Polje

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Livanjsko Polje and (in the background) Mt Dinara
Livanjsko Polje and (in the background) Mt Dinara

A polje is a large flat plain in karst territory with areas usually 5 to 400 km². The name derives from the word for "field" in South Slavic languages.

They are mostly distributed in subtropical and tropical latitudes but some also appear in temperate or, rarely, boreal regions. Usually covered with thick sediments, called "terra rossa", they are used extensively for agricultural purposes.

Some poljes of the Dinaric Alps are inundated during the rainy winter and spring seasons as masses of water called vrulja appears at the margins. The water disappears through shafts called ponor.

Prominent karst poljes are Livanjsko Polje and Glamočko Polje in Bosnia, Popovo Polje in Herzegovina, Logaško, Planinsko Polje and Lake Cerknica in Slovenia, Nikšićko Polje in Montenegro, Ličko Polje in Lika, Croatia.