| Velebit | |
| Elevation M: | 1757 |
| Map: | Croatia |
| Label Position: | left |
| Location: | Croatia |
| Range: | Dinaric Alps |
| Coordinates: | 44.5333°N 29°W |
Velebit (pronounced as /v̞ɛlɛ̌bit/; Italian: Alpi Bebie) is the largest, though not the highest, mountain range in Croatia. The range forms a part of the Dinaric Alps and is located along the Adriatic coast, separating it from Lika in the interior. Velebit begins in the northwest near Senj with the Vratnik mountain pass and ends 145 km to the southeast near the source of the Zrmanja river northwest of Knin.
Its highest peak is the Vaganski vrh at 1,757 m.[1] Major mountain passes on Velebit include the aforementioned Vratnik or Senjsko bilo at 694 m.a.s.l.,[1] where the Josephina connects Senj with Josipdol; Oštarijska vrata at 928 m.a.s.l. that connects Karlobag and Gospić;[1] and Prezid at 766 m.a.s.l. that connects Obrovac and Gračac.[1]
Velebit is characterized by its simple, solid form, stiff cliffs, the lack of vegetation on the seaward side (towards the Velebit Channel), and the wood-covered slopes of the Lika side. The basic geological characteristic of the mountains is karst; flora and fauna are abundant. The whole mountain range is protected as a nature park. The most popular spots on Velebit are: the peak of Vučjak (1,644 m) above Zavižan, the botanical gardens and caves, Hajdučki and Rožanski kukovi, Štirovača, the Northern Velebit National Park and the Paklenica National Park.[2] The Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service has a permanent measurement station at Zavižan.[1]
Velebit is usually divided into four regions:
Velebit as a whole is a nature park, from which two national parks have been carved out: Paklenica and Sjeverni Velebit (Northern Velebit)
A further category of even more careful nature preservation exists within Sjeverni Velebit, the special reservation Hajdučki i Rožanski Kukovi, under the highest nature protection available in Croatia. Officially no human activity is allowed there (except research). These are the mostly still unexplored and wild places and probably will stay that way in the future.
A pathway called Premužićeva staza (Premužić's pathway) leads through the northern and middle parts of Velebit. This pathway was built between 1930 and 1933 and it connects northern and southern Velebit. Its length is .[3] Many parts of Velebit would not be reachable without it. The Velebit mountains are transversed by the A1 through the Sveti Rok Tunnel.
Around 70 peaks exceed 1600 m.
See main article: Velebit caves. There are hundreds of "holes" on Velebit. It has the largest and deepest caves in Croatia. The three-part "Lukina jama" cave is 1392 m deep, making it one of the deepest caves in the world, and the deepest in southeast Europe,[2] while the "Slovačka jama" is 1320 m. What makes it unique is that it is completely vertical, steepest in the world. At the bottom of the pothole is a water course or siphon with branches that are still unexplored. A kind of leech was discovered in the pothole, which has been ascertained to represent a new species, genus and family; it has been named Erpobdella mestrovi.
List of potholes on Velebit deeper than 500 m:
It is also home to Degenia velebitica, an endemic and protected species of plant in the mustard family discovered in 1907 by the Hungarian botanist Árpád von Degen.
The imposing nature of the Velebit mountain has made it something of a national symbol in Croatian folklore. There is a patriotic folk song "Vila Velebita" that personifies a fairy in Velebit.
In the Republic of Venice, Velebit was known as Montagna della Morlacca ("Mountain of the Morlach"), named after the Morlachs, an originally Romance ethnic group that eventually got assimilated into the local Croatian population.
Planine, the first Croatian novel by Petar Zoranić, was inspired by the Velebit mountain.
Literature about the Velebit that is available includes: