The Jasenica (
Serbian Cyrillic
The Cyrillic script ( ) is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries in Southeastern Europe, Ea ...
: Јасеница, ) is a river in
central Serbia
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, national_anthem = ()
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. It is long and is the left
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
Great Morava
The Great Morava (, ) is the final section of the Morava ( sr-Cyrl, Морава), a major river system in Serbia.
Etymology
According to Predrag Komatina from the Institute for Byzantine Studies in Belgrade, the Great Morava is named after ...
.
This river gives the name to the surrounding
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
.
Description
The Jasenica originates from several streams, most notably the
Đurinci (
Cyrillic
The Cyrillic script ( ) is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries in Southeastern Europe, Ea ...
: Ђуринци) from
Venčac mountain, and the
Srebrenica
Srebrenica ( sr-cyrl, Сребреница, ) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a small mountain town, with its main industry being salt mining and a nearby spa.
During the Bosnian War in 1995, Srebr ...
(Cyrillic: Сребреница) from the northern slopes of the
Rudnik mountain in
central Serbia
Central Serbia (), also referred to as Serbia proper (), is the region of Serbia lying outside the autonomous province of Vojvodina to the north and the disputed Kosovo region to the south. Central Serbia is a term of convenience, not an administ ...
. At its origin, the river runs through the eastern border of the
Kačer region. It flows southeast initially, curves around the Rudnik, passes the villages of Donja Šatornja,
Blaznava
Blaznava () is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map ...
and reaches
Stragari, the northernmost municipality of the City of
Kragujevac
Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the List of cities in Serbia, fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Se ...
. The area is known as the geographical center of Serbia (near the village of
Čumić).
The Jasenica turns north, then northeast south of
Topola and, after the villages of Božurnja and Žabare, directly east. Near the village of
Natalinci the Trnava (Cyrillic: Трнава) runs into it from the right and changes its direction once more, this time to the northeast. After Mramorac village, the Jasenica spills over in several parallel flows, which continue until its confluence.
After the Pridvorica and Vodice villages (on different arms of the river), the Jasenica reaches the town of
Smederevska Palanka
Smederevska Palanka ( sr-cyr, Смедеревска Паланка, ) is a town and municipality located in the Podunavlje District and the geographical region of Šumadija. According to the 2022 census, the town has 20,345 while the municipality ...
, the most populous settlement in its valley. This is also where the
Kubršnica
The Kubršnica ( Serbian Cyrillic: Кубршница) is a river in Šumadija region of central Serbia, a 42 km-long left and the longest tributary to the Jasenica river.
The Kubršnica originates from the Venčac mountain, in the Jaseni ...
, its main tributary, flows into it from the left. The Jasenica then gently bends to the east, flowing into the Great Morava near the village of
Veliko Orašje (the southern arm of the river flows through the town of
Velika Plana
Velika Plana ( sr-Cyrl, Велика Плана, pronounced ) is a town and municipality located in the Podunavlje District of Serbia. As of 2022, the town has 14,609 inhabitants, while the municipality has 35,451. Velika Plana lies on the left b ...
).
The Jasenica's drainage area covers (part of 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, ...
).
The river is not navigable. Its name means the ''
Ash tree
''Fraxinus'' (), commonly called ash, is a genus of plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae, and comprises 45–65 species of usually medium-to-large trees, most of which are deciduous trees, although some subtropical species are evergr ...
river'' in Serbian.
Region
The
Jasenica region extends beyond the Jasenica river valley, encompassing the region bounded by the
Rudnik,
Venčac and
Kosmaj
Kosmaj (Serbian Cyrillic: Космај, ) is a mountain south of Belgrade. With an elevation of 626 meters, it is the highest point of the entire Belgrade City area and is nicknamed one of two "Belgrade mountains" (the other being the mountain o ...
mountains, and the valley of the Velika Morava. It divides in two sub-regions, lower Jasenica of Smederevska Palanka, and upper Jasenica of Kragujevac. It covers the valleys of the Jasenica, Kubršnica, Veliki Lug, Brestovica, Milatovica and other rivers. The Jablanica river itself delineates the eastern border of the region for the most part, dividing it from the
Lepenica region. The region is densely populated, including several towns (Smederevska Palanka, Velika Plana,
Aranđelovac
Aranđelovac ( sr-cyr, Аранђеловац, ) is a town and a municipality located in the Šumadija District of central Serbia. , the municipality has a population of 41,297 inhabitants, while the town has 22,881 inhabitants.
It is situated ben ...
,
Mladenovac and Topola.)
See also
*
List of rivers of Serbia
Many rivers flowing entirely or partially within Serbia proper, and others are just border rivers. They are damned for the purpose of generating hydroelectric power or as water reservoirs, creating most of the lakes of Serbia.
Drainage basins ...
*
Jasenička
The Jasenička river ( Serbian: Јасеничка река / ''Jasenička reka'') is a river in eastern Serbia, a 55 km-long right tributary to the Danube.
The Jasenička reka originates on the eastern slopes of the meridionally elongated ...
References
* ''Mala Prosvetina Enciklopedija'', Third edition (1985); Prosveta;
* Jovan Đ. Marković (1990): ''Enciklopedijski geografski leksikon Jugoslavije''; Svjetlost-Sarajevo; {{ISBN, 86-01-02651-6
Rivers of Serbia
Šumadija