Raša (river)

The Raša (Latin: Arsia, Italian: Arsa) in Croatian Istria is a major river of Croatia's Istria County. It is 23 kilometres (14 mi) long, and its basin covers an area of 279 km² (108 sq mi). Its mouth is in the long ria of Raša Bay (Croatian: Raški zaljev, formerly Italian: Porto d'Arsia), which is a drowned river valley scoured out when world sea levels fell, then drowned by the rising waters of the post-glacial era. The Raša rises in springs near Pićan and flows south through a steep-sided valley before opening into the head of the Adriatic Sea. The river, although short in length, has an ancient history as a border.