Influence of Natural Factors on the Position of Settlements and their Morphological Characteristics in the Example of the Municipality of Irig Influence of Natural Factors on the Position of Settlements and their Morphological Characteristics in the Example of the Municipality of Irig Miljković, Ljupče, Davidović, Rade1 Introduction tlements in the western part: Vrdnik, Mala Pavlović, Mila2 The municipality of Irig is situated in the Remeta, Jazak and Rivica, while there are central part of Srem (Vojvodina). The ter- seven settlements in the eastern part of the ritory of the municipality covers two relief territory: Velika Remeta, Grgeteg, Krušedol – Abstract units: loess plateau of Fruška gora and south Selo, Neredin, Šatrinci and Dobrodol. Settlements on the territory of the munici- slope of Fruška gora. In relation to other The position of settlements and their pality of Irig were mostly formed under the municipalities of Vojvodina, the territory of morphology considerably depend on nat- influence of physical geographic elements. the municipality of Irig is characterized, for ural physical-geographic conditions and Except physical geographic elements, oth- the conditions of Vojvodina, by large verti- in the example of the municipality of Irig, er elements, socio-geographic for exam- cal indentation of relief. The southern part they especially depend on the relief and ple, which are used for the settlement for- of the municipality in the Borkovački potok hydro-geographic ones. The social con- mation are of secondary importance and valley (the district of Rivica) is situated on ditions for forming the settlements are they are not excluded. Springs with a lot of 110 m (a.s.l.) altitude. The altitude of 104 m equally important as natural, but they are water along each brook valley were very (a.s.l.) is in the lower part of the district of changeable more easily than the natural important for their formation. Every settle- Jazak. The northern border of the municipal conditions. The social conditions are not ment in the municipality either very small, territory is at the very crest of Fruška gora. the subject of this paper. If both kinds of the type of Prnjavor (Velika Remeta) or the In the area of Iriški venac the northern bor- the conditions were larger and more suita- larger one such as the seat of the munici- der is on 444 m (a.s.l.) altitude, while in the ble during the formation of the village and pality (Irig) is connected to the springs of region of Isin čot it goes to 522 m (a.s.l.) al- its position, then the settlement grew fast- an area of Fruška gora. This was of crucial titude. The vertical difference in altitude is er, became stronger and developed. importance for choosing a place for the 418 m relative height, on the compact terri- original construction of the settlements on tory of the municipality of Irig. General characteristics of the the territory of the municipality of Irig. The The mutual position of settlements on the settlements of the municipality of Irig are: territory of the municipality is very suitable. settlements of Irig Irig, Vrdnik, Mala Remeta, Jazak, Rivica, Ve- The settlement of Irig, an administrative cent- According to physical-geographic character- lika Remeta, Grgeteg, Krušedol – Prnjavor, er of the municipality, is situated in the cen- istics the area of Fruška gora and Fruška gora Krušedol – Selo, Neredin, Šatrinci and Do- tral part of the territory. There are four set- itself (wherein the territory of the municipal- brodol. The position of settlements and their morphology considerably depend on natural conditions, and in the example of the municipality of Irig, they especially de- pend on the relief and hydro-geographic conditions. Key words: Irig municipality, Natural fac- tors, Settlements, Vojvodina and Serbia 1 Ljupče Miljković, Rade Davidović Faculty of Natural Science, Department for Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia 2 Mila Pavlović University of Belgrade, Faculty of Geography, Studentski trg 3/3, 11000 Geographica Pannonica 09/2005 Pannonica Geographica Belgrade, Serbia Figure 1 Geographical position of the Irig municipality in the Srem region 20 Ljupče Miljković Rade Davidović, Mila Pavlović ity of Irig mostly spreads) is suitable region Out of thirteen settlements of Prnjavor Concerning the geographic position of for settlement. That is why this territory had about a half (six) belongs to the munici- Irig the following was stated in the litera- been settled a long time ago. Abundance of pality of Irig: Mala Remeta, Velika Remeta, ture: “On determining the position of Irig antigorit nearby Jazak and Vrdnik had ena- Grgeteg, Krušedol – Prnjavor, Jazački Prn- two or three brooklets have been impor- bled their oldest inhabitants to make weap- javor and Vrdnički Prnjavor, wherefrom tant, the villages of which meet into a wid- ons and tools for themselves and for the in- the first four settlements have the status of er one. These brooklets gave enough quan- habitants of much wider surrounding. Many inhabited place (Davidović, 1989). tity of water, so the settlement could be things made of antigorit of Fruška gora were As topographic position concerned, developed freely” (Bukurov, 1954). also found in neighboring Slavonija and Bukurov (1954, 1970) divided all the settle- The district of Irig has a shape of an irreg- parts of Vojvodina (Bukurov, 1954). ments of Vojvodina, the settlements of Irig ular rectangle set in the north – northwest – The position and arrangement of settle- also, on edge and internal. In his univer- south – southeast direction. It occupies the ments of the municipality of Irig are caused sal and detailed study Settlements of Srem, area of 55.1 km2 or 24.4 % of the municipal by the same factors as the position of oth- Ćurčić (2000) classified two settlements territory, by which it is on the first position er settlements of Fruška gora. According to (Rivica and Irig) out of twelve of this mu- among twelve settlements on this area. The writings of an academican B. Bukurov “The nicipality as edge settlements. They are lo- town itself has a suitable position comparing position of settlements of Fruška gora is cated on the contact of mountain and loess with the territory of the district because it is caused by several factors. The most impor- plateau. All other settlements of the mu- located in the central part of the district. tant are: relief, hydrography, climate, econ- nicipality of Irig the same author (Ćurčić, The territory which belongs to Irig lies omy, traffic, etc”. The same author states 2000) classifies into internal settlements. on two geomorphological wholes. The further “... relief and hydrography were of With this classification there is a differ- higher relief article is a part of the moun- crucial importance on getting the closer lo- ence among settlements built on Fruška tain crest of Fruška gora and the lower part cation of the settlement”. The settlements gora (mountain), on loess plateau and on of loess plateau. These wholes were dissect- of the municipality of Irig have especial- diluvium terrace. According to the same ed by numerous brooks which had the pri- ly been distinguished by these two crucial author, the first ones built on the moun- mary role in forming the contemporary factors, relief and hydrography, which will tain are: Jazak, Vrdnik, Neradin, Krušedol morpho - structural relief elements of this be presented for every settlement separate- – Selo, Krušedol – Prnjavor, Velika Remeta, territory. The Jelence potok valley has the ly in the section that follows. All the set- Grgeteg and Mala Remeta. All these villag- central importance for the town of Irig. tlements of Fruška gora B. Bukurov divid- es have their locations at utmost south hill- Today’s morphology of this settlement is ed into three groupings in his studies. The sides of Fruška gora. They are mostly locat- to a great extent a reflection of its past. The largest number of the settlements of Irig is ed in the brook valleys, on the valley plane oldest part of Irig is immediately next to the classified into mountain settlements. They or at its mild sides. An exception is the vil- brook. There are two parallel streets in this are located in such a way that inhabitants lage of Krušedol – Selo which was built part, oriented the same as the brook, and can use as much economic land as possible. right above hte Šelovrenac valley, in the separated by its bed. The rest part of Irig is Today, according to shape and extention of higher part of loess plateau, that is, more on the higher land or on the watershed be- these settlemetns, it has not been so noti- exactly, on the contact of loess plateau and tween one and the other brook valley. The cable as it used to be important in the past. the hillsides of Fruška gora. Dobrodol and main street of the whole settlement is ori- The same author B. Bukurov states: “How- Šatrinci are internal settlements, but they ented in the same way as Venac – Ruma ever it was not like that in the time of form- are located on loess plateau. These two vil- main road is, by north – south direction. All ing of these settlements, because in most of lages are located on plateau, but along the other streets were formed according to this the cases they are built either at the end of brook valley. one. The pannonian influences can be felt in the forest regions or in the very forests. The the construction of Irig because in most of original task of almost all inhabitants was Geographical position and the cases the streets are crossed at right an- to clear the forests and bring new cultivated morphological characteristics of the gles.