 | |
| Continent | Europe |
|---|---|
| Region | Southeast Europe (Balkans) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10,887 km2 (4,203 sq mi) |
| • Land | 99% |
| • Water | 1% |
| Coastline | 0 km (0 mi) |
| Borders |
|
| Highest point | Velika Rudoka 2,660 m (8,727 ft) |
| Lowest point | White Drin 297 m (974 ft) |
| Longest river | White Drin 122 km (76 mi) |
| Largest lake | Lake Ujman 9.2 km2 (4 sq mi) |
| Climate | Temperate Zone Continental andMediterranean |
| Terrain | Mountains,Hills,Forest,urban |
Kosovo is alandlocked country inSoutheastern Europe. The country is strategically positioned in the center of theBalkan Peninsula enclosed byMontenegro to the west, Serbia to the north and east,North Macedonia to the southeast, andAlbania to the southwest. It has no direct access to theMediterranean Sea but its rivers flow into three seas, theAdriatic,Aegean andBlack Sea.
The country possesses impressive and contrastinglandscapes determined by theclimate along with thegeology andhydrology. Both, theBjeshkët e Nemuna andSharr Mountains, are the most defining feature of the country and simultaneously the most biodiverse regions of Kosovo. As far as the central region, the plains ofDukagjin andKosovo stretches over the west and east, respectively. Additionally, Kosovo consists of multiple geographic and ethnographic regions, such asDrenica,Dushkaja,Gollak,Has,Highlands of Gjakova,Llap,Llapusha andRugova.
The country is a quite rich country for itswater sources, there are many long and shortrivers, as well asartificial andnatural lakes around the country. Most of the rivers that rise in Kosovo have their mouths outside the country's territory in the Adriatic, Aegean and Black Sea.[1] The longest river is theDrini i Bardhë, while the shortest river is theLumëbardhi i Prizrenit.
The climate of the country is mostly defined by its geographical location in the southeastern part of theeuropean continent and strongly influenced by the seas in the west, south and east. It enjoys a combination of acontinental climate and amediterranean climate, with four distinct seasons.
Kosovo is characterised by richflora andfauna, and a wide array ofecosystems andhabitats considering its relatively small area.[2] The country'sbiodiversity is conserved in twonational parks andhundreds of otherprotected areas of different categories. The remote andforested regions are primarily inhabited by important species that are fast becoming rare inSouthern Europe, amongst them thebrown bear,grey wolf,lynx andgolden eagle.
Thelandlocked country ofKosovo lies in the heart of theBalkan Peninsula inSoutheastern Europe. It borders the countries ofMontenegro to the west, Serbia to the north and east,North Macedonia to the southeast andAlbania to the southwest.[3] The land area of the country is 10,910 square kilometres (4,210 sq mi), being the161st-largest country in the world.
The border between Kosovo andAlbania stretches for a total of 113.551 km (70.557 mi) and is situated along the southwestern edge of the country.[4] This border is significantly marked by theAlbanian Alps, theKoritnik andGjallica Mountains, which occupy the vast expanse of land between the countries. The border between Kosovo andNorth Macedonia stretches for a total of 170.772 km (106.113 mi). This border is situated along the southeastern edge of the country, whereby the majority of this border follows theSharr Mountains. The border between Kosovo andMontenegro measures at only 79.165 km (49.191 mi) in length, making it the shortest border in the country. This border is rugged and mountainous associated with the Albanian Alps. The border between Kosovo and Serbia stretches for a total of 380.068 km (236.163 mi) and is situated along the northern and eastern edge of the country.
The country ofKosovo features notable diversity with thelandscape andrelief. Framed along its borders by mountain ranges, as for instance theAlbanian Alps, and theSharr Mountains, the country'stopography is clearly defined by two main plains, the plains ofDukagjini andKosovo.
Most of the country is mountainous and hilly. The southern and southeastern edge is distinguished by the Sharr Mountains.[5] The Albanian Alps dominate the western edge as they offer the highest mountain of Kosovo,Gjeravica.[6][7] Often referred to as theBjeshkët e Nemuna, the region is considered to be among the most inaccessible mountain range inEurope and the wildest range on theBalkan Peninsula, which is best described in their name.
Bjeshkët e Nemuna National Park andSharr Mountains National Park were established to protect the landscape, scenery and natural environment of the country.[8][9] They represent the most important regions ofvegetation andbiodiversity in the country, because they provide excellent conditions for a greatwild andplant life.[10][11]
TheKopaonik Mountains extend in the northern edge of the country and further run into central Serbia. They are characterized by itsmineral wealth, especially abundant bylead andzinc, making it one of the richest regions inEurope. This is due to the diversity of itsgeological structure, particularly with the newvulcanization during thetertiary period.[12][13][14]
A landlocked country, there are several notablerivers andlakes within the country's borders. Thedrainage basin of theBlack Sea comprises 50.7 percent of the territory of the country and totals 5,520 square kilometres (2,130 sq mi), which makes it the largest in Kosovo.[15] The main rivers in the section of the country of the river basin are the rivers ofIbar andSitnica.
In contrast, 43.5 percent of the country's territory is encompassed by the drainage basin of theAdriatic Sea.[15] The area includes the largest rivers flowing in the country, theWhite Drin with its tributariesErenik andLumbardhi i Deçanit. The rest belongs to theAegean Sea drainage basin, where the largest river by far is theLepenac.[15]
TheNerodime river is of particular significance because it represents Europe's only instance of ariver bifurcation flowing into two seas, the Black and Aegean Sea. The bifurcation of the river is considered to be an artificial phenomenon, but created under extremely favorable natural conditions.
A number of natural lakes are located in the mountain ranges at various altitudes amongst them theGjeravica,Leqinat,Jazhincë, andZemra. Kosovo also does have a large number ofkarst springs,thermal and mineral water springs.[16]
The main lakes areGazivoda Lake (380 million m3) in the north-western part,Radoniq lake (113 million m3) in the south-western part,Batllava Lake (40 million m3) andBadovc Lake (26 million m3) in the north-eastern part. Other smaller scenic lakes includeZemra Lake,Gjervica Lake andLiqenat Lake.
Kosovo is characterised by a diversebiodiversity and an abundance of differentecosystems andhabitats with a remarkable exponential value.[17] It is located at the crossroads of severalbiogeographical regions and therefore has specificclimate,geological,hydrological andmorphological conditions.
In terms ofphytogeography, the land area of Kosovo lies within theBoreal Kingdom, specifically within the Illyrian province of theCircumboreal Region. Its territory can be conventionally subdivided into four terrestrialecoregions of thePalearctic realm, amongst them theBalkan andDinaric mixed forests.
Kosovo is particularly rich in remote and mountainous landscapes endowed withforests. They are home to a large number of the country'sanimal species, including manyendangered species. Kosovo is one of the rare countries in Europe with populations of rare species, thegolden eagle, thebrown bear, thegrey wolf and thelynx.[17][18][19][20]
The country has only two designatednational parks.[21] TheBjeshkët e Nemuna National Park in western and southwestern Kosovo is the largest national park by area in the country. The park encompasses 63,028 hectares (630.28 km2) of the mountainous region of theAlbanian Alps. TheSharr Mountains National Park was established to protect the spectacular scenery of southeastern Kosovo. It includes the country's section of theSharr Mountains that cuts across the landscape along the border between Kosovo and North Macedonia.
Kosovo is located between theMediterranean Sea and mountainous regions of SoutheastEurope, on theBalkan Peninsula. This geographic location gives the country its large annual temperature range. Summer temperature highs can reach 30 °C (86 °F), winter's temperatures as low as −10 °C (14 °F).[22] According to theStrahler classification map the climate in Kosovo is considered moist continental.[23] The country experiences warm summers and cold and snowy winters.
The climatic area of theIbar valley is influenced by continentalair masses. For this reason, in this part of the region, thewinters are colder with medium temperatures above −10 °C (14 °F), but sometimes down to −26 °C (−15 °F). Thesummers are very hot with average temperatures of 20 °C (68 °F), sometimes up to 37 °C (99 °F). This area is characterized by a dry climate and a total annual precipitation of 600 mm per year, approximately. The climatic area ofDukagjin, which includes the watershed of theWhite Drin river, is influenced very much by the hot air masses, which cross theAdriatic Sea. Medium temperatures during winter range from 0.5 °C (32.9 °F) to sometimes 22.8 °C (73.0 °F). The average annual precipitation of this climatic area is about 700 mm (28 in) per year. The winter is characterized by heavysnowfalls. The climatic area of themountains and forest parts is characterized by a typical forest clime, that is associated with heavyrainfalls (900 to 1,300 millimetres (35 to 51 in) per year), and summers that are very short and cold, and winters that are cold and with a lot ofsnow. Finally, it can be stated that the Kosovo territory is characterized by a sunny climate with variable temperature and humidity conditions.[24]
Kosovo waters flows towards the Adriatic, Aegean and Black Sea.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Topics related to Geography ofKosovo | |
|---|---|
