Sana (river)

The Sana (pronounced [sǎːna]) is a river in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a tributary of the Una, which it flows into at Novi Grad. It is the longest of the nine rivers that flow through Sanski Most, and is 142 km long. It is not a navigable waterway. The name of the river derives from the Latin adjective sānus, feminine sāna hence sana, which roughly translates "healthy" (Aqua Sanus translates as healthy water / river). The Sana in its upper course is fast mountain river with upland freshwater ecology, and its waters being very clear and cold. Gushing out of the karst plateau with Ovčara as most prominent summit (1576 m), between Klekovača and Vitorog mountains, and flows toward alluvial plains of the Bosanska Krajina with lowland freshwater ecology. Well-spring areal is located in the vicinity of Marići village, between surrounding villages of Gornja Pečka and Donja Pečka, Gornji Vrbljani and Donji Vrbljani, and Medna, on the territories of Ribnik and Mrkonjić Grad municipality not far from the town of Šipovo. The source itself consists of four major and water abundant karstic well-springs, with relatively high average discharge, and after about hundred meters first three individual wellsprings merge with a main course, which is set by the small stream of Korana coming from the right form direction of Gornja Pečka village, receiving the Sana springs one-by-one, with first three supplementing it from the left and, after just a little more than one kilometre downstream, with the fourth from the right. This fourth well-spring is also known for the Mračaj karstic cave from which it emerges.