Geography

The Plitvice Lakes are situated in eastern Lika, between Mala Kapela and Licka Pljesevica mountains, by the main road from Zagreb to the Dalmatian coast. The name refers in the first place to a group of lakes in the area and then, by extension, to the area as a whole. A shortened version of the name is used colloquially -- Plitvice -- to refer to the lakes and the lake area, to be distinguished from the name Plitvica, which refers to a village and a little stream of the same name in the northern part of the national park.

Different sources and researchers give different figures for the number of lakes. The usual number given is sixteen: Proscansko Lake (Prosce), Ciginovac, Okrugljak, Batinovac, Vir, Veliki and Mali Jovinovac (Veliko and Malo Jezero), Galovac, Milino Jezero, Gradinsko Lake, Veliki Burget (burget is a local word for a small lake or tarn), Kozjak, Milanovac, Gavanovac, Kaludjerovac, and Novakovica Brod. The total area of the lakes is about 2 sq. km. The figure is approximate, depending on whether the cascades are also included or not. Besides, the height of the cascades changes with time, as will be explained further below, thus changing also the total surface area of the lakes. Some three-fourths of this area is taken by the two largest lakes: Kozjak - 81.5 hectares and Prosce - 68 hectares.

The greatest depths have also been recorded in these lakes: 46 m in Kozjak and 37 m in Prosce. Together with ten smaller lakes between them, these two lakes form the Upper Lakes group. Downstream from Kozjak lie the four Lower Lakes Lower Lakes occupy a much smaller area than the Upper Lakes. The terrain around these lakes and parts of the cascade beds are covered with woods. The Lower Lakes have limestone (Cretaceous) beds and are therefore situated in a canyon cut by a river at a time before the lakes were formed. Though the canyon is not very deep (70 - 80 m), its steep sides give the lakes a special atmosphere and picturesque quality.

Menu:

Geography

Flora and fauna