Kras 840268 225976551 2008-07-16T08:15:47Z JAnDbot 1725149 robot Adding: cs, vec Removing: nl Modifying: pt :''There is a separate article "[[Karst topography]]". Also, there a stadium named [[Kras Stadion]] and a company called [[Kraš]].If you are looking for the oncogene, go to [[KRAS]]'' [[Image:Karst italy landscape.jpg|thumb|400px|Kras landscape in the Italian commune of [[Doberdò del Lago]].]] '''Kras''' ([[German language|German]]: ''Karst''; [[Italian language|Italian]]: ''Carso''), also known as the '''Classical Karst''' or the '''Kras Plateau''', is a limestone borderline [[plateau]] region in southwestern [[Slovenia]] extending into northeastern [[Italy]]. It lies between the [[Vipava Valley]], the low hills surrunding the valley, the westernmost part of the [[Brkini]] Hills, and the [[Gulf of Trieste]]. Its western edge is also the traditional ethnic border between [[Italians]] and [[Slovenes]]. The region is famous as the inspiration for the geological term [[karst topography]]. The plateau rises quite steeply above the neighboring landscape, with the exception of the southeastern side, where the steepness is less prounounced. The plateau gradually descends from the southeast to the southwest. On average it lies 334 metres above sea level. Because Kras steeply descends towards the [[Adriatic Sea]] (see: [[Kraški rob]]), it is less exposed to the beneficial climatological effects of the sea. The main vegetation in the past were [[oak]]s, but now are [[pine]] forests. [[Forest]]s now cover only one third of Kras. Much of the wood for the closely spaced [[pile]]s which support the island city of [[Venice]], [[Italy]] came from this region. The Kras is famous for its [[cave]]s. In Slovenia, they include [[Vilenica]] (the oldest tourist cave in the world), [[Lipica Cave]], [[Divača Cave]], [[Kačna Cave]], [[Postojna Cave]] and [[Škocjan Caves]] ([[UNESCO]] world heritage site), while in Italy there is the [[Grotta Gigante]] (the biggest tourist cave in the world, with a special [[horizontal]] [[pendulum]] that measures the ebb and flow effect of the [[moon]] on the [[earth]]). Most of the Kras is located in the [[Slovene Littoral]] on an area of 429 square kilometres, and has a population of about 19,000 people. The Kras as a whole has exactly 100 settlements. The town of [[Sežana]] is the center of the region on the Slovene side of the border. The main rural centers are the settlements of [[Divača]], [[Dutovlje]], and [[Komen]]. [[Štanjel]] is a picturesque nucleate settlement at the top of the northern rim of the [[plateau]]; its houses are tightly clustered around the Turn hill, giving it the appearance of a [[medieval]] town. On the Italian side of the border, important settlements include [[Villa Opicina]], [[Duino]] and [[Nabrežina]]. Natural conditions, including the [[Bora (wind)|bora]] (burja) wind, and the local way of life all shaped the elements of Kras [[architecture]], creating simple but well-defined forms. Kras is renowned for its thick red wine [[wine]], known as [[teran]], and [[prosciutto]]. One of the main tourist centers in the area is [[Lipica]], with [[horse]] stables (the home of the [[Lipizzan]] horse breed) as well as other tourist facilities. Famous persons who were born or lived in the region include the poets [[Srečko Kosovel]], [[Igo Gruden]] and [[Ciril Zlobec]], social activist [[Danilo Dolci]], architect [[Max Fabiani]], painters [[Avgust Černigoj]] and [[Lojze Spacal]], writers [[Alojz Rebula]], [[Igor Torkar]] and [[Bogomir Magajna]], and actress [[Ita Rina]]. The Kras' pitoresque landscape inspired numerous artist who were not from the region, among whom the poets [[Rainer Maria Rilke]], [[Alojz Gradnik]] and [[Edvard Kocbek]], essayists [[Scipio Slataper]] and [[Marjan Rožanc]], writers [[Fulvio Tomizza]] and [[Susanna Tamaro]], painter [[Lojze Spacal]], and film director [[Jan Cvitkovič]]. [[Image:Kraševci-Valvasor.jpg|thumb|400px|Peasants from Kras in a engraving from [[Janez Vajkard Valvasor]]'s monograph ''[[The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola]]'', 17th century.]] == Geographical extension== The municipalities that are completely or partially on the Kras territory, include: *[[Italy]] **[[Savogna d'Isonzo]] **[[Doberdò del Lago]] **[[Sagrado]] (partially) **[[Monfalcone]] (partially) **[[Duino-Aurisina]] **[[Sgonico]] **[[Monrupino]] **[[Trieste]] (partially) **[[San Dorligo della Valle]] (partially) *[[Slovenia]] **[[Miren-Kostanjevica]] (partially) **[[Komen]] **[[Sežana]] **[[Divača]] **[[Hrpelje-Kozina]] (partially) Sometimes, the region around [[Pivka]] is also included. <gallery> Image:Štanjel street.JPG|The village of [[Štanjel]] Image:View from Štanjel.JPG|The Kras landscape asviewed from Štanjel Image:San Giovanni di Duino - Stivan.jpg|Landscape near [[Duino]] Image:Duino castello 09022008 01.jpg|The cliffs of [[Nabrežina]] Image:Il Carso a Duino.JPG|Kras landscape in the [[Province of Trieste]] Image:Repentabor3.jpg|The fortified church in [[Monrupino|Repentabor]] Image:Lokev,Slovenija.jpg|The village of Lokev near [[Sežana]] Image:Karst italy doberdo lake.jpg|[[Doberdò del Lago|Doberdob]] Lake </gallery> == See also == *[[Geography of Slovenia]] *[[Geography of Italy]] *[[Slovene Littoral]] *[[Slovenian wine]] *[[Val Rosandra]] {{Commons|Karst}} ==External links== *[http://www.zrc-sazu.si/zgds/glasgow/8.pdf Karst in Slovenia]. Slovenia: a geographical overview. Nadja Zupan Hajna *[http://www.uvi.si/eng/slovenia/background-information/karst/ PR Office of the Slovenian Government] - Kras and Karst *[http://kras.brkini.net/ The Kras and Brkini Region] == Sources == *Rosanna Bubola, ''Vivere il Carso'' (Basadello di Campoformico ([[Udine]]): La tipografica, 2006) *Massimo Gobessi& Sergio Dolce, ''Il Carso in tasca'' (Trieste: Edizioni Luglio, 2006) *Elio Forznarič et al., ''Kras je krasen: vodnik po občinah Kraške gorske skupnosti'' (Trieste: Kraška gorska skupnost/ Comunità montana del Carso, 1991) *Daniel Jarc, ''Il patrimonio culturale del Carso goriziano/ Kulturna dediščina goriškega Krasa'' (Trieste: SLORI, 1997) *Miran Lapanje, ''Sežanski Kras'' (Sežana: Jamarsko društvo, 1984) *Mojca Osvald et al., ''Kras in slovenska Istra'' ([[Ljubljana]]: Gimnazija Bežigrad, 2007) *Matjaž Žnidaršič, ''Slovenski Kras: umetnostna dediščina'' ([[Cerknica]]: Naklo, d.o.o, 1996) [[Category:Geography of Slovenia]] [[Category:Plateaus]] [[Category:Geography of Italy]] [[Category:Geographical, historical and cultural regions of Italy]] [[Category:Friuli-Venezia Giulia]] [[cs:Kras (pohoří)]] [[de:Karst (Geographie)]] [[fr:Carso]] [[it:Carso]] [[he:קראס]] [[nn:Kras]] [[pl:Kras (płaskowyż)]] [[pt:Carso]] [[ro:Podişul Karst]] [[sl:Kras (področje)]] [[vi:Kras]] [[vec:Carso]] [[zh:喀斯特]]