Lim River
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The Lim (Serbian Cyrillic: Лим) is a river flowing through Montenegro, Albania, Serbia and Bosnia and Hercegovina. 220 km long, it's the right and the longest tributary of the Drina.
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[edit] Montenegro and Albania
River originates below Maglić peak in the Kuči area of eastern Montenegro, very close to the Albanian border, under the name of Vrmoša (Cyrillic: Врмошa). Its source is only few kilometers away from the source of the Tara river, but 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 (Albanian: Lumi i Vermoshit). Passing through Prokletije mountains and the village of Vermosh, it re-enters Montenegro under the name of Grnčar (Cyrillic: Грнчар). Receiving stream Vruje from the right at Gusinje, it continues as Ljuča (Cyrillic: Ључа) for a few more kilometers where it empties into the Lake Plav, creating small delta. Flows out of the lake to the north, next to the mountain Visitor, under the name Lim for the remaining 197 km. It passes through Murino, continuing generally to the north through areas of Vasojevići, Gornji Kolašin, Donji Kolašin and Komarani, the Tivran gorge (Tivranska klisura/Тивранска клисура) and the cities of Andrijevica, Berane, Bijelo Polje, Resnik and Nedakusi, entering Serbia 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.
[edit] Serbia and Bosnia and Hercegovina
In the border area, the Lim carved a long gorge Kumanička klisura (Cyrillic: Куманичка клисура), between the mountains of Lisa (in Montenegro) and Ozren (in Serbia). The Lim continues between the mountains of Jadovnik, Pobijenik and Zlatar, it runs through the northern part of the Sandžak area (or Raška oblast), artificial Lake Potpeć, the villages of Garčanica and Lučice and the cities of Brodarevo, Prijepolje, Pribojska Banja and Priboj. After Priboj it turns north-west and enters Bosnia and Hercegovina, but only for a few kilometers when it flows back to Serbia and then again to Bosnia at Rudo. In Bosnia and Hercegovina, the Lim flows between the mountains of Bič, 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 artificial Višegrad lake, created by the Višegrad hydroelectrical power plant on the Drina.
[edit] Characteristics
The Lim belongs to the Black Sea drainage area through Drina, Sava and Danube. Drainage basin covers 5.963 km² and the river is not navigable.
It receives many smaller streams in Montenegro and Bosnia and Hercegovina, however, two most important being two of its right tributaries in Serbia, Uvac and Mileševska reka.
Name of the river is derived from Latin word limes, which means border.
[edit] Polimlje
Fertile valley of the river is called Polimlje (Cyrillic: Полимље) (Lim valley). It represents area around composite river valley, made of several gorges and depressions. Valley is divided in three large parts, Montenegrin, Stari Vlah and Bosnian.
Valley is important agricultural region, especially for cultivating fruits and stockbreeding. It is also important route for the both road and railways from Serbia to Montenegro and Adriatic coast, most notably, 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 possibilities, whole area the Lim flows through is undeveloped and for decades highly depopulating, regardless of different ethnic (Serbian, Albanian, Bosniak) or religious affiliation (Serbian Orthodox Church, Islam).
[edit] Border dispute
After breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991/92, 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. Governments of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia proposed exchange of territories to Bosnia and Hercegovina, but so far, no agreement was reached.
[edit] Lim River tragedy
On 4 April 2004, around 10 PM, a bus carrying Bulgarian tourists (34 students and 16 adults) back to their native Svishtov from a trip to Dubrovnik in Croatia 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.
[edit] References
- Mala Prosvetina Enciklopedija, Third edition (1985); Prosveta; ISBN 86-07-00001-2
- Jovan Đ. Marković (1990): Enciklopedijski geografski leksikon Jugoslavije; Svjetlost-Sarajevo; ISBN 86-01-02651-6
