Sava
The Sava (/ˈsɑːvə/; Slovene pronunciation: [ˈsàːʋa], Serbo-Croatian pronunciation: [sǎːʋa]; Serbian Cyrillic: Сава, Hungarian: Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally through Serbia, feeding into the Danube in its capital, Belgrade. The Sava forms the main northern limit of the Balkan Peninsula, and the southern edge of the Pannonian Plain.
| Sava | |
|---|---|
Map of the Sava watershed | |
| Native name |
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| Location | |
| Countries | |
| Cities | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Zelenci |
| • location | Kranjska Gora, Slovenia |
| • coordinates | 46°29′31″N 13°44′16″E |
| • elevation | 833 m (2,733 ft) |
| Mouth | Danube |
• location | Belgrade, Serbia |
• coordinates | 44°49′27″N 20°26′38″E |
• elevation | 68 m (223 ft) |
| Length | 992 km (616 mi) a |
| Basin size | 97713.2 km2 (37727.3 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | the river mouth |
| • average | 1609 m3/s (56800 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Danube→ Black Sea |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Savinja, Sutla, Krapina, Lonja, Ilova-Trebež, Orljava, Bosut, Jarcina |
| • right | Sora, Ljubljanica, Krka, Kupa, Una, Vrbas, Ukrina, Bosna, Tolisa, Tinja, Drina, Kolubara |
| a Including 45 km (28 mi) Sava Dolinka headwater | |
The Sava is 990 kilometres (615 miles) long, including the 45-kilometre (28 mi) Sava Dolinka headwater rising in Zelenci, Slovenia. It is the largest tributary of the Danube by volume of water, and the second-largest after the Tisza in terms of catchment area (97713km²) and length. It drains a significant portion of the Dinaric Alps region, through the major tributaries of Drina, Bosna, Kupa, Una, Vrbas, Lonja, Kolubara, Bosut and Krka. The Sava is one of the longest rivers in Europe and among the longest tributaries of another river.
The population in the Sava River basin is estimated at 8,176,000, and is shared by three capital cities: Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade. The Sava is about 2⁄3-navigable for larger vessels: from the confluence of the Kupa in Sisak a few kilometers below Zagreb.