Deliblatska Peščara

Deliblato Sands (Serbian: Делиблатска пешчара, romanized: Deliblatska peščara; Hungarian: Delibláti-homokpuszta) is a large sand area covering around 300 km² (120 sq mi) of ground in Vojvodina province, Serbia. It is located in southern Banat, situated between the river Danube and the southwestern slopes of the Carpathian Mountains. The sands are named after the village of Deliblato, in the municipality of Kovin. Its main masses are elliptical shaped hills with steppe grassland plains and steppe forests.

The Deliblato Sands is the largest sandy terrain in Europe, once part of a vast prehistoric desert, having originated from the withdrawal of the Pannonian Sea. They are home to many endemic species of plants and animals which are rare or endangered in Europe and globally. Due to its forest and surroundings, it was declared a special nature reserve. On a national level, it represents a natural asset of special importance falling under protection category I.

It is referred to as the "European Sahara", or the "Old Continent's oldest desert".

The Deliblato sands are an expanse shaped by Aeolian processes with significant dune-like relief made of powerful sandy deposits. It is a unique feature in this part of the world as the largest exemplar of the true sandy relief. Dunes are 70 to 200 m (230 to 660 ft) tall. Southeast of the sands is the Kraljevac lake, one of the reservoirs formed around the edges of the region, in an effort to stop movement of the sand. There are floating peat islands on the lake's surface, where numerous waterfowl nest.

The southern section of the sands, which reaches the Danube, is known as Labudovo Okno. It has been declared a Ramsar wetland in 2006. This section covers an area of 37.33 km² (14.41 sq mi) and includes marshes, ponds, meanders, river islands of Žilovo, Čibuklija and Zavojska Ada, meanders of the Karaš river and the submerged mouth of the Nera into the Danube. It is one of the most important migratory bird habitats in Serbia.

The Deliblato Sands is rich in floral diversity, it is home to 900 different species of plants which many are considered by international standards rare or endemic to the Pannonian Basin. Regions of similar terrain across Europe have been cultivated, forested or otherwise altered, while Deliblato Sands has largely remained untouched. Some of the endangered and endemic species of flora include the Banat peony, steppe peony, Pančić wormwood, bulrush and dwarf Russian almond. Twenty different species of Orchidaceae grow in this area. Tree species used for the immobilization of the moving sand include black locust, black pine, Scots pine and various deciduous species.

A total of 200 animal species inhabits the sands. Rare fauna include the desert ant, antlion, mole rat, and steppe polecat. The main source of food for some endangered birds of prey, such as the saker falcon, eastern imperial eagle and lesser spotted eagle, are ground squirrels that live in large open grass fields; hence such areas are necessary for their survival. Other noted animals are the wolf, deer, roe deer and boar.

Remains from the Bronze Age were discovered in the locality of Židovar. Other localities (Đurica, Grebenac, Veliki Grad, Mali Grad) contain remains of the habitation from the 13th century BC to the 1500s and 1600s. Roman period is represented with the trench near Kovin (Rimski šanac).