Livanjsko Polje

Livanjsko Polje
Livanjsko field, largest Dinaric Alps karstic plateau in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Livanjsko Polje
Floor elevation	720 m (2,360 ft)
Length	30 km (19 mi) NW-SE
Width	6 km (3.7 mi) NE-SW
Area	458.7 km2 (177.1 sq mi)
Geography
Country	Bosnia and Herzegovina
State/Province	Tropolje
District	Canton 10
Population center	Livno
Borders on	List Dinara Kamešnica Tušnica Cincar Golija Šator Staretina Buško Blato
Mountain range	Dinaric Alps
Rivers	List Bistrica Brina Sturba Ričina Plovuča Jaruga

Livanjsko Polje (Serbian Cyrillic: Ливањско Поље) is located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is known to be the largest karstic field in the world. A typical example of karst polje encircled by tall peaks and mountain ranges, the field is characterized by many unique natural phenomenons and karstic features.

Geography

The field has an area of 45,868 hectare, 458.7 km², and an average width of 6 km. It is located at an average height of 720 m above sea level.

The field is located in region of Tropolje, in the southwest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and lies between the karstic mountains of Dinara and Kamešnica on the south, Tušnica mountain on the east, Cincar and Golija mountain on the north and Šator and Staretina mountain on the west. Buško Blato (Buško lake) lies to the southeast, and Ždralovac to the northwest. Ždralovac is a narrow corridor by which the Livno field is connected to the Grahovsko field, between the slopes of mountains Dinara, Kamešnica and Šator.

Climate

In the Neolithic age, the field was underwater. On the field itself there remains several lakes, of which Buško Blato has the largest accumulation in the region. Brežinsko jezero is another lake of note which lies on the northwest part of the field. When the Orlovac Hydroelectric power-plant was built in the 1960s, it altered the climate of the entire Livno region. Long, cold winter months with large snowfalls with the characteristic bura wind, were replaced by rainy winters and long, warm summers.

Hydrology and hydrography

Across the Livanjsko field flow several rivers, which belong to the Adriatic watershed. The most important of these are the Žabljak, the Sturba, the Bistrica, the Brina, the Plovuča, the Jaruga and the Ričina which are all rich in trout and crab. An artificial lake, Buško Blato, was dammed in the polje in the 1970s for electric power generation. Additional projects are in planning which could seriously compromise the delicate hydrological balance of the Dinaric karst, which is criss-crossed by underground rivers.

Towns and villages

The largest town on the field is Livno, from which the field received its name. The town of Livno has approximately 12,000 inhabitants. It is located on the northeastern part of the field, beneath mount Bašajkovac.

The largest villages on the field are Guber, Grborezi, Podhum, Prolog, Čuklić, Zabrišće, Bila, Čelebić, Lusnić, Strupnić, Kovačić, Vrbica and Bojmunte.

Culture and history

Old Livno fortress (Bistrica town), the historic site

Organic agriculture and cuisine

The field is home to continental vegetable culture such as potatoes and cabbage. Livestock, especially raising cattle and sheep, as well as the production of milk and two famous brand of delicacy cheese, simply known as Livanjski cheese and Cincar cheese, employs a good deal of the inhabitants of the field.

See also

• Popovo Polje
• Livanjski cheese
• Cincar cheese

External links

• REC Transboundary Cooperation Through the Management of Shared Natural Resources
• INWEB Internationally Shared Surface Water Bodies in the Balkan Region
• Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
• Bosnia and Herzegovina Commission for Preservation of National Monuments
• Wine route Herzegovina
• Hutovo Blato Nature Park
• Hutovo Blato Nature Park — Network of Adriatic Parks