The Jablanica ( sr-Cyrl, Јабланица, ) is an river in southern

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. A left tributary of the South (or Južna) Morava river, it gives its name to the region of Jablanica and to modern Serbia's

Jablanica District The Jablanica District (, ) is one of administrative districts of Serbia. It lies in the southeastern parts of the country. According to the 2022 census, the district has a population of 184,502 inhabitants. The administrative center of the dis ...

, with the region contributing about one third of the district's area.

Origin

The Jablanica originates from the Goljak mountain, near the village of Grbavce,

Medveđa Medveđa ( sr-Cyrl, Медвеђа, ; , ) is a town and municipality located in the Jablanica District of southern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 6,360, while the town has a population of 2,993. Etymology The ...

. The area is rich in thermal springs, so several spas are located near the river: Stara Banja, Ravna Banja and Sijarina with popular Sijarinska Banja. At the village of Maćedonce Retkocersko, the Jablanica receives the left tributary ''Čokotinska reka'' (Cyrillic: ''Чокотинска река''), turns southeast and the region of Jablanica begins from that point.

Jablanica region

The upper Jablanica region is made of narrow river valley on the southern slopes of the Majdan and Radan mountains, in the westernmost corner of Jablanica District and near the border of the District of Priština in

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

. The river flows eastward, passing regional center of

and the villages of Rujkovac and Šilovo, before reaching the town of Lebane where the Jablanica enters the lower part of its valley and flows for the next 48 km in the low Field of Leskovac, part of the depression of Leskovac, which itself is part of the composite valley of the Južna Morava. In the region, near Lebane, a famed archeological find of Justiniana Prima (''Caričin grad'') is located. The Jablanica flows next to the villages of Ždeglovo, Vranovce, Bošnjace, Turekovac and Stopanje, reaches Vinarce, the northern suburb of the city of

Leskovac Leskovac ( sr-Cyrl, Лесковац, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Jablanica District in Southern Serbia (Geographical Region), southern Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a p ...

, and turns north. First it flows parallel to the Veternica river, to which it is connected by a canal at the village of Zalužnje, then parallel to the Južna Morava. After the villages of Dupljane and Pečenjevce, it turns east and flows into the Južna Morava. From Pečenjevce, a parallel flow (canal) begins, connecting the Jablanica and Toplica rivers, some 15 km to the north. Through Južna Morava, the Jablanica belongs to the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

, draining an area of itself. It is not navigable and has an average discharge of 6 m³/s, which in rainy years grows much higher, so the river floods its valley, causing much material damage. The name of the river, Jablanica, in Serbian means the '' Poplar river''.

Origin

Jablanica region

References

Further reading