Timok Great Timok | |
---|---|
Native name | |
Location | |
Country | Serbia, Bulgaria |
City | Serbia: Zaječar, Brusnik Bulgaria: Bregovo, Baley |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Zaječar, Serbia |
• location | Junction of the Beli Timok and the Crni Timok |
• coordinates | 43°55′12″N22°17′52″E / 43.92000°N 22.29778°E |
Mouth | Danube |
• location | north of Bregovo, Bulgaria / east of Negotin, Serbia |
• coordinates | 44°12′49″N22°40′13″E / 44.21361°N 22.67028°E |
Length | 202 km (126 mi) [1] |
Basin size | 4,626 km2 (1,786 sq mi) [2] |
Discharge | |
• location | mouth |
• average | 31 m3/s (1,100 cu ft/s) |
Basin features | |
Progression | Danube→ Black Sea |
Tributaries | |
• left | Crni Timok |
• right | Beli Timok |
The Timok (Serbian and Bulgarian: Тимок; Romanian : Timoc), sometimes also known as Great Timok (Serbian : Велики Тимок, romanized: Veliki Timok; Romanian : Timocul Mare), is a river in eastern Serbia, a right tributary of the Danube. For the last 15 km of its run it forms a border between eastern Serbia and western Bulgaria.
It is a branchy system of many shorter rivers, many of them having the same name (Timok), only clarified with adjectives. From the farthest source in the system, that of the Svrljiški Timok, until its confluence (as Veliki Timok), the Timok is 202 km long. [1] The area of the river basin is 4,626 km2 (1,786 sq mi). [2] Its average discharge at the mouth is 31 m3/s (1,100 cu ft/s). [3] The Timok Valley is known for the most important Vlach population in Eastern Serbia.
Its name stems from antiquity, in Latin it was known as Timacus and in Ancient Greek Timachos", Τίμαχος. [4]
This in turn comes from Proto-Indo-European *tm̥Hes-, zero-grade of *témHes-, *témHos- (“darkness”), an s-stem from the root *temH- (“dark”), also present in the names of the Thames and Tamiš/Temes/Timiș, possibly with extension "-q" for water (present in Latin "aqua").
The Timok, also named Veliki Timok to distinguish it from its tributaries, is formed by the confluence of the rivers Beli Timok ("White Timok") and Crni Timok ("Black Timok") at Zaječar. The Beli Timok is formed by the confluence of the rivers Svrljiški Timok ("Svrljig Timok") and Trgoviški Timok ("Trgovište Timok") at Knjaževac.
Tributaries of the Timok are Duboki Dol, Beslarica, Golami Dol, Kijevska, Bračevicka, Studena Voda, Pivnica and Eleshchev from the right, and Lipovička River, Crna reka, Jelašnička reka, Salaška reka, Ogašu Taba, Brusnički potok, Urovički potok, Plandište, and Sikolska river from the left.
The Timok turns north-west after its formation at Zaječar, running next to the villages of Vražogrnac, Trnavac, Čokonjar, and Brusnik. Passing between the last two it leaves the Timok Valley and enters the Negotin Valley.
In the lower course the Timok has no major settlements on the Serbian side (though flowing only 7 km from Negotin). Some 15 km before it empties into the Danube as its right tributary, the Timok becomes a border river, passing next to the Bulgarian town of Bregovo and the Bulgarian village of Baley. The river's mouth represents the northernmost point of Bulgaria, and is only 28 m above sea level, which makes it the lowest point of Serbia. The average discharge is 24 m3/s, but it can grow to 40 m3/s, and the Timok is part of the Black Sea drainage basin. The main (right) tributaries in this section are Crna reka, Salaška reka, Sikolska reka and Čubarska reka (Cyrillic: Црна река, Салашка река, Сиколска река and Чубарска река).
Apart from the Timok Valley, the Timok gave its name to the two tribes who lived on its banks, Thracian or Thraco-Celtic Timachi in the I to III century common era, and Slavonic Timočani in the VI to IX and to a rebellion against Serbian king Milan Obrenović IV in 1883, known as the Timok Rebellion.
At Čokonjar, the Sokolovica power plant was constructed in 1947–1951. Opportunities for higher electricity production are not used.
The river has been greatly ecologically damaged in recent years by the mining and heavy metal industry in Bor and Krivelj and is consequently polluting the Danube with lead, copper and cadmium.
The river valley is a natural route for the road and railway Niš - Prahovo.
The Timok Valley is a geographical region in east Serbia around the Timok River. The Timok Valley corresponds to parts of two Serbian districts, with a total 2022 census population of 200,785.
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The Iskar is a right tributary of the Danube. With a length of 368 km, it is the longest river that runs entirely within Bulgaria. Originating as three forks in Balkan's highest mountain range Rila, the Iskar flows in a northern direction until its confluence with the Danube. As it flows northwards it fuels the largest artificial lake in the country, the Iskar Reservoir, forms the divide between the Vitosha and Plana Mountains in the west and the Sredna Gora mountain range in the east before entering the Sofia Valley, which contains the nation's capital Sofia. From there the Iskar runs through the Balkan Mountains, forming the spectacular 84 km long Iskar Gorge. As it crosses the mountains, its water course turns in a north-eastern direction at Lakatnik. North of the Balkan Mountains, the river crosses the Danubian Plain and finally flows into the Danube between the villages of Baykal and Gigen. Geologically, Iskar is the oldest river in the Balkan Peninsula.
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The Svrljiški Timok is a river in Serbia, headwater of the Beli Timok. It rises north of the Mountains of Svrljig near the village of Šesti Gabar at elevation 1,078 m and flows to the west, curving around the northern slopes of the Mountains of Svrljig. It passes through many villages, reaching the town of Svrljig, that gives its name to the river, which here gently turns to the north, and after passing through Niševac and Varoš makes a complete turn to the north-east. It runs through Palilula, Podvis and Rgošte, reaching Knjaževac, where it meets the Trgoviški Timok and together they form the Beli Timok. The total length of the river is 64 km; the area of the river basin is 726 km2 (280 sq mi).
The Trgoviški Timok is a river in Serbia, also known as Korenatac or Strma river. It starts on the western slopes of the Balkan Mountains, right under the highest peak of the mountain in Serbia, Midžor, less than a kilometer from the Bulgarian border. The river runs to the east, receiving three smaller streams from the other peaks of Balkan mountain range with colorful names. The river passes through the villages of Balta Berilovac, Vrtovac and Inovo. On this reach it receives the Debelička and Ćuštička rivers from the left and the Golaška and Inovska rivers from the right. At the village of Kalna, it is joined by the Stanjanska River, flowing down the northern slopes of the Jadovnik mountain, turns to the north and becomes known as the Trgoviški Timok.
The Žukovačka River is the largest right tributary of the Trgoviški Timok in Serbia. In its upper course it is also called Leva River and Aldinačka River. It flows into the Trgoviški Timok near Žukovac. Its total length is 21.3 km (13.2 mi), and its drainage basin area is 104 km2 (40 sq mi).
The Beli Timok is a headwater of the Timok River in Serbia. It starts at the junction of the Svrljiški Timok River and the Trgoviški Timok River, in Knjaževac. It was also known as Knjaževački Timok.
The Crni Timok, also known as Crna River or Krivovirski Timok, is a headwater of the Timok River.
Timok is a river in eastern Serbia and western Bulgaria.
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Media related to Timok at Wikimedia Commons