Risan (Montenegro)

Risan (Montenegrin: Рисан, pronounced [rîsan]) is a town in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. It traces its origins to the ancient settlement of Rhizon, the oldest settlement in the Bay of Kotor. Lying in the innermost portion of the bay, the settlement was protected from the interior by inaccessible limestone cliffs of the Orjen mountain which are the highest range of eastern Adriatic, and through several following narrow straits in the Bay of Kotor from the open sea. While the Krivošije karst plateau that hangs steep above the narrow shores of Risan bay receives over 5000 mm rain annually (European record), several strong karst springs that form a short brook collect in the narrow cultivable belt at Risan.