Mt Orjen at the Bay of Kotor is the heaviest karstified range of the dinarids

View of the central part of the Dinaric Alps (north=down)

Valbona pass, northern Albania.

The Dinaric Alps or Dinarides (Croatian and Bosnian: Dinarsko gorje or Dinaridi, Serbian: Динарске планине or Динариди; Slovenian: Dinarsko gorstvo; Italian: Alpi Dinariche) form a mountain chain in southern Europe, spanning areas of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Albania. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2000x1285, 1408 KB)North side of Orjen with Zubacki kabao 1894 m to the right. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2000x1285, 1408 KB)North side of Orjen with Zubacki kabao 1894 m to the right. ... Orjen (42. ... Boka Kotorska (Bay of Kotor, Bocca di Cattaro) in Montenegro is a winding bay on the Adriatic sea. ... Image File history File links Dinaric. ... Image File history File links Dinaric. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3264 × 2448 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3264 × 2448 pixel, file size: 2. ... Serbian (српски језик; srpski jezik) is one of the standard versions of the Shtokavian dialect, used primarily in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, and by Serbs in the Serbian diaspora. ... The most general definition of mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... Anthem Serbia() on the European continent() Capital (and largest city) Belgrade Official languages Serbian language 1 Recognised regional languages Hungarian, Croatian, Slovak, Romanian, Rusyn 2 Albanian, English 3 Government Parliamentary republic  -  President Boris Tadić  -  Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Establishment  -  Formation 8th century   -  First unified state c. ... Anthem Oj, svijetla majska zoro Oh, the bright dawn of May Montenegro() on the European continent()  —  [] Capital (and largest city) Podgorica Official languages Serbian (Ijekavian dialect)1 Government Republic  -  President Filip Vujanović  -  Prime Minister Željko Å turanović Independence due to the dissolution of Serbia and Montenegro   -  Declared June 3, 2006   -  Recognized...

They extend for 400 miles (645 km) along the coast of the Adriatic Sea (northwest-southeast), from the Julian Alps in the northwest down to the Šar-Korab massive, where the mountain direction changes to north-south. The highest mountain of the Dinaric Alps is the Prokletije, located on the border of eastern Montenegro and northern Albania, with the peak called "Lake Crest" at 2,692 metres or 8,833 feet. A satellite image of the Adriatic Sea. ... Edelweiss, Julian Alps, Slovenia The Julian Alps is part of the Alps that stretch from north-eastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2864 metres at Triglav. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Šar mountain (Serbian Шар планина, Šar Planina; Albanian Malet e Sharrit, Sharr) is a mountain on the border of Serbia and Montenegro and the Republic of Macedonia. ... The Korab Mountain range Korab Mountain landscape Mount Korab is the highest mountain of both Albania and Republic of Macedonia at the border of the two states. ... Lake Crest is the translation of the name of a mountain peak called Maja Jezercë in Albanian and Jezerski vrh in Serbian, the highest point of the Prokletije mountain and the entire Dinaric Alps, standing at 2,692 metres or 8,833 feet above sea level. ...

The Dinaric Alps comprise the most rugged and extensively mountainous area of Europe outside of the Caucasus Mountains, Alps and Scandinavian Mountains. They are formed largely of secondary and tertiary sedimentary rocks of dolomite, limestone, sand, and conglomerates formed by seas and lakes that had once covered the area. During the Alpine earth movements that occurred 50-100 million years ago, immense lateral pressures folded and overthrust the rocks in a great arc around the old rigid block of the north-east. World map showing the location of Europe. ... The Caucasus Mountains are a mountain system between the Black and Caspian seas in the Caucasus region, usually considered the southeastern limit of Europe. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Scandinavian Mountains, in Swedish Skanderna, Fjällen (The Mountains) or Kölen and in Norwegian Kjølen, with the two latter meaning the Keel, are a mountain range that runs through the Scandinavian Peninsula. ... Two types of sedimentary rock: limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... Dolomite crystals from Touissite, Morocco Dolomite is the name of both a carbonate rock and a mineral consisting of calcium magnesium carbonate (formula: CaMg(CO3)2) found in crystals. ... Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... Patterns in the sand Sand is a granular material made up of fine rock particles. ...

The Dinaric Alps were thrown up in more or less parallel ranges, stretching like necklaces from the Julian Alps up to the areas of northern Albania and Kosovo where the mountainous terrain subsides to make way for the waters of Drin and the fields of Kosovo. The Šar and Korab mountains then rise and the mountainous terrain continues southwards to the Pindus of Greece and the mountains of the Peloponnese and Crete, Rhodes to the Taurus Mountains of southern Turkey. Edelweiss, Julian Alps, Slovenia The Julian Alps is part of the Alps that stretch from north-eastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2864 metres at Triglav. ... The Drin (Дрим / Drim in Macedonian and in Serbian) is the longest river in Albania, which empties into the Adriatic Sea near the city of Lezhë and the river Buna (Bojana in Serbian) near Rozafa. ... For uses of the name Kosova, see Kosova (disambiguation). ... The Šar mountain (Serbian Шар планина, Šar Planina; Albanian Malet e Sharrit, Sharr) is a mountain on the border of Serbia and Montenegro and the Republic of Macedonia. ... The Korab Mountain range Korab Mountain landscape Mount Korab is the highest mountain of both Albania and Republic of Macedonia at the border of the two states. ... The Pindus (Greek: Πίνδος, Albanian: Pino) mountains are a range located in northern Greece, roughly 160 km (100 miles) long, with a maximum elevation of 2636 m (8650 ft), along the border of Thessaly and Epirus. ... The Peloponnese or Peloponnesus (Greek: Πελοπόννησος Peloponnesos; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is a large peninsula in southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth. ... For the famous World War II battle, see: Battle of Crete For other uses, see Crete (disambiguation). ... Rhodes (Greek: Ρόδος (pron. ... Demirkazık Summit [IN CHINA] The Taurus Mountains (Turkish: Toros DaÄŸları, also known as Ala-Dagh or Bulghar-Dagh) are a mountain range in the southeastern Anatolian plateau, from which the Euphrates (Turkish: Fırat) descends into Syria. ...

Geology

The Mesozoic limestone forms a very distinctive region of the Balkans, notable for features such as the Karst. The Quarternary Ice Ages had relatively little direct geologic influence on the Balkans. No permanent ice caps existed, and there is little evidence of extensive glaciation. Only the highest summits of Durmitor, Orjen, and Prenj have glacial valleys and moraines as low as 600 metres. However, in the Prokletije, a range on the northern Albanian border that runs east to west (thus breaking the general geographic trend of the Dinaric system), there is evidence of major glaciation. The Mesozoic is one of four (sometimes more) geologic eras. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Karst topography occurs when a landscape is marked by underground drainage patterns. ... The Quaternary Period is the geologic time period from the end of the Pliocene Epoch roughly 1. ... An ice cap is a dome-shaped ice mass that covers less than 50,000 km² of land area (usually covering a highland area). ... A glaciation (a created composite term meaning Glacial Period, referring to the Period or Era of, as well as the process of High Glacial Activity), often called an ice age, is a geological phenomenon in which massive ice sheets form in the Arctic and Antarctic and advance toward the equator. ... Durmitor is a mountain and the name of a national park in Montenegro. ... Broader region of Orjen and Bay of Kotor. ... Moraine at Mono Lake, California, United States Moraines clearly seen on a side glacier of the Gorner Glacier, Zermatt, Switzerland. ... Prokletije is a mountain range in eastern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northern Albania, the highest point of which is Lake Crest (Albania), the tallest peak in the Dinaric Alps, at 2,692 m. ...

One geological feature of great importance to the present-day landscape of the Dinarides must be considered in more detail: that of the limestone mountains, often with their attendant faulting. They are hard and slow to erode, and often persist as steep jagged escarpments, through which steep-sided gorges and canyons are cleft by the rivers draining the higher slopes. A gorge is a narrow passage between steep mountains or hills. ... Grand Canyon, Arizona Noravank Monastery Complex and Canyon in Armenia. ...

The most extensive example of limestone mountains in Europe are those of the Karst of the Dinaric Alps. Here, all the characteristic features are encountered again and again as one travels through this wild and underpopulated country. Limestone is a very porous rock, yet very hard and resistant to Erosion. Water is the most important corrosive force (Corrosion), dissolving the limestone by chemical action. As it percolates down through cracks in the limestone it opens up fissures and channels, often of considerable depth, so that whole systems of underground drainage develop. During subsequent millennia these work deeper, leaving in their wake enormous waterless caverns, sinkholes, and grottoes and forming underground labyrinths of channels and shafts. The roofs of some of these caverns may eventually fall in, to produce great perpendicular-sided gorges, exposing the water to the surface once more. The magnificent gorges of many of the Dinaric rivers, for example those of the Vrbas, Neretva, Tara, and Lim, are justly famous. The partially submerged western Dinaric Alps form the numerous islands and harbors along the Croatian coast. Karst topography occurs when a landscape is marked by underground drainage patterns. ... Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. For erosion as an operation of Mathematical morphology, see Erosion (morphology) Erosion is displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock and other particles) by the agents of ocean currents, wind, water, or ice by downward or down-slope movement... See corrosive for the hazard. ... Alternate meanings: Cave (disambiguation) This article is about natural caves; for artificial caves used as dwellings, such as those in north China, see yaodong. ... Devils Hole near Hawthorne, Florida Sinkholes, also known as sinks, shakeholes or dolina (in the Slovene language dolina means valleys), and cenotes, are formed by the collapse of cave roofs and are a feature of landscapes that are based on limestone bedrock. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Vrbas (Serbian Cyrillic: Врбас) is a major river in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. ... River Neretva in Mostar, 2004 Neretva is a river in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. ... Tara is a river in Montenegro. ... The Lim bay and valley is a peculiar geographic feature found near Rovinj and Vrsar on the western coast of Istria, Croatia, south of Poreč. The name comes from the Latin limes for limit, referring to the landforms position at the border of two Roman provinces (Dalmatia and Italia). ...

Only along the Dinaric gorges is communication possible across the Karst, and roads and railways tunnel through precipitous cliffs and traverse narrow ledges above roaring torrents. At the same time, the purity of these rocks is such that the rivers are crystal clear, and there is little soil-making residue. Rock faces are often bare of vegetation and glaring white, but what little soil there is may collect in the hollows and support lush vegetation, or yield narrow strips of cultivation. Karst topography occurs when a landscape is marked by underground drainage patterns. ...

Human activity in the Dinarides

Ruins of fortresses dot the mountainous landscape, evidence of centuries of war and the refuge the Dinaric Alps have provided to various military forces. The Dinarides provided shelter to the Illyrians resisting Roman conquest of the Balkans, which began with the conquest of the western Adriatic coast in the third century BC. Rome conquered the whole of Illyria in 168 BC. These mountains sheltered Illyrian resistance forces for many years until the area’s complete subjugation by 14 AD. Illyria (disambiguation) Illyrians has come to refer to a broad, ill-defined group of peoples who inhabited the western Balkans (Illyria, roughly from northern Epirus to southern Pannonia) and even perhaps parts of Southern Italy in classical times into the Common era, and spoke Illyrian languages. ... Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ... A satellite image of the Adriatic Sea. ... Illyria Illyria (disambiguation) Illyria (Anc. ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 210s BC 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC - 160s BC - 150s BC140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC Years: 173 BC 172 BC 171 BC 170 BC 169 BC - 168 BC - 167 BC 166 BC 165... (Redirected from 14 AD) For other uses, see number 14. ...

The area remains underpopulated, and forestry and mining remain the chief economic activities in the Dinaric Alps. The people of the Dinaric Alps are on record as being the tallest people in Europe with a male average height of 186 cm among those in their late teens.

Mountains in the Dinaric Alps

Some of the mountains within the Dinarides are:

• Bijela gora
• Biokovo
• Bjelašnica
• Cer
• Crna Gora
• Čvrsnica
• Dinara, the eponym of the chain.
• Durmitor
• Igman
• Jahorina
• Kamešnica
• Orjen
• Snežnik
• Tara
• Trebević
• Treskavica
• Velebit
• Zlatibor