Brkini Hills

The Brkini Hills (pronounced [bəɾˈkiːni]; Slovene: Brkini; Croatian: Brkinija[1]) is a hilly region in southwestern Slovenia.[2]

Geography

The Brkini Hills border on the north on the Reka River, on the southwest on the Materija Valley (Matarsko podolje), on the northwest on the Karst Plateau (Kras), and on the southeast on the Jelšane Valley (Jelšansko podolje).[3] The Brkini region is divided among the municipalities of Hrpelje-Kozina, Pivka, Ilirska Bistrica, and Divača.[4] The region is 25 km (16 mi) long and 7 km (4.3 mi) wide, and covers an area of 180 km2 (69 sq mi).[3] Its central part is 700 to 800 m (2,300 to 2,600 ft) high.[3] The center of the region is the village of Pregarje.[4] The climate is mild, and the geological basis is flyschy, with a minor limestone part in the northeast.[4] The region is a link between the Mediterranean and the continental part of Slovenia.[5]

Name

The name Brkini is believed to be of Italian origin because of the suffixation pattern. This indicates that the root of the name (brk-) may be derived from northern Italian bricco, bricca '(steep) slope'. Derivation from the Slavic noun brdo 'hill' is doubtful.[1]

Economy

The Brkini Hills are an economically underdeveloped region,[4] with the main economic activity being fruit farming, in particular plums.[3] Many people from the Brkini Hills commute to work to the nearby centers of Ilirska Bistrica, Podgrad, Hrpelje, and Kozina.[3] During World War II, over one-third of the villages in the Brkini Hills were burned by Italian and German forces due to Partisan activity in the area, which significantly affected the development of the region.[3] The population density is low, with people still leaving.[4]

References
  1. Snoj, Marko (2009). Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen. Ljubljana: Modrijan. p. 82.
  2. Matijašić, Robert. Nikočević, Lidija (2005). "Brkini". In Miroslav Bertoša, Robert Matijašić (ed.). Istrian Encyclopedia (in Croatian). Miroslav Krleža Lexicographical Institute. Retrieved 1 February 2011.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  3. Dobnik, Jože (2006). "Čez Brkine na Slavnik" [Over Brkini on the Slavnik Hill]. Pot kurirjev in vezistov NOV Slovenije [Path of Couriers and Operators of the National Liberation War] (in Slovenian). Društvo Domicilnega odbora kurirjev in vezistov NOV Slovenije. Geopedia.si. ISBN 961-238-581-5. Retrieved 1 February 2012.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  4. Barborič, Blaž. Bobič, Živa. Borko, Sebastijan. Dobravc, Mina. Pirc, Janez (2002). "Problematika slovenskega podeželja na primeru Brkinov" [Problems of Slovenian Rural Areas. Case Study of Brkini Hills.] (PDF). Dela (in Slovenian and English). Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana (17): 265–284. doi:10.4312/dela.17.265-284. ISSN 0354-0596. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-04-24.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  5. Barba, Urška (2011). Turizem v občini Hrpelje - Kozina in možnosti za njegov nadaljnji razvoj [Tourism in the Municipality of Hrpelje-Kozina and Possibilities for its Future Development] (PDF) (in Slovenian and English). Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-20. Retrieved 2012-02-01.

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