Abstract
The complexity of Balkan physical geography, together with its location in an important transition zone of faunal and floral influences, will have influenced greatly the evolution of Balkan biodiversity. This chapter gives a broad description of the geology, topography and climate of the Balkan Peninsula which serves as a reference point for subsequent specialist chapters on the biodiversity of the Balkan flora and fauna. Since some of the geographic boundaries of the Balkans are not well demarcated the chapter begins with a discussion of how the territory is defined. For the international audience, it includes a brief summary of the nomenclature used for geographic features whose names vary locally.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Ager, D.V. 1980. The Geology of Europe. McGraw-Hill, London.
Bajc, J., Aoudia, A., Sarao, A., Suhadolc, P. 2001. The 1998 Bovec-Krn mountain (Slovenia) earthquake sequence. Geophysical Research Letters 28, 1839–1842.
Barry, R.G. & Chorley, R.J. 1998. Atmosphere, Weather and Climate. 7th edition. Routledge, London.
Boore, D.M., Sims, J.D., Kanamori, H. and Harding, S. 1981. The Montenegro, Yugoslavia, Earthquake of April 15, 1979 - source orientation and strength. Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors 27, 133–142.
Dixon, J.E. & Robertson, A.H.F. (eds.) 1984. The Geological Evolution of the Eastern Mediterranean. Geological Society Special Publication. The Geological Society, London.
Furlan, D. 1977. The Climate of Southeast Europe. In Climates of Central and Southern Europe. World Survey of Climatology Volume6. Furlan, D, ed.), pp.185–235. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Grove, A. T. & Rackham, O. 2001. The Nature of Mediterranean Europe. An Ecological History. Yale University Press, New Haven.
Hupchick, D.P. & Cox, H.E. 2001. The Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of The Balkans. Palgrave, New York.
Karakostas, V.G., Papadimitriou, E.E., Karakaisis, G.F., Papazachos, C.B., Scordilis, E.M., Vargemezis, G. & Aidona, E. 2003. The 2001 Skyros, Northern Aegean, Greece, earthquake sequence: off-fault aftershocks, tectonic implications, and seismicity triggering. Geophysical Research Letters 30, article no. 1012.
Kranjc, A. 1997. Slovene Classical Karst. Kras. Knanstvenoraziskovalni center SAZU, Saložba ZRC: Inštitut za raziskovanje krasa ZRC SAZU, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Mršié, N. 1997. Biotic Diversity in Slovenia. Academy of the Sciences and Arts of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Press, F. & Siever, R. 1986. Earth. 4th edition. W.H. Freeman, New York.
Robertson, A.H.F. & Dixon, J.E. 1984. Introduction: aspects of the geological evolution of the Eastern Mediterranean. In The Geological Evolution of the Eastern Mediterranean (J.E. Dixon & A.H.F. Robertson, eds.), Geological Society Special Publication, The Geological Society, London, pp. 1–74.
Rodić, D. 1970. Geografija Jugoslaviije. Naučna knjiga, Beograd.
Smith, A.G. & Spray, J.G. 1984. A half-ridge transform model for the Hellenic-Dinaric ophiolites. In The Geological Evolution of the Eastern Mediterranean (J.E. Dixon & A.H.F. Robertson, eds.),Geological Society Special Publication, The Geological Society, London, pp. 629–644.
Stillman, E. 1966. The Balkans. Life World library. Time-Life International, Nederland, N.V.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2004 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Reed, J.M., Kryštufek, B., Eastwood, W.J. (2004). The Physical Geography of The Balkans and Nomenclature of Place Names. In: Griffiths, H.I., Kryštufek, B., Reed, J.M. (eds) Balkan Biodiversity. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-2854-0_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-2854-0_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-6732-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-2854-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive