier. The gorge is sparsely inhabited (the village of Shtupeq i Vogël).


Lower course

As it comes out of the gorge, Peja's Lumbardh reaches the town of Peja and enters the bottom of the Dukagjini depression through which it flows for the rest of its course. It runs parallel to the flows of the White Drin to the north and Deçan's Lumbardh to the south, next to the villages of Kastrat, Babiq, Gllavigjicë, Jabllanicë, Grabanicë and Zajm, before it empties into the White Drin south of the town of Klina.


Characteristics

The Lumbardhi i Pejës has a large potential for the production of hydroelectricity, but this resource is not used. Also, the river is known for its abundance in fish, most notably, trout. The river valley, including the Rugova Canyon, is a route for the road connecting Kosovo with Montenegro, over the Cakor pass. Through the White Drin, Peja's Lumbardh belongs to 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 ...
drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
. The river drains an area of itself and it is not navigable.


See also

* Peja * White Drin


References

* ''Mala Prosvetina Enciklopedija'', Third edition (1985); Prosveta; * Jovan Đ. Marković (1990): ''Enciklopedijski geografski leksikon Jugoslavije''; Svjetlost-Sarajevo; {{Rivers of Kosovo Geography of Peja District Rivers of Kosovo