Location The
South Morava Valley ( /
Južno Pomoravlje) is the
valley of the
South Morava. It is the southernmost region of Serbia, bordering
North Macedonia. It is meridionally elongated, in the south-to-north direction. In the narrower sense, as a valley of the South Morava, it occupies an area of 4,800 km2, of which 1,660 km2 on Kosovo and the rest in Central Serbia. In wider sense, the South Morava Valley is identified with southern Serbia in general and covers the entire watershed of the South Morava (15,469 km2).
Geography • Končulj Gorge (
Končuljska klisura) – gorge in the original section of South Morava, while it is still being called Binačka Morava. It connects sub-regions of
Izmornik on Kosovo and
Bujanovac section of the Vranje depression. Gorge is 11 kilometers long, cut by Morava in the
gneiss-
granite rocks of the northernmost extension of the
Skopska Crna Gora mountain. It was named after the village of Končulj and forms a natural route for the Vranje-Bujanovac-
Gnjilane road. • Vranje Depression (
Vranjska kotlina) – larger widening of the valley mainly bordered by the mountains of Skopska Crna Gora on the south-west,
Rujen on the south,
Sveti Ilija on the west,
Kukavica on the north and
Besna Kobila on the east. Center of the depression is the town of
Vranje and other settlements include
Vranjska Banja,
Veliki Trnovac,
Bujanovac and
Preševo. Sometimes called Vranje-Preševo depression, with northern section mostly corresponds to the sub-region of
Inogošte, while southern, through the
Preševska povija ridge extends to the south into the region of
Žegligovo and
Pčinja valley in North Macedonia. • Grdelica Gorge (
Grdelička klisura) – one of the most famous gorges in Serbia, a valley narrow which is 33 kilometers long (48 by the river course) and up to 550 meters deep. Gorge is carved between the mountains of Kukavica on the west and
Čemernik on the east. The highest point above the gorge is
orographic (
geomorphological) water divide of the
Pannonian and
Aegean basins, which doesn't correspond with
hydrological divide of the South Morava watershed (which spread south of it, too). Due to the
deforestation, Grdelica gorge is an area of excessive
erosion, which is the main reason for the elevation of the river bed of the Great Morava downstream and flooding in the Great Morava Valley. In the gorge area, erosion as a result has floods, torrents,
inundations, trenching, etc. Largest settlement,
Vladičin Han is at the entrance, while
Grdelica, after which the gorge is named, at the exit. Other settlements in the gorge include
Džep and
Predejane. • Leskovac Depression (
Leskovačka kotlina) is a main section of the larger Leskovac field (
Leskovačko polje), the largest
fluvial-
tectonic depression in the valley. A 50 kilometers in
diameter, it was completed flooded by the lake in
Neogene. Today it is a place where many important South Morava's tributaries flow in it:
Jablanica,
Veternica,
Vlasina, etc. The area is one of the best known vegetable growing regions in Serbia, especially for tomatoes and
bell peppers. It encompasses several sub-regions (Jablanica, Vlasina) and due to its size, it is bordered by almost a dozen of mountains. It roughly corresponds to the region of
Dubočica. Largest settlement is the town of
Leskovac, fourth largest town in Central Serbia. Other settlements include
Vlasotince and
Vučje. • Pečenjevce
Defile (
Pečenjevačka sutjeska) – small gorge which connects Leskovac field and Brestovac micro-depression, carved through the western slopes of the
Babička Gora mountain. • Brestovac Micro-depression (
Brestovačka kotlinica) – actually, the northernmost extension of the Leskovac field. It is located between the mountains of Babička Gora and
Seličevica on the east, and
Pasjača on the west. In the west it extends into the regions of
Toplica and
Pusta reka. Remains of the medieval town ruins of "Kurvin Grad" are located above the depression. • Niš-Aleksinac Depression (
Niško-aleksinačka kotlina) – most populous section of the valley, thanks to the city
Niš, second largest town in
Central Serbia, or popularly styled "metropolis of southern Serbia". Depression roughly begins at the village of
Malošište and ends at historical settlement of
Đunis. Long and elongated, its borders are marked by the mountains of Seličevica on the south-east,
Ozren on the east,
Bukovik on the north-east,
Veliki Jastrebac and
Mali Jastrebac on the west and Pasjača on the south-west. Apart from Niš, other important settlements in the depression include the string of Niš' suburbs and the town of
Aleksinac. Sometimes considered a two separate depressions, Niš and Aleksinac. • Stalać Gorge (
Stalaćka klisura) – the final narrow of the South Morava Valley before it meets the West Morava to form the Great Morava. The gorge is 20 kilometers long and 350 meters deep, carved in the form of the typical base epigyne (cut through the middle of the massif's base), with "pitched"
meanders among the Stalać Hills (Poslonjska and Mojsinjska mountains), part of the extreme north-west section of the
Rhodope Mountains. Named after the small town of
Stalać at the exit of the gorge.
Sub-regions Sub-regions which partially make up the South Morava Valley include: •
Binačko Pomoravlje •
Gornja Morava •
Izmornik •
Inogošte •
Jablanica •
Pusta Reka •
Poljanica •
Dobrič •
Toplica Population The South Morava Valley had a population of 680,176 inhabitants by the official 2018 estimate by the State Statistical Office, with an average population density of 217 inhabitants per square kilometer, but the area's density is in general smaller, average density being enlarged by the large centers like the city of Niš (430 per km2) and Leskovac. The South Morava Valley has been known for rural depopulation and stagnation almost for the last five decades while the cities grew larger. The population of the Morava Valley by the official censuses of population and latest estimates (including the valley in narrower sense: municipalities of Preševo, Bujanovac, Vladičin Han, Vlasotince, Doljevac, Merošina, Gadžin Han, Aleksinac and Ražanj, and cities of Vranje, Leskovac and Niš): • 1948 – 540,864 • 1953 – 577,081 • 1961 – 624,225 • 1971 – 691,293 • 1981 – 753,336 • 1991 – 771,545 • 2002 – 732,185 • 2011 – 716,688 • 2018 – 680,176 (official estimate) The largest settlements of the South Morava Valley (2011 census; * denotes 2002 data): •
Niš – 183,164 •
Leskovac – 60,288 •
Vranje – 55,138 •
Aleksinac – 16,685 •
Vlasotince – 15,882 •
Preševo – 13,426* •
Bujanovac – 12,011* •
Vladičin Han – 8,030 •
Veliki Trnovac – 6,762* •
Donja Vrežina – 6,758 •
Vranjska Banja – 5,347 •
Deveti Maj – 4,795 •
Nikola Tesla – 4,651 •
Brzi Brod – 4,642 •
Niška Banja – 4,380 •
Pukovac – 3,864 •
Oraovica – 3,774* •
Kamenica – 3,745 •
Bratmilovce – 3,482 •
Pasi Poljana – 2,938 •
Vučje – 2,865 •
Popovac – 2,847 •
Malošište – 2,835 •
Miratovac – 2,774* •
Vinarce – 2,730 •
Medoševac – 2,674 •
Bobište – 2,635 •
Žitkovac – 2,624 •
Gornji Matejevac – 2,513 •
Prćilovica – 2,362 •
Grdelica – 2,136 •
Trupale – 2,127 •
Brestovac – 2,027
Economy Agriculture The South Morava Valley is fertile and thus is the major fruit and vegetable growing area in Serbia, especially the areas of Vranje, which is specialized in the production of peppers, and Leskovac, important tomato producing region, but other early vegetables as well. Vranje is also known for
floriculture. The area is also producing grains (corn in Vranje and Leskovac, wheat in Leskovac and Aleksinac- Niš region),
figs, fruits (cherries in Vranje,
grapes in Leskovac) and industrial plants (sugar beet in Aleksinac- Niš, tobacco in Aleksinac- Niš, Vranje and Leskovac). Leskovac is also known for the
cattle and
sheep.
Walnuts and
almonds are produced as well. Region is also known for producing
melons and
watermelons. Textile industry is developed, because the region produces much
linen. Sunflower seeds provide
vegetable oil. Water from South Morava is also used for the irrigation, due to parts of the region being
semi-arid.
Mining and industry The mountains surrounding the region are rich in minerals and ores. The mountain of Besna Kobila has findings of
zinc,
lead and
silver. Other findings include
chromium,
antimony,
graphite,
lithium and
tungsten.
Oil shales are found near Leskovac and Aleksinac. Aleksinac is also part of a large Aleksinac coal basin, while
lignite is abundant in the area. Though South Morava has a significant potential for electricity production, it has not been dammed, though some parts of its watershed on the east (Vlasina, Vrla) have a series of hydro electrical plants (Vrla I, II, III and IV). Area is rich in mineral springs with many spas: Vranjska Banja, Bujanovčaka Banja, Ribarska Banja, Kulinska Banja, Klokot Banja, etc. There are several large industrial centers in the region, some of the largest in Serbia (Niš, Leskovac, Vranje). Secondary centers are Aleksinac, Vlasotince and Preševo.
Transportation Along with the Great Morava Valley, its natural continuation, the South Morava Valley is an important European transportation route and Niš is a major crossroads. It makes a section of the Belgrade-
Skopje-
Thessaloniki route, that is, of the
European route E75 (which connects
Norway and
Greece), with a branch splitting at Niš for
Sofia,
Bulgaria, which is actually a crossroads of the routes E75 and
E80 which connects
Portugal and
Turkey. Since 2019, route has been turned into a highway. The South Morava Valley is also a railway crossroads: railway Belgrade-Niš-Skopje, trans-Balkan railway
Peć-
Prahovo, etc. ==Great Morava Valley==