The monograph presents different names of Piran Bay (Slo. Piranski zaliv) over time. Despite the leading onomastic topic, the publication is designed as a regional-geographic review of Piran Bay and ...its hinterland, where all the main physical- and socio-geographical characteristics are presented. This book describes the basic hydro-geographic characteristics of Piran Bay as a part of Gulf of Trieste and the Adriatic Sea. The monograph talks about the historical development, salt making in Sečovlje salt pans and the circumstances that led to the now more than two decades-long border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia. A significant chapter is dedicated to the presentation of the different naming of the Bay of Piran through time. According to the chronological order, 104 different cartographic sources present the name changes of the Piran Bay through time and when a certain specific geographic name appeared. Based on media analysis, one of the chapters describes the relation between the names Savudrijska vala or Savudrijski zaljev (Savudrija Bay) and Piranski zaliv or Piranski zaljev (Piran Bay).
The established geographical name Bay of Piran refers to the largest bay in the Gulf of Trieste at the extreme north end of the Adriatic Sea. After the collapse of Yugoslavia and the emergence of ...independent countries demarcated along the borders of the former Yugoslav republics, the previously undemarcated body of water between Slovenia and Croatia became the focus of a border dispute between the two countries. One of the basic principles of proper treatment of geographical names is not to change established and widely used names. The name 'Bay of Piran' (Sin. Piranski zaliv, Cro. Piranski zaljev) is derived from the Italian name Vallone di Pirano 'Bay of Piran', which replaced the Italian name Valle di Sicciole 'Bay of Secovlje' (as well as Ital. Valle di Siciole, Sin. Secoveljski zaliv) a century and half ago. This in turn was established towards the end of the 18th century, replacing the Italian name Largon 'Broad' or Golfo Largone 'Broad Bay'. Since 2000 there have been Croatian attempts to establish the completely new name 'Bay of Savudrija' (Cro. Savudrijska vala, Sin. Savudrijski zaliv).
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