Geography of Montenegro

Montenegro is a relatively sparsely populated mountainous country and is located in the south-western Dinarides. It has a steeply sloping and bays ( Bay of Kotor ) indented coastline on the Mediterranean Sea ( Adriatic Sea ). In particular, the barren Karst region in western Montenegro ( Orjen, Lovćen ) is very sparsely populated. This offer only a few poljes some arable soil ( Grahovo, Cetinje ).

To the north and east to find the highest elevations of Montenegro and the entire Dinaric Alps. Here are the Durmitor massif and the Prokletija, the central high mountain ranges that rise over 2500 meters.

• 3.1 vegetation

Geology

Montenegro is divided into four stratigraphic and geological zones. About two-thirds of Montenegro this part of the Karst. The tectonic units of the coast belong to the neotectonic active region, which led to disasters - earthquakes ( 1556, 1666, 1979 to 7.0 on the Richter scale). Geologic characteristic are the least 4.3 km thick chalk and limestone jurassic time. Due to the monotony of massive Mesozoic limestones and high precipitation totals, the region is so extremely karstified.

A distinct geological special status can be found in contrast to the deeply carved into the mountain plateau of Orjen Bay of Kotor. At the boundary between two geological units of the bay is formed by erosive and tectonic processes, which persist until the recent past when the Orjen 20,000 years ago there existed a powerful Pleistocene glaciation who by the melting of huge, about 150 square kilometers of glaciers flooding the poljes of Grahovo and Dragalj led.

More favorable conditions prevail in the Karst ago where water-holding flysch facies of the Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous and Paleocene are. They are as strongly eroded remnants obtained in the central part of the Bay of Kotor, where short streams are used for the operation of mills partly to this day.

Geomorphology

Mountains

Montenegro is almost entirely mountainous country. In the west and south, the strong karstic coastal mountains rise to nearly 2000 m abruptly from the Adriatic Sea. To the north, close to the high plateaus of Durmitor and the deep slopes of the zertalten Prokletija. The mountain peaks in the north and east of the country consistently achieve high-mountain level. The highest mountain in Montenegro is the Zla Kolata ( 2534 m. J. i ) in Prokletija on the Albanian border. With 2522 m. i J. is the Bobotov Kuk in the Durmitor the highest elevation within the country's borders.

A special position among the coastal mountains occupies the Orjen, as there is a high mountain relief is developed in the closest connection to the sea coast and the Bay of Kotor has the character of a share on the channel in the heart of Hochdinariden.

The harsh climate of the Dinarides by cold snowy winters and the unfavorable supply situation through the gorges ( Piva, Tara ) and leading over high mountain passes traffic connections can result in severe winters in considerable harm.

Coast

The Montenegrin coast is located in the south-eastern part of the Adriatic Sea, between Albania and Croatia. 260.2 kilometers of coastline accounts for 249.1 kilometers closer to the coast and 11.1 km to the islands. The Steep coast is separated by the limestone mountains of the hinterland ( Orjen, Lovcen, Rumija ) from inland. Only in the southern part of Montenegro a lowland coast is developed from Ulcinj. The maritime climate and tourist value of the coastal towns has led here to an expansion of tourism infrastructure since the 1960s. Important tourist centers are Herceg Novi, Tivat, Kotor, Budva and Ulcinj.

Lack of water through the karst character leads in the summer to supply bottlenecks, since part of the drinking water from Bosnia ( Trebisnjica ) on Croatia Dubrovnik has to be introduced and verbracken parts of the autochthonous freshwater sources.

The sea within easy reach significant depths, as well as the lowest point of the Adriatic Sea, with 1280 meters directly in front of the Montenegrin coast. High summer water temperatures and nutrient deficiency are generally characteristic for the Adriatic Sea. Fishing locally plays an important role, but focuses mainly on the Kotor Bay and the mouth of the Bojana to the Skadar Lake.

Waters

52.5 % of Montenegro belong to the catchment area of the Black - and 47.5 % of the Adriatic Sea. Only a larger river system that zeta Morača system, drained the Adriatic Sea. The catchment area of the Black Sea belongs to the catchment area of the River Drina. The largest lake is Lake Skadar on the border with Albania. On its northern shore a low level joins, in the capital Podgorica is located.

The catchment area of the Adriatic Sea is about a total of 6,560 square kilometers. These include the Morača, with its tributaries Zeta and Cijevna, Rijeka crnojevica and Orahovstica. These three waters flow into the Lake Skadar and the Bojana in the Adriatic Sea.

The Moraca is 113.4 km long and has a catchment area of ​​2628 km ². The Zeta is 85 km long and has a catchment area of ​​1,216 square kilometers.

The catchment area of the Black Sea in Montenegro is 7.260 square kilometers and consists mainly of the upper reaches of the tributaries of the Drina with Lim, Piva, Tara and Ćeotina.

See also: List of lakes in Montenegro

Karst

The active evolution of karst topography is dependent on temperature, lithology, vegetation and water availability. Of these, the altitudinal distribution of karst forms depends. The area of Montenegro is provided to strongly developed Holokarst. This date is based on the absence of fluvial forms. Geologically powerful Massenkalke condition. The two terms Holokarst - Merokarst has laid the foundation for climatic variations of karst phenomena. Holokarst is subtropical and tropical, Merokarst temperat distributed ( in Germany, the Swabian Alb).

Jovan Cvijić sees the Montenegrin- Herzegovinian karst high as most developed karst in Europe: "There is no deeper and more developed karst than this herzegowinisch - Montenegrin between the lower Neretva, Lake Skadar and the Adriatic Sea. Not a drop of water flows from superficial, but everything sinks into chimneys, Ponoren crevices and depressions. "

Strong tectonic movements associated with extreme karst also the only original large drainage system in the Montenegrin Saxon Holokarst that Bokeljska reka, destroyed ( to reconstruct or by the Bay of Kotor in the lower reaches ).

Climate

Despite its small area Montenegro has share in three different climatic zones. Although the full Mediterranean coastal strip has the least stretch, but is by its outstanding cultural and historical role of particular importance. Here are the towns of Herceg Novi, Kotor, Budva, Bar and Ulcinj. With the increase in the sub-Mediterranean mountain zone, which extends 50 kilometers inland begins. Cetinje, Niksic and Podgorica have colder winters, but the summers are warmer than the coastal cities. The largest area occupies moderates the climate in Montenegro. Here, however, very similar conditions as in Central Europe, only the temperatures are higher. This zone includes the Durmitor Zabljak and with the cities Pljevlja, Prijepolje and Kolasin.

A special feature of the climate of Montenegro is that here the highest amounts of precipitation in Europe are measured. With 5000 mm (5000 liters per square meter) Crkvice is Orjen the wettest place in Europe.

* According to the Köppen 's climate classification effective the Montenegrin coast is in Risan ( Bay of Kotor ) climate type Cs '' a The special character of the Mediterranean mountain station Crkvice in Orjen is made clear by the climate type CFSB.

Vegetation

Blečić and Lakušić recorded in Montenegro 454 vegetation units (37 classes, 53 orders, 97 organizations and 267 associations ). The map of potential vegetation of Montenegro recorded 20 basic types of vegetation - 18 forest types and two grass communities. Large parts can, however, only be regarded as degraded and spare companies from derivatives of the potential vegetation and anthropogenic favored forms. The most prominent feature is the immediate proximity of alpine mountains and Mediterranean lowlands. Through the gorges meridional scale a sub-Mediterranean character Flore is possible to the valley of the main chains of high Dinarides. Canyons were beyond glacial refuges and are biogeographically - flore historically revealing.

The Illyrian floral province as a subregion of the Euro -Siberian region is characterized by typical boreal tree nemoral and representatives (beech, spruce, silver fir ). Central European Horoelemente are widely dominant in the forest vegetation. They range in the mountains around the Bay of Kotor directly to the coast. The narrow coastal strip Mediterranean inside the bay is a few hundred meters wide; the sclerophyllous vegetation ranges up to 600 m, sub-Mediterranean formations to 1000, above 1000 meters and dominate Book from 1500 meters to find a tank pines.

The sea near slope of the Dinaric coast chains belongs to the ( sub) Mediterranean region of the Adriatic province, while the sea far side belongs to the Illyrian subregion of the Central European floral region. In Montenegro 3136 species of vascular plants ( Pteridophyta, Pinophyta, Magnoliophyta ) are listed, including 201 endemic species. Glacial relicts are in Durmitor and Prokletija, Tertiary relics Orjen often.

The southern European mountain flora is represented by the Dinaric province. The Südostdinariden have a rich temperate, ( sub) Mediterranean and oromediterrane flora with significant occurrence of Illyrian endemics. Lokalendemiten can be found especially in Orjen (8) and Prokletija (15). The greatest diversity of species provides the Prokletija with 542 species in Orjen occur 243 species of Orophyten.

Topography and relief plays a key role in the boundary layer at the training Flore regions. The mountain barrier of the littoral Dinaric Alps (800-1900 meters) fends off the Mediterranean climate influence on the escarpment to the Adriatic Sea, just over the sink, another reaching out is possible. The subtropical biome and with it the Adriatic floral province therefore only occupies the narrow space of the Dalmatian coast. The reaching into the high karst zone Bay of Kotor leads Mediterranean Flore elements nor to snowy Orjen. Thermophilic species such as the paläoendemische semi-evergreen Macedonian oak (Quercus trojana ), European hop hornbeam ( Ostrya carpinifolia ), Oriental hornbeam (Carpinus orientalis) and manna ash (Fraxinus ornus ) are found in the sub-Mediterranean zone.