The Bosna ( sr-Cyrl, Босна, ) is the third longest

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

, and is considered one of the country's three major internal rivers, along with the Neretva and the Vrbas. The other three major rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina are the Una, to the northwest; the

Sava The Sava, is a river in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. From its source in Slovenia it flows through Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally reac ...

, to the north, and the Drina, to the east. This river is the namesake of Bosnia. The river Bosna flows for . The river is possibly mentioned for the first time during the 1st century AD by Roman historian Marcus Velleius Paterculus under the name ''Bathinus flumen''. Another basic source that is associated with the hydronym ''Bathinus'' is the Salonitan inscription of the governor of Dalmatia, Publius Cornelius Dolabella, where it is said that the ''Bathinum'' river divides the Breuci from the Osseriates. Another name could also have bee
Basante
According to philologist Anton Mayer, the name ''Bosna'' could be derived from Illyrian ''Bass-an-as(-ā)'', which would be a diversion of the

Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. No direct record of Proto-Indo-European exists; its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-Euro ...

root '' bʰegʷ'', meaning 'the running water'.

Geography and sectioning

The Bosna River has created the Bosna River Valley. The valley has been developed as the country's industrial hub and is home to nearly a million people, who live primarily in several major cities.

Vrelo Bosne and Mala Bosna

The Bosna source is the Vrelo Bosne spring, located at a.s.l. (according to an earlier source, a.s.l.) at the

foothills Foothills or piedmont are geography, geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an highland, upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low terrain, relief hill ...

of mount Igman, on the outskirts of Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The spring is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's chief natural landmarks and

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beaut ...

s. The course between the source and its largest tributary in this section, the Željeznica, which runs in from the right, is referred as the Mala Bosna (), but the section is often extended all the way to its confluence with Miljacka, four kilometers downstream. Its tributaries between the source and the Željeznica are first the Večerica and then Bukulaš, while in the region of extended Mala Bosna course it further receives, first the Željeznica from the right, then approx. 600 meters downstream the Zujevina, the only tributary from the left in this region, followed by the Dobrinja (a.k.a. Tilava) 1.5 km, and then 2 km further the Miljacka, both from the right.

Upper Bosna

The Upper Bosna is a section between its source and the mouth of the

Lašva The Lašva ( sr-cyrl, Лашва) is a river in Central Bosnia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a left tributary of the Bosna.Vojnogeografski institut, Ed. (1955): Travnik (List karte 1:100.000, Izohipse na 20 m). Vojnogeografski institut, Beograd / ...

, a left tributary, just upstream from

Zenica Zenica ( ; ) is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and an administrative and economic center of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Zenica-Doboj Canton. It is located in the Bosna (river), Bosna river valley, about north of Sarajevo. The ...

. The section encompasses the entire region between Ilidža, near

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

, and the Lašva, including the spacious valley between Ilijaš and Kakanj. The Visoko region, with its medieval heritage, is at the center of this area.

Middle Bosna

The Middle Bosna is mostly composed of gorges, with steep slopes and narrow passages, between Zenica and

Doboj Doboj ( sr-Cyrl, Добој, ) is a city in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of the Bosna (river), Bosna river, in the northern region of Republika Srpska. As of 2013, it has a population of 71,441 inhabita ...

. In this section, there are several medieval sites, such as Vranduk, Maglaj and

Lower Bosna

The Lower Bosna is the last section of the Bosna. From Doboj, the river continues northwards, approaching the

through the heart of Bosnia, passing through the lowlands of Posavina, and eventually becomes a right

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the Sava in Bosanski Šamac. There, it empties at around above the sea level.

Course and tributaries

The Bosna flows through a number of cantons. From its starting point in the Sarajevo Canton, it flows through the Zenica-Doboj Canton, and the Posavina Canton, in that order. On its way north, the Bosna also passes through the cities of Visoko,

, Maglaj,

, Modriča and Bosanski Šamac. Bosna by Samac downstream

The main right tributaries are: Željeznica, Miljacka, Ljubina, Misoča, Stavnja, Trstionica, Zgošća, , Krivaja and Spreča. On the left, the main tributaries are: Zujevina, Fojnica,

and Usora. File:River Bosna, Sarajevo (4).JPG, Vrelo Bosne, source of the river just outside

File:Vrelo Bosne, Sarajevo park.JPG, One of the ponds on Vrelo Bosne in Ilidža File:River Bosna, Sarajevo (1).JPG, Mala Bosna river in Ilidža File:Ilidža Rimski most 3.jpg, Roman bridge over Mala Bosna river in Ilidža File:Bosna by Samac upstream.JPG, The Lower Bosna near Bosanski Šamac

References

External links

Rijeka Bosna / River Bosna
- UG Bistro {{DEFAULTSORT:Bosna (River) Rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina