Soča

The Soča (pronounced [ˈsoːtʃa] in Slovene) or Isonzo (pronounced [iˈzontso] in Italian) (other names Friulian: Lusinç, archaic German: Sontig, Latin: Aesontius or Isontius) is a 138-kilometre (86 mi) long river that flows through western Slovenia (96 kilometres or 60 miles) and northeastern Italy (43 kilometres or 27 miles).

An Alpine river in character, its source lies in the Trenta Valley in the Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia, at an elevation of 876 metres (2,874 ft). The river runs past the towns of Bovec, Kobarid, Tolmin, Kanal ob Soči, Nova Gorica (where it is crossed by the Solkan Bridge), and Gorizia, entering the Adriatic Sea close to the town of Monfalcone. It has a nival-pluvial regime in its upper course and pluvial-nival in its lower course.

Prior to the First World War the river formed part of the border between Kingdom of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire and during that conflict was the scene of bitter fighting between the two countries, culminating in the Battle of Caporetto in 1917.

Slovenia

Coordinates: 46°07′N 14°49′E / 46.117°N 14.817°E / 46.117; 14.817

Slovenia (ⁱ/sloʊˈviːniə, slə-, -njə/sloh-VEE-nee-ə; Slovene: Slovenija [slɔˈʋéːnija]), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene:  Republika Slovenija ,abbr.: RS), is a nation state in southern Central Europe, located at the crossroads of main European cultural and trade routes. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest. It covers 20,273 square kilometers (7,827 sq mi) and has a population of 2.06 million. It is a parliamentary republic and a member of the United Nations, European Union, and NATO.The capital and largest city is Ljubljana.

The territory is mostly mountainous with a mainly continental climate, with the exception of the Slovene Littoral that has a sub-Mediterranean climate and the north-western area that has an Alpine climate. Additionally, the Dinaric Alps and the Pannonian Plain meet on the territory of Slovenia. The country, marked by a significant biological diversity, is one of the most water-rich in Europe, with a dense river network, a rich aquifer system, and significant karst underground watercourses. Over half of the territory is covered by forest. The human settlement of Slovenia is dispersed and uneven.

Julian Alps

The Julian Alps (Slovene: Julijske Alpe, Italian: Alpi Giulie) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretch from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia and of the former Yugoslavia. They are named after Julius Caesar, who founded the municipium of Cividale del Friuli at the foot of the mountains. A large part of the Julian Alps is included in Triglav National Park. The second highest peak of the range, the 2,775m high Jôf di Montasio, lies in Italy.

The Julian Alps cover an estimated 4,400 km² (of which 1,542 km² lies in Italy). They are located between Sava valley and Kanalska Dolina. They are divided into the Eastern and Western Julian Alps.

Eastern Julian Alps

There are many peaks in the Eastern Julian Alps over 2,000m high, and they are mainly parts of ridges. The most important peaks are visible by height and massiveness. There are high plains on the eastern border like Pokljuka, Mežakla and Jelovica.

Trenta (valley)

The Trenta Valley (pronounced [ˈtɾeːnta]) is a valley in the Julian Alps in the northern part of the traditional Gorizia region (Slovene: Goriška) of Slovenia.

Geography

The source of the Soča River and the settlements of Soča, Lepena, and Trenta are located in the Trenta Valley. The Vršič Pass connects the valley with Upper Carniola to the east. The Soča flows generally southwest through the valley and then onwards to Bovec.

Name

The name Trenta is of Friulian origin and was borrowed into Slovene. The name developed from *Tridenta, meaning 'three-tooth' or 'divided into three teeth'. This reflects the geography because the valley splits into the Soča and Zadnjica valleys, and the latter is soon split again by White Creek (Beli Potok), creating three closely spaced summits.

References

External links

Media related to Trenta at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 46°23′22″N 13°44′47″E / 46.3894°N 13.7465°E / 46.3894; 13.7465

River

A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of water. Small rivers can be referred to using names such as stream, creek, brook, rivulet, and rill. There are no official definitions for the generic term river as applied to geographic features, although in some countries or communities a stream is defined by its size. Many names for small rivers are specific to geographic location; examples are "run" in some parts of the United States, "burn" in Scotland and northeast England, and "beck" in northern England. Sometimes a river is defined as being larger than a creek, but not always: the language is vague.

Rivers are part of the hydrological cycle. Water generally collects in a river from precipitation through a drainage basin from surface runoff and other sources such as groundwater recharge, springs, and the release of stored water in natural ice and snowpacks (e.g. from glaciers). Potamology is the scientific study of rivers while limnology is the study of inland waters in general.