Vardar

Stone bridge over the Vardar ( Axios ) in Skopje

Vardar River near the village Nogaevci, Macedonia

Vardar River near the town of Veles, Macedonia

River Vardar Vardar Valley, Macedonia

Vardar bridge in Skopje in 1909

The Vardar ( Axios also; macedonian Вардар; Greek Vardaris Βαρδάρης, today mostly Axios Αξιός; Albanian: Vardari ) is a river in South-Eastern Europe of about 388 km in length. The majority of the 301 388 km runs on the territory of Macedonia, the remaining 87 km run in the area of the administrative region of Central Macedonia in Greece.

The catchment area of ​​the Vardar ( Axios ) comprises 25,000 km ², of which 20,535 km ² ( 82.59 % ) is attributable to Macedonia. At 2994 km ² Greece include the catchment area ( 12.25% ) to 1149 km ² belong Serbia ( 4.71% ) and Bulgaria 111 km ² (0.45 %).

Course

The Vardar rises in the north-western Macedonia with the city of Gostivar and turns first to the north. Just before the border with Kosovo, he turns first to the east, then to the south-east and passes it the Macedonian capital Skopje. This direction reserves the Vardar then on to the town of Valandovo. During the passage of Valandovo in the west of the Vardar swings to the south-southeast. The last city on Macedonian territory is Gevgelija. South of Gevgelija flows of Vardar near the village Idomeni on Greek territory.

The now called the Axios river continues its flow direction away after south-southeast and passed as the first Greek city locality Axioupolis. In Greek region 49 km south of the border of the Axios by Ellis Dam is dammed. There his water is taken for irrigation purposes. The Ellis Dam will be closed from April to September each year. The Axios flows west of Chalastra in the immediate vicinity of the city of Thessaloniki in the Aegean Sea. 1934, the Axios on Greek territory from the village Polykastro was channeled in the prefecture of Kilkis. The aim of channeling was next to the water production for the purpose of irrigation in agriculture slowing the mitbedingten by the sediments of the Axios silting the Gulf of Thermaikos. With increasing or unchanged silting of the Gulf Thermaic the entrance to the port of Thessaloniki would have been endangered. As part of the water management construction projects originally west of the mouth of the river Gallikos was postponed at Kalochori lying Axios estuary to its present position south of Chalastra.

Water management

The Vardar had a mean annual runoff in Skopje 48-76 m³ per second between 1970 and 1985. At the Macedonian -Greek border and were runoff 100-225 cubic meters per second measured in the same period. From 1985, the discharge flow of Vardar ( Axios ) decreased at both measuring points decreases significantly. In 1994 the mean annual flow, in Skopje and at the Macedonian- Greek border still 30 cubic meters per second. Cause of this decrease the amount of water is the intensive use of the river water, especially in the Greek part ( Macedonian lowlands ) for irrigation of agricultural land. This intensive use has burdened not only by water extraction of the river, but also stranding of fertilizer residues and derived from the increasing industrialization of wastewater with heavy metals and other pollutants burden the Vardar ( Axios ) significantly.

Vehicular and historical significance

The Vardar valley, together with the valley of the South Morava ( geologically called the Morava - Vardar - furrow ) is the principal (the shortest and therefore economical ) North- South connection in South Eastern Europe, the so-called Corridor 10 in the European transport network of Pan-European transport corridors. There extend the railway line ( Belgrade -Skopje -Thessaloniki ) and the North -South Highway. East of the point where the Vardar ( Axios ) passes the Macedonian- Greek border, is the motorway border crossing Bogorodica / Evzoni. The Greek Highway 1 runs along the Axiostals to Thessaloniki, but in some kilometers distance east of the river. The railway line Skopje -Thessaloniki crosses the border between Macedonia and Greece, parallel to the river Vardar ( Axios ) at Gevgelija / Idomeni. The oil pipeline from Thessaloniki to Skopje also leads parallel to the river Axios.

The historical names Vardar Vardar Macedonia or Republic relating to the Vardar river as a name. This technique is also called as a compromise in the name dispute between Macedonia and Greece in the discussion. Vardar Macedonia referred to in any case, the northernmost part of the historical region of Macedonia and Macedonia.

Trivia

• The unofficial anthem Jugoslavijo was because of her first stanza also Od Vardara pa do Triglava called ( from the river Vardar to Triglav ). The song umreist the limits of the former Yugoslavia and swears a unity of the country.

Swell

• Internationally Shared Surface Water Bodies in the Balkan region. Transboundary River sub- basins. Vardar / Axios River sub- basin
• Th Christodoulou, IL Leontiadis, A. Morfis, BR Payne, S. Tzimourtas: Isotope hydrology study of the Axios River plain in northern Greece. Journal of Hydrology. 146 (1993): 391-404.
• E. Kampa, V. Artemiadou, M. Lazaridou - Dimitriadou: Ecological quality of the River Axios ( N. Greece) during spring and summer. In 1997. Belg.. J. Zool, 130 Supplement 1 (2000): 21-27.