Axios (Αξιός), Vardar (Вардар)
Vardar in Veles
Origin	Vrutok, near Gostivar
Mouth	Aegean Sea, near Thessaloniki 40°30′27″N 22°43′3″E / 40.5075°N 22.7175°E / 40.5075; 22.7175Coordinates: 40°30′27″N 22°43′3″E / 40.5075°N 22.7175°E / 40.5075; 22.7175
Basin countries	Republic of Macedonia, Greece
Length	388 km

Veles Gorge

Vardar in Skopje: the Stone Bridge.

The Vardar or Axios (Macedonian: Вардар (help·info); Greek: Αξιός Axiós or Βαρδάρης Vardárīs) is the longest and major river in the Republic of Macedonia and also a major river of Greece. It is 388 km (241 mi) long, and drains an area of around 25,000 km² (9,653 sq mi). The maximum depth of river is 30 m (98 ft).

The river rises at Vrutok, a few kilometers north of Gostivar in the Republic of Macedonia. It passes through Gostivar, Skopje and into Veles, crosses the Greek border near Gevgelija, Polykastro and Axioupoli ("town on the Axiós"), before emptying into the Aegean Sea in Central Macedonia west of Thessaloniki in northern Greece.

The Vardar basin includes two-thirds of the territory of the Republic of Macedonia. The area is sometimes called "Vardar Macedonia" after the river, to distinguish it from "Aegean Macedonia" (in Greece) and "Pirin Macedonia" (in Bulgaria).

The valley comprises fertile lands in Polog, and Thessaloniki prefectures and Gevgelija and other parts. The river is surrounded by mountains elsewhere. The superhighways Greece Interstate 1 in Greece and M1 and E75 run within the valley along the river's entire length to near Skopje.

The river is depicted on the coat of arms of Skopje, which in turn is incorporated in the city's flag.^[1]

[edit] Vardaris/Vardarec wind

The Vardaris or Vardarec is a powerful prevailing northerly ravine wind which blows across the river valley in Greek Macedonia as well as in the Republic of Macedonia. At first it descends along the "canal" of the Vardar valley, usually as a breeze. When it encounters the high mountains that separate Greece from the Republic of Macedonia, it descends the other side, gathering a tremendous momentum and bringing cold conditions to the city of Thessaloniki and the Axios delta. Somewhat similar to the mistral wind of France, it occurs when atmospheric pressure over eastern Europe is higher than over the Aegean Sea, as is often the case in winter.

[edit] Etymology

• The most accepted theory on the origin of the name Vardar derives Bardários from the Thracian language, from PIE *(s)wordo-wori- 'black water' ^[2] (cf. German schwarz 'black', Latin suāsum 'dirt', Ossetian xuaræn 'color', Farsi xvāl 'lampblack', Old Irish sorb 'stain, dirt' ^[3]). This can be considered a translation or similar meaning of Axios, itself Thracian for 'not-shining' from PIE *n.-sk(e)i (cf. Avestan axšaēna 'dark-colored')^[4], and found in another name at the mouth of the Danube, Axíopa "dark water", renamed in Slavic Crna voda 'black water' ^[5]. The name Bardários (Βαρδάριος) was sometimes used by the Ancient Greeks in the 3rd Century BCE; the same name was widely used during Byzantine era.

• Its Greek name Axios (Αξιός) is mentioned by Homer (Il. 21.141, Il. 2.849^[6] ) as the home of the Paeonians, allies of Troy.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• See Pre_Slavic_place_names.zip, page 33, for Vardar etymology
• PIM "Ivan Milutinović", Belgrade, Serbia ; Morava - Vardar (Axios) Navigation Route (About 1,200 km shorter route (three days shorter time of navigation) from Belgrade to Port of Thessaloniki than across Danube, Black Sea and Agean Sea. Electric power production, improvement of water quality and regulation of flooding wave.)
• Morava - Vardar (Axios) Navigation Route map
• Hydropower and navigation syustem "Morava" (Concepts of regulation of rivers Great Morava and South Morava for navigation and hydropower production.)

[edit] See also

• Great Morava
• Pčinja River

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