| Velika Rudoka | |
|---|---|
| Rudoka e Madhe, Maja e Njeriut | |
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,660 m (8,730 ft)[1][2][3] |
| Prominence | 230 m (750 ft)[4] |
| Isolation | 7.42 km (4.61 mi)→ Titov Vrv[4] |
| Listing | Country high point |
| Coordinates | 41°55′6″N20°46′35″E / 41.91833°N 20.77639°E /41.91833; 20.77639[4][5] |
| Geography | |
  Velika Rudoka Location Show map of Kosovo Velika Rudoka Velika Rudoka (North Macedonia) Show map of North Macedonia Velika Rudoka Velika Rudoka (Europe) Show map of Europe | |
| Countries |  Kosovo North Macedonia |
| Parent range | Šar Mountains |
Velika Rudoka (Serbian Cyrillic:Велика Рудока;Albanian:Maja e Njeriut,[6] Rudoka e Madhe;Macedonian:Рудока,romanized: Rudoka) is the highestpeak of the Rudoka Mountain, situated in theŠar Mountains range, exactly on the border betweenKosovo andNorth Macedonia.[7] With the altitude of 2,660 metres (8,727 feet),[1][2] it is the highest mountain of Kosovo, and also the highest mountain of Serbia according to theview held by the government of Serbia. In some older sources, the altitude was stated to be 2,658 metres,[8][5][9] but newer measurements showed that the true altitude is 2 metres higher.[3]
The Rudoka Mountain is situated between Šar Planina andVrace, southwest ofTetovo. Themountain range lies in a southwest to northeasterly direction, neighbouring Borislavec. The eastern slopes are very steep. The western slopes lightly descend into Šar Planina. Few waters are present on the mountain and there are fewvalleys. Two lakes are on Rudoka: Crno jezero (Black lake) and Belo jezero (White lake). The Mazdrača, astream which flows into theVardar, has itssource in Crno jezero.[10]
It is a commonmisconception that the highest mountain in Kosovo isGjeravica at 2,656 m (8,714 ft). This was stated even in the 2020 Statistical Yearbook of Serbia,[11] and some Serbian schoolbooks.[3] The 2021 edition of the Statistical Yearbook of Serbia corrected the info,[1] naming Velika Rudoka the highest peak, as did the 2021 edition of the Geography schoolbook for Serbian elementary schools.[2] The 2021 edition of the Statistical Yearbook of Kosovo still states that Gjeravica is the highest mountain.[12] It has been known that Velika Rudoka is higher than Gjeravica since at least 1972, when the Topographical Map of Yugoslavia was published. According to Sava Stanković,PhD, the misconception started because of unclear boundaries between theSocialist Republic of Macedonia and theSocialist Republic of Serbia. The border was conclusivelydetermined only afterthe breakup of Yugoslavia by a treaty[13] between theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia and theRepublic of Macedonia signed inSkopje on 23 February 2001.[3][14]
