Radika

The Radika (Macedonian and Serbian:, Radika; Radikes) is a river in southern Kosovo and western Macedonia, a 70 km-long right tributary to the Black Drin river.

The Radika proper is 52 km long, but measured from the most distant source in its watershed, that of the Crni Kamen river, it is 70 km long.

Origin
The Crni Kamen (Cyrillic: Црни Камен; "black stone") springs out from the northern slopes of the Vraca mountain, the southern extension of the Šar Mountains, under the Golema Vraca peak (2582 m). The Crni Kamen originally flows westward, through the Gora region, bends around the Vraca and sharply turns to the south and empties into the Kosovo-Macedonian border river Ćafa Kadis (Serbian Cyrillic: Ћафа Кадис; Macedonian: Ќафа Кадис; Albanian: Qafa e Kadisë).

The Ćafa Kadis originates from the southern slopes of the Vraca mountain and northern slopes of the Mangulova Kula mountain, another extension of the Šar Mountains. It flows westwards, on the northern section of the mountain of Ničipurska planina (Brodec peak, still part of the Šar massif) and for several kilometers forms the Kosovo-Macedonian border. After it receives the Crni Kamen from the right and another stream coming from Kosovo, the Ćafa Kadis turns south into the Macedonian proper again and from this point it is known as the Radika.

Upper Radika
Upper Radika is just 8 km long and due to the human managing of its course, it belongs to the Aegean Sea drainage basin, unlike the latter course of the Lower Radika which belongs to the Adriatic Sea drainage basin. It flows to the south between the mountains of Korab to the west and Ničipurska planina to the east. At the village of Volkovija, an artificial bifurcation is created, as the waters of the Upper Radika are conducted into the artificial lake Mavrovo at the village of Mavrovi Anovi and from there, via the Mavrovo system of the hydroelectric power plants, into the Vardar river (in this bifurcational flow, it even receives a tributuary, small stream of Beličica from the right).

Lower Radika
In the lower, 44 km-long section of the course, the Radika continues its general direction to the south. It carved a long and 1 km deep gorge between the mountains of Korab and Dešat on the west and Bistra (on the east) and. There are many interesting places along the Radika valley; including the villages of Velebrdo, Rostuša, Jance, Prisojnica, Skudrinje, the monastery of Sveti Jovan Bigorski, the spa of Kosovratska banja (with sulphuric water, hot up to 49 °C) and the unique Alčija cave, formed in alabaster. Alabaster is abundant in the surrounding terrain and it has been extractd and treated for industrial and commercial use in the town of Debar.

After the gorge, the Radika receives its major tributary, the Valovica river from the right and flows on the northern slopes of the Stogovo mountain. After the villages of Dolno Kosovrasti, Dolni Melničani, Gorenci and Rajčica, the Radika empties into the Black Drin, just south of Debar. Actually, the lowest section of the river is floodbed by the artificial lake Debar on the Black Drin, becoming one of lake's bays.

Overall, the Radika belongs to the Adriac Sea drainage basin, drains an area of 665 km2 itself and it is not navigable.

The Radika has huge possibilities for the hydroelectric power production, which is partially used in its upper course. Also, the river valley is the natural route for the major road road in Western Macedonia which connects the regions of Polog and Ohrid.