Countries of the Balkan region. Balkans
Serbia, and, also small parts of, and. The Balkan Peninsula is surrounded by the Mediterranean basin. To the west is the Adriatic and Ionian Sea, to the south is the Aegean Sea, to the southeast is the Sea of Marmara, and to the east is the Black Sea. The Bosphorus and Dardanelles separate the peninsula from. Of all the Balkan countries, only three do not have access to the sea - Serbia, Macedonia and Kosovo.
Relief
The Balkan Peninsula has exceptionally varied terrain, although most of its area is occupied by mountains. Most of them are young and belong to the Alpo-Himalayan mountain system. Therefore, the Balkan Peninsula is one of the most seismic zones in Europe, along with the island. The Balkan Mountains are medium in height. The highest point of the peninsula is the peak of Musala. It rises 2925 meters above sea level in Mount Rila in Southwestern Bulgaria. The longest chain is the Dinaric Highlands, which stretches along the entire coast of the Adriatic Sea. Between the high mountain ranges of the Balkans lie some of the most fertile plains on the continent. The coastline of the peninsula is extremely dissected. The only coasts of Scandinavia can be compared with those in the Balkans. The coasts of Croatia and Greece are especially dissected. The southernmost part of the Balkans is occupied by the Peloponnese peninsulas. In order to reduce trade routes between the Aegean and Ionian seas, the Corinth Canal, whose length is about 5.8 kilometers, was dug.
Climate
The Balkan Peninsula has a varied climate and falls into two very different climatic regions. The northern parts of the peninsula have a distinct continental climate with hot summers and very cold winters. In Bucharest, the capital of Romania, the average January daytime temperature barely exceeds 1°C, and in July and August thermometers show more than 29°C. The southern parts of the peninsula are mild and pleasant, sometimes hot. In the Greek capital Athens, the average daily temperature in January is around 13°C, and in July and August it is around 34°C. There are also significant differences in precipitation ratios. For example, the western coast of the peninsula is considered one of the most precipitation places in Europe, when in the east and south precipitation is quite scarce. Much of the northern part of the peninsula receives heavy snowfall during the winter, with the southern Aegean and Adriatic coasts receiving little rain and when snow cover does form it is usually thin and temporary.
Water
The Balkan Peninsula is rich in water, especially when it comes to mountainous areas. Large and many smaller rivers flow through the peninsula. The largest are the Danube, Sava, Morava and others. The largest lakes are Ohrid and Prespa (both located between Albania and Macedonia), Lake Scutari between Montenegro and Albania and others. In the high parts of the Balkans you can see beautiful glacial lakes. The most impressive are the Seven Rila Lakes in Bulgaria, which are a major tourist attraction.
Nature
The beauty of the Balkans is proverbial. They certainly have the wildest and most lush nature in Europe. Dense and impenetrable deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests cover large parts of the mountain ranges and plains in this part of the world. The vegetation in the southernmost part of the peninsula and on the Mediterranean coast is predominantly evergreen, but in the larger northern part and far from the seashore the plants lose their leaves during the winter months. Beautiful and breezy mountains, especially those in Bulgaria, attract winter sports enthusiasts from all over the world. In winter, a thick and long-lasting snow cover forms in the higher parts, and the ski tracks are excellent. The Balkans are well known for their magnificent beaches. The Dalmatian coast, which covers the western parts of the peninsula, is considered the most picturesque and green part of the Mediterranean. Greece however is considered a tourist paradise with its exceptionally beautiful white sandy beaches and crystal clear bays. The Black Sea coast is completely different. The beaches there are quite large and covered with golden sand.
Animal world
The fauna in the Balkans is extremely diverse. Among the dense mountain forests there are brown bears, wolves, foxes, jackals, wild cats, as well as smaller predators such as weasels and ferrets. In more secluded and isolated places, mainly in Macedonia, large quantities of rice are also found. There are different types of herbivores such as deer, wild boars, wild horses and others. The Balkans are home to many bird species. Some reserves, such as Srebarna in Bulgaria, are home to many species on the verge of extinction and many species of rare birds such as the pink pelican. Many migratory birds nest in the Balkans, such as storks, cranes, swallows and others. Eagles, hawks, eagle owls and owls are found in forest areas. The Balkans are home to a huge variety of toads and lizards. There are different types of snakes, some of which are poisonous.
Cities
Five cities on the Balkan Peninsula have a population of over a million inhabitants: Istanbul (the largest city in Turkey), Athens (the capital of Greece), Bucharest (the capital of Romania), Sofia (the capital of Bulgaria) and Belgrade (the capital of Serbia). The largest, with a population of about 11 million inhabitants, is Istanbul, but it is partly located on a peninsula. Only the western half of the Turkish metropolis falls into the Balkans. Athens is actually the largest city located entirely in the Balkans. The Greek capital has a population of about 3.1 million inhabitants. In addition to those listed, other large cities on the peninsula are Thessaloniki, Skopje, Tirana, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Ljubljana, Plovdiv, Constanta and others.
Population
The population of the Balkan Peninsula is more than 70.5 million inhabitants. In terms of ethnic composition, the Balkans are among the most diverse places on the continent. People with different ethnic origins live here, speaking dozens of different languages. The Slavic language family includes Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian and Macedonian. Romanian is part of the Romance language family. Greek and Albanian languages are independent language groups and have no relatives, and Turkish, which is widespread in the southeastern part of the peninsula, is part of the Turkic language family. In this part of the continent live migrants from other parts of the world, mainly from and. In recent years, there has been great interest among immigrants from developed Western countries such as Great Britain. They come here because of the good climate, beautiful nature, good food and low real estate prices. In addition to ethnicity and language, the Balkan region is also quite diverse in terms of religion. For example, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Macedonia are Orthodox countries. Croatia, Slovenia and Italy are Catholic, while Turkey's official religion is Islam. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christians slightly outnumber Muslims, and Albania is popular as one of the countries in Europe with the largest percentage of atheists. In the past, the Balkans were a land of numerous conflicts that stemmed from the great internal differences on the peninsula. Despite this, relations between countries in the region have been slowly improving in recent years, and many economic ties have already been created between some of them.
Economy
The Balkan Peninsula is still one of the poorest and most economically backward parts of Europe. Despite this, the local economy is experiencing significant growth as it struggles to catch up with the rest of the continent. The richer countries on the peninsula are Slovenia, Greece and Croatia, while Turkey's economy is the largest. At the other extreme are countries like Albania and Macedonia, which still have a fairly low standard of living. Particularly important for the economic development of the Balkans are the tourism industry and agriculture. During the years of the socialist regime, many states were inappropriately turned into industrial economies without the necessary base and traditions for this. If instead the economic efforts had been concentrated on the development of agriculture, today most would probably be more developed than the countries in Western Europe. It is a known fact that the Balkan Peninsula is one of the most fertile parts of Europe and has the potential to produce food products that could satisfy most of the demand on the continent if only enough money was invested. Dobrudja is considered the most fertile, often described as the “Granary of the Balkans”. It is located in the eastern part of the peninsula and covers parts of northeastern Bulgaria and southeastern Romania. Integration processes are currently taking place in the Balkans. Several countries are already part of the European Union, while others are still negotiating or expected to join the community soon.
Peninsula in Southern Europe. The area is about 505 thousand km2. The greatest extent from west to east is about 1260 km, from north to south 950 km. It is washed with the W. Adriatic and Ionian seas, with the E. Black, Marmara, Bosphorus and Dardanelles, Aegean... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Balkan Peninsula- Balkan Peninsula. Rhodes Island. View of the ancient acropolis. BALKAN PENINSULA, in southern Europe (Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Yugoslavia, most of Greece, part of Romania, Slovenia, Turkey, Croatia). Area 505 thousand... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
In South Europe. The name comes from the oronym Balkan Mountains or Balkans, which was used in the past (from Turkic, balkan, a chain of steep mountains); Nowadays the mountains are called Stara Planina, but the name of the peninsula has been preserved. Geographical names of the world: Toponymic dictionary.... ... Geographical encyclopedia
In the south of Europe. 505 thousand km². It juts out into the sea for 950 km. It is washed by the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Ionian, Marmara, Aegean and Black Seas. The northern border runs from the Trieste Hall. to the river Sava and further along the Danube to the mouth. The shores are strong... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
In the south of Europe. 505 thousand km2. It juts out into the sea for 950 km. It is washed by the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Ionian, Marmara, Aegean and Black seas. The northern border runs from the Gulf of Trieste to the river. Sava and further along the Danube to the mouth. The shores are strong... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
The southeastern tip of Europe, on which the European possessions of Turkey, the Principality of Bulgaria, the kingdoms of Serbia and Greece and the regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina occupied by Austria under the Berlin Treaty are located. See these articles. MAP OF THE BALKAN... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
Balkan Peninsula- Balkan half island... Russian spelling dictionary
Balkan Peninsula- in South Europe. The name comes from the oronym Balkan Mountains or Balkans, which was used in the past (from Turkic, balkan, a chain of steep mountains); Nowadays the mountains are called Stara Planina, but the name of the island has been preserved... Toponymic dictionary
Balkan Theater of Operations World War I ... Wikipedia
Books
- Slavic sword
- Slavic sword, F. Finjgar. The novel by the Slovenian writer Franz Saleška Finjgar refers to that critical moment in the history of the Slavic tribes, when they, having crossed the Danube, poured into the Balkan Peninsula to...
When planning to get acquainted with new countries, take a close look at the map of the Balkan Peninsula. These lands can offer travelers unexpected but pleasant surprises; here history, art, and the fusion of a wide variety of cultures create amazing routes for family vacations, active pastimes, and even exotic travel.
Unique and bustling city centers, historical sites from different eras, museums replete with a variety of artifacts, distinctive architecture, lively embankments and pedestrian streets full of restaurants and cafes...
And the Balkan Peninsula and its map are famous for their unique natural landscapes, which create ample opportunities for active recreation, including on mountain lakes, in winter - skiing from the mountains, in summer - historical tourism, introducing you to the ruins of ancient civilizations. Add the fact that the Balkan countries themselves are quite compact, but at the same time they have a very developed transport infrastructure, and the prices for holidays here are quite low, which makes them undoubtedly very interesting for the budget traveler. In addition, a significant part of the population in the Balkans are Slavic peoples, close to us in spirit, religion, and character...
Map of the countries of the Balkan Peninsula
The countries on the map of the Balkan Peninsula, whose territory is partially or completely within the Balkans, include: Albania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, Romania, Turkey.
The European Union includes Greece, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania, so to visit these countries you need a Schengen visa. The other countries listed above offer visa-free entry into their territory.
Balkan Peninsula visa map
The majority of countries on the Balkan Peninsula practice visa-free entry. For example, the Republic of Macedonia has once again unilaterally extended the possibility of free entry for our compatriots. The visa-free regime, which has been in effect continuously in this country since March 15, 2012, has now been extended once again for citizens of the Russian Federation and Ukraine - until March 15, 2020.
You can also visit Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina without a visa. Until recently, Croatia also had a visa-free regime, but after joining the European Union, it introduced Schengen visas (see the post “Visa to Croatia”). Montenegro today is also a visa-free country (see "Montenegro summer").
You can stay continuously in the territory of visa-free Balkan countries for 30-90 days within a six-month period.
Holiday season in the Balkans
The best time for a holiday in the Balkans is May-September, and for those who love skiing - January-February.
Macedonia and Serbia are landlocked, but relaxing on the mountain lakes of these countries and at their balneological resorts can be an excellent addition to excursion tours in the Balkans.
In the north and northwest, the Balkan Peninsula, which is part of Southern Europe, borders countries such as Austria, Hungary and Italy.
Climate and weather
The north of the Balkan Peninsula and its central regions (Serbia, Slovenia, partly Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina) have a temperate continental climate, characterized by cold, snowy winters and hot, dry summers. In July, the average temperature here is about 22 -25C; in January, the air temperature ranges from −1C in the plains and −5C in the Balkan Mountains.
Balkans video
The climate in the south and west (Greece, Turkey, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia) is typical subtropical Mediterranean, characterized by hot summers and cool winters. In July the average air temperature is 26C, and in January + 10C.
The climate in the northeast (part of Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria) is characterized by warm summers and cool winters. In July, the average air temperature here is 22C, and in January + 5C.
Macedonia is famous for its hot and dry weather in summer and wet and cold winter, which is typical of a continental climate. In the south of this country the climate is reminiscent of the Mediterranean - mild and warm. In July, the warmest month of summer, the average air temperature is +22C. In January you can expect mild frosts with temperatures of -3C.
The northern border of the Balkan Peninsula is drawn along the flow of the Sava and Danube, and in the east - from the latitudinal section of the Danube, approximately 44° N. sh., to the Black Sea. In the west, the region is washed by the Adriatic and Ionian seas. In the east, ero is limited by the Black Sea, the Bosphorus, the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean. The region also includes numerous islands of the Ionian and Aegean seas and the island of Crete.
Massive and wide in the north, the Balkan Peninsula narrows to the south, and the dismemberment of its coasts increases. The surface of the Balkan Peninsula is mountainous. The name itself comes from the Turkish word “balkan”, which means “mountain”. Plains, lowlands and basins occupy a relatively small area.
The modern contours and topography of the land were formed as a result of the movements of the end of the Neogene and the beginning of the Anthropocene. The Aegean Sea was formed on the site of the fragmented and sank land that connected the Balkans with Asia Minor. The islands of the Aegean Sea represent the remnants of this landmass, and the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits arose as a result of the subsidence and flooding of wide river valleys that existed in the Neogene. On the western and northeastern outskirts of the Balkan peninsula, mountain systems of Cenozoic age rise; its inner part is filled with a rigid middle massif, which experienced splits in the Neogene.
In the northeast of the peninsula, the Balkan Mountains, or Stara Planina, as they are called in Bulgaria, stretch in an arc convex to the south. In terms of age of folding and structure, the Balkans are close to the Carpathians and obviously belong to the system of structures of the Alpine folded belt, which continues through Dobruja to the Crimean Peninsula.
The northern slope of the Balkans gradually turns into the foothill Bulgarian plateau, which, in turn, descends to the Lower Danube lowland. The Bulgarian plateau and the northern slope of the Stara Planina are dissected by deep valleys, and the Iskar River cuts through the Balkans, forming the famous Iskar Gorge, along which the railway and highway to Sofia pass. The highest, central part of the mountains is composed of crystalline rocks. Its maximum height is 2376 m (Mount Botev), the passes lie at altitudes significantly exceeding 1000 m. The Shipka Pass is a road in memory of the Russian and Bulgarian peoples during the war of 1877-1878, when Russian troops, together with the Bulgarian ones, liberated Bulgaria from Turkish rule.
At the southern foot of Stara Planina lie the Trans-Balkan basins - Sofia, Karlovskaya, Kazanlakskaya and Slivenskaya. The most extensive Sofia Basin has a height of 500 m, the rest are somewhat lower. The transition from mountains to basins is expressed very sharply in the relief. The bottom of the basins is flat, and the surrounding mountains are visible from each point.
From the south, the Trans-Balkan basins are closed by a mountain range called Sredna Gora in Bulgaria, and in Russian literature known as the Anti-Balkans. In terms of geological structure, the Anti-Balkans are close to the Balkans, but inferior to them in height. Precipitating steeply to the north, towards the basins, they descend more gently to the south.
Another mountain system of the Balkan Peninsula stretches along its western edge from north to south and passes to the coastal islands. It is more extensive than the Balkans and more complexly built. These are the Dinaric Highlands and Pindus.
The Dinaric Highlands begins north of the Istrian peninsula, where it meets the South-Eastern Alps. Further it extends from northwest to southeast, along the Adriatic coast to the northern border of Albania. Recent subsidence has caused the fragmentation of the western marginal zone of the Dinaric Highlands and its subsidence below sea level. This led to the formation of a highly dissected Dalmatian coast, accompanied by hundreds of large and small islands. Islands, peninsulas and bays are stretched along the coastline in accordance with the extent of the mountain ranges.
Most of the highlands are composed of Mesozoic limestones and Paleogene flysch. Limestones make up ridges and vast plateaus, and loose flysch deposits fill the synclinal depressions between them. The predominance of limestones and heavy rainfall caused the development of karst processes in the western part of the highland. This was also facilitated by the destruction of forest vegetation. In this area, the patterns of karst formation and the shape of karst relief were studied for the first time (the name of the phenomenon itself comes from the name of the Karst plateau in the north-west of the Balkan Peninsula). In the Dinaric Highlands you can find all forms of the so-called “bare” or Mediterranean karst. Large areas have been turned into completely barren and impassable carr fields, where there is neither soil nor vegetation. The underground forms of karst relief are varied - wells up to several hundred meters deep, branched caves reaching many kilometers in length. Of the caves, Postojnska is especially famous , east of Trieste.
The karst zone of the Dinaric Highlands is almost devoid of surface watercourses, but there are many karst rivers that disappear and reappear on the surface. The population in this part of the region is sparse and concentrated mainly in the fields where springs emerge and a cover of red-colored weathering crust forms.
Continuing south under the name Pindus, the mountains occupy almost all of Albania and the western part of Northern Greece, the Peloponnese peninsula and the island of Crete. Almost everywhere they approach directly to the coast, and only within Albania there is a strip of coastal hilly plain up to several tens of kilometers wide between the mountains and the sea. The Pinda ridges are composed of limestones, and the valleys are made of flysch. The highest parts of the mountains are characterized by sharp shapes and a wide distribution of karst. The slopes of the ridges are usually steep and devoid of vegetation. The highest peak of Pindus is Mount Zmolikas in Greece (2637 m). The entire Pinda system experienced severe fragmentation, which is reflected in the relief features and the nature of the coastline. The coast is cut by large bays and small bays, and the transverse type of dissection predominates. A continuation of the mountain ranges of the western part of Pindus are the Ionian Islands, recently separated from the mainland, deeply dissected and surrounded by shallow waters. The large Gulf of Corinth separates the Peloponnese peninsula, connected to the rest of the land only by the Isthmus of Corinth, about 6 km wide. A canal dug at the narrowest point of the isthmus separated the Peloponnese from the Balkan Peninsula. The Peloponnese itself is dissected by large bays-grabens and forms four lobed peninsulas in the south.
The interior of the Balkan Peninsula is occupied by the ancient Macedonian-Thracian massif. In the Neogene, the massif was fragmented into mountain uplifts separated by depressions. Initially, these depressions were occupied by the sea, which subsequently broke up into a number of lakes. By the beginning of the Anthropocene, the lakes gradually dried up, and terrace steps appeared on the slopes of the basins, indicating a consistent decrease in the level of the lakes. The bottoms of the basins are flat or slightly hilly and lie at different heights. Dense populations are concentrated in the basins. The center of each basin is usually a city or a large village, the name of which is the basin (for example, the Skop-le basin in Yugoslavia, Samokovskaya in Bulgaria). The most extensive basins on the Balkan Peninsula lie along the Maritsa River: Upper Thracian - in Bulgaria, Lower Thracian - along the border between Greece and Turkey. In the middle part of Greece there is the vast Thessalian Basin, the center of an ancient agricultural culture.
Between the basins, sections of mountain crystalline massifs rise. Later processes, especially glaciation, dissected the relief of some massifs and created a complex of high-mountain forms. The highest massifs in this part of the Balkan Peninsula are Rila, Pirin and the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria, and the isolated Olympus massif in Greece. The highest massif of the Balkan Peninsula is the Rila Mountains. Their highest peak reaches 2925 m. The calm outlines of the relief of the lower part of the mountains are replaced by sharp mountain-glacial forms on the peaks. Snow lies there for most of the summer and gives rise to avalanches.
Thus, the relief of the entire Balkan Peninsula as a whole is characterized by dissection, which is the result of vertical movements of the end of the Neogene and the beginning of the Anthropocene, which covered folded structures of various ages. Thanks to this young tectonics, the mountain-basin relief was created, so characteristic of this region. Tectonic activity has not ended at the present time, as evidenced by frequent earthquakes in different areas. Its most recent manifestation was the catastrophic earthquake in 1963, which destroyed a significant part of the city of Skopje in Yugoslavia.
The bowels of the Balkan Peninsula are especially rich in ores of various metals. In Serbia, in the area of the city of Bor, there are significant reserves of copper ores in young volcanic rocks; In the ancient crystalline massifs of Yugoslavia, Greece and Bulgaria, deposits of chromites, iron ores, manganese and lead-zinc ores are common. Large reserves of chrome and copper ores are found in the mountains of Albania. Along the entire Adriatic coast and on the islands, bauxite occurs in the thickness of the Cretaceous sediments.
In the Paleogene deposits of intramountain basins there are deposits of brown coal. There is oil in the sediments of foothill troughs in Albania and Bulgaria. Albania has the world's largest deposits of natural asphalt.
Many rocks on the Balkan Peninsula are valuable building materials (marble, limestone, etc.).
A typically Mediterranean climate is characteristic only of a relatively narrow strip of the western and southern coasts of the Balkan Peninsula. In the north and in its inland parts the climate is temperate, with a touch of continentality. These features are due to the fact that the Balkan Peninsula occupies the extreme eastern position within the European Mediterranean and is closely connected with the mainland. In the north, between the peninsula and the rest of Europe, there are no significant orographic boundaries, and the continental air of temperate latitudes freely penetrates the peninsula during all periods of the year. Coastal areas occupy a more southern position and are protected by mountain ranges from the penetration of continental air masses.
Mountainous terrain plays a major role in shaping the climate of the Balkan Peninsula. The difference in the climate of basins and mountain ranges is manifested primarily in the annual amount of precipitation: plains and basins usually receive no more than 500-700 mm, while more than 1000 mm falls on mountain slopes, especially on the western slopes. The climate of the Bulgarian Plateau is characterized by the greatest continentality, where winter frosts can reach -25°C; Maximum precipitation occurs in the first half of summer. This part of Bulgaria suffers from droughts quite often. In winter there is stable snow cover, with snow appearing around the second half of November. The most severe frosts in this area are associated with breakthroughs of relatively cold continental air masses coming from the northeast.
In the mountain basins of the peninsula, due to their more southern position, the climate is warmer, but also with a distinct continental tint. The average winter temperature is negative, although only slightly below 0 ° C. Almost every winter there are significant temperature inversions, when it is relatively warm on the mountain slopes, and frosts in the basins reach - 8 - 10 ° C.
The climate of the mountain ranges of the northern and. The central parts of the Balkan Peninsula are more humid and cooler. The winter temperature differs little from the temperature of the basins, but the summer in the mountains is much cooler and winter comes much earlier than in the lowland areas. In November, when it still rains in the Sofia Basin, located at a high altitude above sea level, there is already snow cover in the Balkans or Rila and most of the passes are closed due to snow drifts.
On the Dalmatian coast and islands, summers are dry and hot with predominantly cloudless weather; winters are mild and rainy, although in the northern part of the coast the maximum precipitation occurs not in winter, but in autumn. The annual rainfall on the coast is very high - the wettest areas of Europe are located there. On the shores of the Bay of Kotor in Yugoslavia, in some years more than 5000 mm of precipitation falls, but in closed fields and on mountain slopes protected from westerly winds, the amount of precipitation does not exceed 500-600 mm per year. The average winter temperature along the entire coast is positive, but in its northern part every winter there are strong and very sharp drops in temperature due to the breakthrough of relatively cold masses of continental air. These air masses fall from the Danube plains in the place where the Dinaric Mountains have the smallest width and smallest height. The air does not have time to warm up and spreads to the coast in the form of a cold hurricane wind, causing the temperature to drop below 0 ° C, icing of buildings, trees, and the surface of the earth. This phenomenon, very close in nature to the Black Sea nor'easter, is known as bora.
The further you go south, the more clearly the features of the Mediterranean climate appear. The average temperature of the winter and summer months increases, the maximum precipitation shifts to winter, and its amount decreases. On the coast of the Aegean Sea, in South-Eastern Greece, the Mediterranean climate acquires some continental features, which are primarily expressed in decreased precipitation. For example, in Athens, the average annual number of them is no more than 400 mm, the temperature of the hottest month is +27, -(-28 ° C, the coolest is +7, +8 ° C, there are temperature drops below 0 ° C, sometimes snow falls The climate is also relatively dry on the islands of the Aegean Sea, where it is probably the warmest compared to all other areas of the region.
The water network of the Balkan Peninsula is not dense. There are almost no large navigable rivers; all rivers are characterized by sharp fluctuations in level and inconsistent regime.
A significant part of the peninsula belongs to the middle Danube basin. The largest rivers are the Danube and its tributary the Sava, flowing along the northern edge of the peninsula. Significant tributaries of the Danube are the Morava and Iskar; Sava - Drina River. The large rivers Maritsa, Struma (Strimon), Vardar, Vistritsa and Penei flow into the Aegean Sea. The basins of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas have short rivers, since the main watershed of the Balkan Peninsula runs through the Dinaric Mountains and is close to its western edge.
The watershed between the Danube basin and the Aegean Sea is the Balkans, the Rhodope Mountains and the Rila. In the Rila Mountains there are especially many watercourses that give rise to large and small rivers; Iskar and Maritsa start from there.
On most rivers of the Balkan Peninsula, high water occurs in winter or autumn; then they represent turbulent streams carrying masses of muddy water. In summer, many rivers become very shallow, and small rivers in the southeast dry up.
Typically, the nature of the river flow in the upper reaches is mountainous; in the lower reaches they go out onto the plains and are slow-flowing watercourses that do not have clearly defined valleys. In the past, during floods, these rivers overflowed and flooded large areas. This was the case, for example, on the northern plain of Bulgaria and on the coastal plain of Albania. In the lower reaches of the rivers, wetlands formed, which were the center of the spread of malaria and were almost not populated. Currently, in socialist countries, a lot of work is being done to prevent river floods, drain wetlands and turn them into land suitable for ploughing.
Along with excessively wet areas, there are many areas on the Balkan Peninsula where agriculture systematically suffers from droughts. For the rational use of these areas, for example, the lowlands of the upper and lower Maritsa and most of the closed intermountain basins, artificial irrigation is necessary. A network of irrigation canals cuts through the Maritsa Lowland in Bulgaria; irrigation systems are being created on the Bulgarian Plateau, in the Sofia Basin and other areas.
Power plants have been built and are being built on many rivers of the Balkan Peninsula. Very large works have been carried out at Iskar in Bulgaria. In the upper reaches of the Iskar, reservoirs (yazovirs) were built, power plants were built and the irrigation system of the Sofia Basin was created.
The lakes of the Balkan Peninsula belong to different types. The largest of them are of tectonic or karst-tectonic origin: Shkodra and Ohrid on the border of Yugoslavia and Albania and on the border of Albania, Yugoslavia and Greece - Prespa. In the Dinaric Highlands and the Pindus Mountains, lakes are usually small in area but deep. In some karst lakes, the water disappears during the dry season.
Within the karst areas of the Dinaric Highlands there are also vast areas that are completely drainless or devoid of surface water. The population of these areas suffers especially greatly from a lack of drinking water.
The predominance of mountainous terrain, a variety of climatic conditions and differences in the distribution of runoff create a great diversity of soil and vegetation cover. The climatic conditions of most of the region are favorable for forest growth, but the natural forest vegetation there has been severely destroyed. Along with this, there are areas that were originally treeless. The floristic composition of the vegetation of the Balkan Peninsula is richer than in other parts of the Mediterranean, since during the glaciation the heat-loving Neogene flora found shelter there. On the other hand, the Balkan Peninsula was a hotbed of ancient European cultures, the vegetation has been exposed to human influence for thousands of years and has changed significantly.
The vegetation and soil cover of the northern and central parts of the region is characterized by a combination of forest and steppe types. Forests and their corresponding soils are common in mountainous regions, while the plains and intramountain basins are treeless, and steppe soils predominate within them.
Modern landscapes of the Bulgarian Plateau, Maritsa Lowland and internal basins do not give an idea of their original vegetation cover, since their land and climatic resources are intensively used. On the Bulgarian Plateau, among the flat, cultivated surface, covered with chernozem-like soils, only isolated trees have been preserved. The Maritsa lowland has been even more developed. Its surface is a mosaic of fields of rice, cotton, tobacco, vineyards and gardens, lined with irrigation canals. Many fields are planted with sparsely standing fruit trees; This achieves better use of the fertile soils of the lowlands.
In the natural vegetation cover of the Maritsa lowland and the Black Sea coast, elements of the Mediterranean flora appear. There you can find some evergreen shrubs, as well as ivy covering the tree trunks.
The lower parts of the mountain slopes are most often covered with thickets of shrubs, in which both deciduous and some evergreen species are found. This is the so-called shiblyak, especially characteristic of the Balkan Peninsula. It usually appears on the site of cleared forests. Deciduous forests of various types of oak with an admixture of beech, hornbeam and other broad-leaved species rise into the mountains up to a height of 1000-1200 m. On some mountain ranges they give way to tall coniferous forests of Balkan and Central European species of pine, spruce and fir. Such valuable and relatively little destroyed forests cover the slopes of the Rila, Pirin and Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria. At an altitude of about 1500-1800 m, the forests turn into subalpine bush thickets of rhododendron, juniper and heather. The highest mountain ranges are covered with alpine meadows, which are used as pastures.
In mountainous regions, human influence on nature is felt up to high altitudes. In many places, wheat fields rise to a height of 1100-1300 m, the upper limit of orchards lies slightly lower, and the lowest parts of the southern-facing slopes are occupied by vineyards.
Areas with a Mediterranean climate also have corresponding soil and vegetation cover. The soils of the coastal lowlands of Yugoslavia, Albania and Greece under evergreen vegetation are red soil (on limestone) or brown. The upper limit of the distribution of subtropical soils and vegetation increases as you move from north to south. In the northern part of the Adriatic coast it does not rise above 300-400 m above sea level; in southern Greece its height is about 1000 m or more.
The vegetation of the western part of the peninsula, which receives large amounts of precipitation, is richer than that of the dry southeast. The natural and cultural vegetation of the Ionian Islands is especially diverse and lush, while some islands of the Aegean Sea are almost completely deserted and scorched by the sun.
In the western regions, maquis is widespread, which covers the coast and the lower parts of the mountain slopes; in the southeast, the more xerophytic phrygana predominates; higher in the mountains they are replaced by shiblyak. In some places, small areas of Mediterranean forests of evergreen oaks remain (Quercus ilex, Q. coccifera etc.), seaside pine and laurel. On the coast and lower parts of mountain slopes, natural vegetation is in most cases replaced by cultivated vegetation. A significant area is occupied by olive groves, which, as they move south, rise higher and higher into the mountains, and citrus orchards, which appear in the southern part of the Yugoslav coast and are widespread in Albania and Greece (especially in the Peloponnese). In Yugoslavia, large areas are occupied by various fruit trees: apple trees, pears, plums, apricots. In all areas with a warm Mediterranean climate, there are many vineyards on the mountain slopes. They rise especially high on terraced slopes in Southern Greece.
Above the belt of Mediterranean vegetation and soils lies a belt of deciduous forests consisting of oak, maple, linden and other broad-leaved species. The undergrowth of these forests contains many evergreen plants. Broad-leaved forests on the coastal mountain ranges have undergone significant destruction. Deforestation was a sad consequence of a difficult period in the history of the Balkan countries - the rule of the Turkish Ottoman Empire.
In many places, forests have suffered from livestock grazing (goats and sheep) and logging for fuel. Especially many forests have been cleared on the limestone plateaus of Yugoslavia - in the area of the so-called Dinaric karst, as well as in the Pinda Mountains in Greece. In some places, these plateaus have been turned into a real desert, devoid of soil, covered with rubble and large blocks of limestone. Areas convenient for processing are usually found in fields where the products of limestone destruction accumulate in the form of the so-called terra rossa. There you can see small patches of plowed and sown land. Along with them there are meadows used as pastures, and even rare forest vegetation - the remnants of former broad-leaved forests.
The fauna of the Balkan Peninsula contains elements of both Central European and typically Mediterranean fauna. In some sparsely populated areas, the fauna is well preserved, but some large animals have disappeared a long time ago and completely without a trace. For example, it is known that in historical times lions lived in the south of the peninsula.
Wild boar can be found in the riverine and swampy thickets of some areas of the peninsula; deer and chamois are still preserved in the mountain forests; On the islands of the Aegean Sea there is a wild goat - the ancestor of the domestic goat. In the most remote mountain areas you can sometimes see a brown bear. There are many rodents, among which hares occupy the first place in terms of numbers.
The bird fauna is diverse. Predators include the vulture, falcon and serpentine eagle. There are a lot of different passerines, woodpeckers, and there used to be a pheasant.
Among the typically Mediterranean animals, reptiles are numerous. There are especially many lizards, including a viper and a small boa constrictor. In the south there is an endemic Greek tortoise.
The rivers and lakes of the Danube and Adriatic Sea basins are rich in fish. The southern part of the peninsula, which belongs to the Aegean Sea basin, is relatively poor in freshwater fauna.
The Balkan Peninsula (Balkans, in German Balkanhalbinsel) is actually “between the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea”, the distance from end to end of the Balkan Peninsula is about 1400 kilometers. A wonderful map of the Balkan Peninsula, relief and states, is on Wikipedia.
See what the “Balkan Peninsula” is in other dictionaries:
In the mountainous expanses of the Balkan Peninsula, everything, of course, is European... In the general cultural sense, the Balkans are all of the above without taking into account Turkey and Italy: the first is usually attributed to Asia, the second to Southern Europe. From a tourist point of view, the Balkans are an ideally balanced region in terms of types of recreation.
The name comes from the oronym Balkan Mountains or Balkans, which was used in the past (from Turkic, balkan, a chain of steep mountains); Nowadays the mountains are called Stara Planina, but the name of the peninsula has been preserved. 505 thousand km2. It juts out into the sea for 950 km. It is washed by the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Ionian, Marmara, Aegean and Black seas. See these articles. Ivan Asen II, Jesse Russell. Slavic sword, F. Finjgar.
The Balkans as a space of problematic supranational identity
There are no geographical grounds for the isolation of the Balkan Peninsula; The Balkans are an exclusively geopolitical category. During the years of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Balkan Peninsula was not yet clearly isolated as a geopolitical space in the geopolitical consciousness. Until the Ottoman conquest, South-Eastern Europe was not a “civilizational periphery”: the foundations of European culture were laid here, in the Balkans. This, in fact, is the area where a typical Balkan cultural landscape and a Balkan city are concentrated. All three historical regions that make up present-day Croatia - Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia - have strong ties to the civilizational traditions of Central and Western Europe. The definition of the Danube as the northern border of the Balkan Peninsula was supported by the majority of scientists. The modern Turkish state occupies only 3.2% of the territory of the Balkan Peninsula. 4.The geographical location of the ethnic or state territory of a people on the Balkan Peninsula does not automatically mean belonging to the Balkan cultural identity.
The Balkan Peninsula narrows to the south and is divided into rugged capes and chains of islands. Cities such as Athens are full of reminders of the ancient Greek civilization, which significantly influenced the development of the entire world. Every year tourists come here from all over the world.
5. The policy of Western states in the Balkans during the Eastern crisis. 5. Bismarck’s attitude to the national liberation struggle of the Slavic peoples. The purpose of the lesson is to analyze the causes and consequences of the Balkan wars of 1912-1913. The main sources are the texts of diplomatic documents. Be able to show on a map territorial changes in the Balkans (changes in the borders of Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia). It is necessary to have a good understanding of the course of the Second Balkan War and the changes in borders after the defeat of Bulgaria, which subsequently predetermined its pro-German orientation.
In terms of ethnic composition, the Balkans are among the most diverse places on the continent. In addition to ethnicity and language, the Balkan region is also quite diverse in terms of religion. In the past, the Balkans were a land of numerous conflicts that stemmed from the great internal differences on the peninsula.
Unlike other Mediterranean countries, the Balkan country is less separated to the north from the European mainland. The border between the Balkan and Alpine countries is drawn according to the average January isotherm of +4 ... +5 0 C. At this temperature, evergreen plants are preserved. According to genetic and geomorphological characteristics, the mountains of the Balkan region are united into two systems: Dinaric west and Thracian-Macedonian east. The peculiarities of the geographical location and topography of the region determine the formation of three continental types of climate here: Mediterranean, sub-Mediterranean and temperate. The Mediterranean climate itself is characteristic only of a relatively narrow strip of the western and southern coasts of the Balkan Peninsula.
The Balkan Peninsula is still one of the poorest and most economically backward parts of Europe. Integration processes are currently taking place in the Balkans.
The northern border of the peninsula is considered to be a conventional line drawn along the Danube, Sava and Kupa rivers, and from the source of the latter to the Kvarner Strait. Geographical location, culture, science, Islam, politics, earthly aspirations and ambitions tear the Balkans between East and West. Faith - and only the Orthodox faith - lifts this peninsula above the East and West.
It seemed that the Balkan Peninsula was returning to normal life. Tamerlane's power frightened the Ottoman Empire. Already at the beginning of the twentieth century. The countries of the Balkan Peninsula decided to completely get rid of the influence of the Turks. In the 90s of the last century, Yugoslavia broke up into a number of states that exist to this day (one of them, Kosovo, is partially recognized).
Geography of the area
The Balkan Peninsula has exceptionally varied terrain, although most of its area is occupied by mountains. Therefore, the Balkan Peninsula is one of the most seismic zones in Europe, together with the island of Iceland. The coasts of Croatia and Greece are especially dissected. The southernmost part of the Balkans is occupied by the Peloponnese peninsulas.
The Dalmatian coast, which covers the western parts of the peninsula, is considered the most picturesque and green part of the Mediterranean. Greece however is considered a tourist paradise with its exceptionally beautiful white sandy beaches and crystal clear bays. The Black Sea coast is completely different.
Greece - located on the peninsula and nearby islands;. Romania - located in the east, completely located on a peninsula.
On the outskirts are the Lower Danube and Middle Danube plains. The southern territories are mostly occupied by Greece. Most of the plain is located in the Maritsa River basin. The northern and northwestern territories border with Montenegro and Serbia, the eastern ones with Macedonia, and the southern and southeastern ones with Greece. The territory also contains several large lakes, which stretch along the border areas with Greece, Macedonia, and Yugoslavia.
Relief. The surface is predominantly mountainous. To the west of the massif along the coast of the Adriatic Sea stretches the Dinaric fold-cover system (Dinarides), which continues in Albania and Greece with the arched Hellenide system. The southern part of the peninsula is dominated by subtropical brown, mountainous brown typical and carbonate soils; On the Adriatic coast, red terra rossa soils are common.
The areas of karst development in the Dinaric Highlands are in places almost devoid of vegetation cover.
Or rather in the southeastern part of it. It is washed on three sides (east, south and west) by the Mediterranean Sea. Accordingly, the seas in the east are the Aegean and Black, in the west the Adriatic. The coastline of this territory is very unclear, the adjacent islands are widely scattered. In principle, the picture clearly shows which states are included in the Balkan Peninsula (all those that are not marked in light green). I will only note that it also includes a partially recognized state - Kosovo, which is located on the territory of Serbia.
Lower Danube lowland. Postojnska, east of Trieste. Sophia Basin. Along with this, there are areas that were originally treeless.
Important transport routes connecting Western Europe with South-West Asia (Asia Minor and the Middle East) pass through the territory of the Balkan Peninsula.
