The Dynamic Alps (Called Dinarsko Gorje in Croatian) form a mountainous system of alpine origin that is located in the territories of Croatia and Slovenia. They are made up of plateaus and calcareous mountain ranges that are oriented from the Northwest to the Southeast, and are parallel to the Adriatic Sea.
Its constitution is solid and in its transverse sense is impenetrable. Its extension comprises the southeastern end of the Alps, to the Northwest, and extends to the Southeast.
On the Adriatic slope, which is on the Dalmatian coast, the Dinaric Alps possess high steep cliffs of white limestone, which are surrounded by elongated islands that are parallel to these and which are but ridges of partially submerged mountains.
To the east of this coastal wall lies the great Karst calcareous plateau, where the erosion of water on limestone materials has given rise to a characteristic type of relief which is known as karstic relief.
Much more to the east of this plateau is an area of high mountain that culminates with Durmitor, which rises to 2,522 meters above sea level, although the highest peak is the Maja Jezercë, 2,694 meters.
Also, the Dinaric Alps are in eight countries that share their topography, relief, geology, steps, communication routes and even their plateaus and elevations. In this way, the Dinaric Alps are a natural link between several European countries.
Archaeological excavations have been able to show that the Dinaric Alps have had human settlements for centuries. For example, the Romans had passed by in the third century BC. C., since this was a way towards the conquest of towns situated to the east of Italy.
AND This was also an area of strategic importance for the war against the Ottoman Empire and the resistance of the Yugoslav partisans during World War II.
Geographical distribution of the Dinaric Alps
The Dinaric Alps are divided into the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, the Republic of Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. It extends for about 645 kilometers that go from Northwest to Southeast, with a triangular shape that borders the Julian Alps to the North and the Adriatic Sea to the East.
By its extension, the Dynastic Alps constitute the fifth longest mountain chain in Europe, just below the Pyrenees and the Caucasus Mountains.
Topography and relief
Although the Dinaric Alps have had human settlement for more than a millennium, it has not been constant or nourished, so there has been relatively little human activity on their land and, consequently, has resulted in less erosion from Urbanism and agriculture.
The geological composition of this mountain range also makes it resistant to abrupt changes in the landscape that can be produced by the wind or the surrounding rivers, such as the river Drina.
There is, in fact, a predominant presence of mountains in the Dinaric Alps, so there are practically no extensive plains. Thanks to this structure, it is possible to observe dolinas, caves and caverns that give rise to labyrinthine series of passages and channels that communicate different stretches of this mountain chain.
geology
The geology of the Dinaric Alps corresponds to the Mesozoic Era, with sedimentary rocks that predominate among the rocks that form this mountain chain, that formed about 50 or 100 million years ago.
The Dinaric Alps generally have a variety which, from a mineralogical perspective, comprises sand, dolomite and limestone, apart from conglomerates which are the fruit of their position near the Adriatic Sea and the lakes that converge throughout the whole area.
Steps and ways of communication
Several of the most important steps and communication routes of the Dinaric Alps pass through its main mountains. Several of these touch the territories of Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and, to a lesser extent, Slovenia.
Its length on average is usually not less than 1,000 in extent, but it is not greater than 2,000 meters. Of all the existing tunnels, only Tuhobić, Sveti Rok and Mala Kapela - all in Croatia - are among the most relevant.
The smallest step is the Postojna Bridge, located in Slovenia, which is only about 606 meters, followed only by the Knin Bridge in Croatia of 700 meters and the Vratnik Pass in that same country, 850 meters.
The largest, on the other hand, is the Čakor, which is in Montenegro and has a length of 1,849 meters, surpassing the Cemerno in Bosnia and Herzegovina of 1,329 meters, and the Vaganj, which is between this country and Croatia, Of 1,137 meters.
Most important mountains
The Dinaric Alps undoubtedly make up a mountain range with more than twenty important summits in which the snow abounds and, of course, the cold climates. The Maja Jezercë, 2,694 meters high, is the highest elevation and is located in Albania, only rivaled by the Maja Grykat and Hapëta (2,625 meters), the Maja Radohimës (2,570 meters) or the Maja and Popljuces (2,569 meters ), Among many others who are in the same European country.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the highest peak is the Maglić, 2,386 meters high. However, the most famous is the Dinara, because although it is much lower (its peak rises to 1,913 meters) is the mountain that gives the name to the Dinaric Alps, which are also called Dinárides.
In fact, Mount Dinara is also in the territory of Croatia, presided over by other summits such as Kamešnica (1,855 meters) and Veliki Kozjak (1,207 meters).
Italy has no mountains in the Dinaric Alps, but it does have the Kras Plateau in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. In turn, the Republic of Kosovo has only three of them (Đeravica / Gjeravica, Gusan / Maja Gusanit and Marijaš / Marijash).
On the other hand, Montenegro has only four (Bijela gora, Durmitor, Orjen and Zla Kolata) and Serbia and Slovenia, on the other hand, have a greater number of peaks, including Zlatibor (1,496 meters) and Sveta Gera (1,178 meters ).
References
- Abraham, Rudolf (2011). Walking in Croatia, 2nd edition. Cumbria: Cicerone Press Limited.
- National Geographic Traveler: Croatia (2015), 2nd edition. Washington D.C.: National Geographic Society.
- Dinarsko Gorje (No year). About the Dinaric Alps. Zagreb, Croatia: Dinarsko Gorje Webpage. Recovered from dinarskogorje.com.
- Trecanni (2017). Dinaridi. Rome, Italy: Treccani. Retrieved from treccani.it
- Encyclopaedia Britannica (2016). Dinaric Alps. London, United Kingdom: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Recovered from britannica.com.
- Eterovich, Francis H. (1964). Croatia: Land, People, Culture. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
- Ostergren, Robert C. and Rice, John G. (2011). The Europeans: The Geography of People, Culture, and Environment, 1st edition. New York: Guilford Press.
- Unwin, Tim (1998). European Geography. London: Longman.