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| Tara | |
|---|---|
 Tara River Canyon | |
 | |
  | |
| Location | |
| Country | Montenegro,Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Confluence of the Opasnica andVeruša |
| • location | Komovi Mountains, Montenegro |
| Mouth | |
• location | Drina |
• coordinates | 43°20′54″N18°50′23″E / 43.3484°N 18.8396°E /43.3484; 18.8396 |
| Length | 146 km (91 mi)[1] |
| Basin size | 2,006 km2 (775 sq mi)[2] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Drina→Sava→Danube→Black Sea |
TheTara (Serbian Cyrillic:Тара) is ariver inMontenegro andBosnia and Herzegovina. It emerges from the confluence of the Opasnica andVeruša rivers in the Komovi Mountains, part of theDinaric Alps of Montenegro. The total length is 143 km (89 mi), of which 141 km (88 mi) are in or on the border of Montenegro,[1] it also forms the border between the two countries in several places. The Tara flows from south to north - north-west and converges with thePiva at the Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro border between the villages of Šćepan Polje (Montenegro) and Hum (Bosnia and Herzegovina) to form theDrina river (a branch of theDanube watershed).
The Tara River cuts theTara River Canyon, the longestcanyon in Montenegro andEurope and third longest in the world afterGrand Canyon andFish River Canyon at 78 kilometres (48 mi) in length and 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) at its deepest. The canyon is protected as aUNESCO World Heritage Site. A part of the canyon includes theDurmitor National Park. The river takes its name from theIllyrianAutariatae tribe,[citation needed]whose territory included the river valley in classical antiquity.[citation needed]
The Tara river is rich inendemicsalmonid fish species,huchen (Latin: Hucho hucho), otherwise globally endangered, and together with the river Drina and most of its tributaries, such as the Piva river before damming, theBistrica,Ćehotina,Lim,Prača,Drinjača,Sutjeska, it is still Europe's premier habitat and spawning grounds.
Rafting is very popular on Tara River. It is also one of the most popular forms of recreation in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The one-day rafting route, from Brstnovica to Šćepan Polje is 18 km (11 mi) long and it takes2 to 3 hours. Among the attractions of the area isĐurđevića Tara Bridge, on the crossroads betweenMojkovac,Žabljak andPljevlja.
Rafting starts at Splavista from where one starts the 100 km (62 mi) long adventure in the most beautiful and exciting part of canyon. Already at the beginning the Tara, the waterfalls of Ljutica are seen and then, the rafter passes under the 165-metre (541 ft) highĐurđevića Tara Bridge. The old Roman road can then be seen as rafters pass through the Lever Tara, "Funjički bukovi", and "Bijele ploče". "Nisovo vrelo" is the deepest part of the canyon at 1,100 metres (3,600 ft) high. Further is the bottom of the mountain top, "Curevac" (1,650 metres; 5,410 ft), that rises above Tara as its "eternal guardian". Rafting trips meet the waterfalls of Draga and then pass through the Radovan luka, the "Canyon of Sušica", "Tepački bukovi", "Brstanovički bukovi" and "Bailovica sige", ending at Sćepan Polje.
In 2005, the European Championships in Rafting were held on theVrbas and the Tara rivers inBosnia and Herzegovina. According to theInternational Rafting Federation, the event was hugely successful. In May 2009 the World Rafting Championships were held again inBosnia and Herzegovina on the Vrbas and Tara rivers.[3]
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The governments of Montenegro andRepublika Srpska entity inBosnia and Herzegovina had plans to flood the Tara river and considerable part of its gorge, with the construction of at least one and possibly more hydroelectric dams on theDrina and possibly the Tara itself.A plan to construct dams in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Drina river, has never been shelved completely.[4][5][6]One at Buk Bijela village, some 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) downstream of border with Montenegro and the confluence of the Tara with thePiva river, theBuk Bijela Hydro Power Plant, although apparently abandoned in April 2005, after several successful protests by environmental activists in favor of preserving both the rivers and the canyon, is now being seriously reconsidered, as recently as 2018, and concessions were given to a company "HE Buk Bijela" created in Foča in 2018, for this purpose.[7]Also, although much older, signed in September 2006, a cooperation agreement between the Slovenian company Petrol and the Montenegrin company "Montenegro-bonus"[8] to plan a construction of a 40-60 megawatts hydroelectric power plant, despite all efforts to protect the gorge, is still a considerable environmental threat for the Drina and the Tara.
