Isonzo
| Soča/Isonzo | |
| River | |
 The Soča near Bobarid
| |
| Country |  Slovenia,  Italy
|
|---|---|
| Municipalities | Bovec, Kobarid, Tolmin, Kanal ob Soči, Nova Gorica, Gorizia, Savogna d'Isonzo, Farra d'Isonzo, Gradisca d'Isonzo, Sagrado, Fogliano Redipuglia, Villesse, San Pier d'Isonzo, Fiumicello, Turriaco, San Canzian d'Isonzo |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Idrijca, Vipava |
| - right | Torre |
| Landmark | Solkan Bridge |
| Source | |
| - location | Trenta Valley, Julian Alps, Slovenia |
| - elevation | 876 m (2,874 ft) |
| - coordinates | 46°24′10″N 13°44′44″E / 46.40278°N 13.74556°E |
| Mouth | Gulf of Trieste |
| - location | Adriatic Sea, Italy |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| - coordinates | 43°43′35″N 13°33′09″E / 43.72639°N 13.55250°E |
| Length | 138 km (86 mi) |
| Basin | 3,400 km² (1,313 sq mi) |
| Discharge | for Pieris |
| - average | 172 m³/s (6,074 cu ft/s) |
| Wikimedia Commons: Soča River | |
The Isonzo/Soča (Soča in Slovene; Isonzo in Italian; Lusinç in Friulian[1]) is a river that flows through western Slovenia and northeastern Italy.
An Alpine river in character, its source lies in the Julian Alps in Slovenia and enters the Adriatic Sea close to the Italian town of Monfalcone.
Geography[change | change source]
The Soča river has a length of 138 km (86 mi), 96 km (60 mi) in Slovenia and 43 km (27 mi) in Italy.[2]
Its drainage basin has a pronounced mountainous character with an average elevation of about 599 m (1,965 ft) above sea level,[3] and an area of 3,400 km2 (1,313 sq mi), 2,250 km2 (869 sq mi) (66%) in Slovenia and 1,150 km2 (444 sq mi) (34%) in Italy.[3]
The watershed of this river is one of the few places where the Marble trout (Salmo marmoratus) is found.[4]
Course[change | change source]
The source of the Soča lies in the Trenta Valley in the Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia, at an altitude of 876 m (2,874 ft).[2] The river flows through the Triglav National Park where is the mountain Triglav (2,864 m), the highest mountain in the Julian Alps and in the country. Then it flows to the south past the Slovenian towns of Bovec, Kobarid, Tolmin, Kanal ob Soci and Nova Gorica (where it is crossed by the Solkan Bridge); here, at an altitude of 56 m (184 ft),[2] the river crosses the border and gets into Italy.
In Italy, the Soča, now called Isonzo, flows through several comuni of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. Theses comuni are:
- Province of Gorizia: Gorizia, Savogna d'Isonzo, Farra d'Isonzo, Gradisca d'Isonzo, Sagrado, Fogliano Redipuglia, Villesse, San Pier d'Isonzo, Turriaco, San Canzian d'Isonzo, Staranzano, Grado.
- Province of Udine: Only one comune, Fiumicello; the river flows through a small part of this comune that borders with the province of Gorizia.
Finally, it flows into the Gulf of Trieste (Adriatic Sea) in the Riserva Naturale della Foce dell'Isonzo ("Natural Reserve of the Mouth of the Isonzo"), to the southwest of the town of Monfalcone.
Main tributaries[change | change source]
- Left tributaries
- Idrijca - 60 km (37 mi) long;[2] it joins the Soča river in Most na Soči, a town in the municipality of Tolmin.
- Vipava - 49 km (30 mi) long;[2] it joins the Soča river in the municipality of Savogna d'Isonzo, Italy.
- Right tributaries
History[change | change source]
The valley of the Soča river was the place where several battles were fought in World War I between May 1915 and November 1917, in which over 300,000 Austro-Hungarian and Italian soldiers lost their lives.[6]
Gallery[change | change source]
The Soča river in the Trenta Valley.
Aerial view of the Soča river to the south of Tolmin.
Satellite image of Soča (Isonzo) estuary.
The Soča river at dawn.
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Related pages[change | change source]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "Denominazioni toponimiche ufficiali in lingua friulana" (PDF) (in Italian). ARLeF. 9 February 2014. Archived from the original (pdf) on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Reke, dolge nad 25 km, in njihova padavinska obmocja" [Rivers, longer than 25 km, and their catchment areas] (in Slovene and English). Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia. 2002. Retrieved 2 September 2014. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link) CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Drainage Basin of the Mediterranean Sea". Second Assessment of Transboundary Rivers, Lakes and Groundwaters (PDF). United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. August 2011. p. 159. ISBN 978-92-1-117052-8. Retrieved 2 September 2014. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ↑ "Marble trout (Salmo armoratus)". Balkan Trout Restoration Group. Retrieved 4 September 2014. External link in
|publisher=(help)CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link) - ↑ "Torrente Torre" (in Italian). Fiumi Italia. Retrieved 6 September 2014. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ↑ "The Battles of the Isonzo, 1915-17". Firstworldwar.com. Retrieved 4 September 2014. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
Other websites[change | change source]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Soča River. |
- Soča River - The Official Travel Guide by Slovenian Tourist Board. (in Slovene)
- Autorità di bacino Isonzo, Tagliamento, Livenza, Piave, Brenta-Bacchiglione Archived 2014-10-31 at the Wayback Machine. (in Italian)
- Laboratorio Isonzo Archived 2015-02-18 at the Wayback Machine. (in Italian)
- Soca Valley: Kobarid and Tolmin
- Soca River Whitewater Rafting
- Kajaking in the Soca river (in German)