Lika (river)

Lika

Lika River, near Kosinj
Origin Velebit Mountains
Mouth ponor
Basin countries Croatia
Length 77 km
Source elevation 600 m
Mouth elevation 480 m
Avg. discharge 7.33 m³/s
Basin area 1,014 km2 (392 sq mi)

The Lika is a river in Croatia which gives its name to the Lika region. It is 77 kilometres (48 mi) long and it has a basin with an area of 1,014 square kilometres (392 sq mi). Its average discharge at the measurement station in Bilaj (covering 225 km2 of the basin) is 7.33 m3/s, and it can go completely dry.[1]

It is known as a sinking river because at the end of its course, it flows into a series of ponors or swallow-holes and disappears from the surface. The Lika River rises near the village of Kukljić at the foot of the Velebit Mountains, flows in a northwesterly direction past the town of Gospić, enters and leaves Lake Krušćica, and continues to the northwest until it sinks into the karst topography at ponors near Lipovo Polje.

References

  1. "Karakteristike značajnijih vodotoka". Vodnogospodarska osnova Hrvatske - Strategija upravljanja vodama (in Croatian). Croatian Parliament. Retrieved 2011-12-18.

Coordinates: 44°46′N 15°10′E / 44.767°N 15.167°E