Geography of Kosovo

Kosovo

Continent	Europe
Subregion	Balkan
Area	10,908 km²
Largest city by population and area	Pristina
Land boundaries	700.7 km
Countries bordered	Albania 111.8 km, Macedonia 158.7 km, Montenegro 78.6 km, Central Serbia 351.6 km
Highest point	Đeravica, 2,656 m
Longest river	White Drin, 122 km
Largest inland body of water	Lake Gazivoda 9.1 km²
Terrain:	Mountains, hills, 2 large plains

Kosovo^[a] is situated in the Balkans, Europe. At an area of 10,908 km² (4,212 sq mi), it accommodates a population of roughly 2 million.

Climate

Kosovo is located between the Mediterranean Sea and mountainous regions of Southeast Europe, on the Balkan 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).^[1] According to the Strahler classification map The climate in Kosovo is considered moist continental.^[2] The country experiences warm summers and cold and snowy winters.

Mountains and mountain ranges

See: List of mountains in Kosovo

Much of Kosovo's terrain is mountainous. The Šar Mountains are located in the south and south-east, bordering the Republic of Macedonia. This is one of the region's most popular tourist and skiing resorts, with Brezovica and Prevalac as the main tourist centres. The region of Kosovo's mountainous area, including the highest peak Đeravica, at 2,656 m (8,714 ft) above sea level, is located in the south-west, bordering Albania.

The Kopaonik mountains are located in the north. The central region of Drenica, Crnoljeva and the eastern part of Kosovo, known as Goljak, are mainly hilly areas.

Bodies of water

Although Kosovo is landlocked, there are several notable rivers and lakes within its borders. The main rivers are the White Drin, running towards the Adriatic Sea, with the Erenik among its tributaries, the Sitnica, the South Morava in the Goljak area, and Ibar in the north. The main lakes are Gazivoda Lake (380 million m³) in the north-western part, Radonjićko Lake (113 million m³) in the south-west part, Batlava Lake (40 million m³) and Badovac Lake (26 million m³) in the north-east part. Other smaller scenic lakes include Heart's Lake, Đeravica Lake and Liqenat Lake. Kosovo is also home to the following waterfalls:

• The 25 metres (82 ft) Drin Waterfall is located at the mouth of the White Drin River.
• The Miruša Waterfalls are a series of falls on the Miruša River (a tributary of the Drin) in the municipality of Mališevo in western Kosovo, on the Metohija region.

Rugova Valley and Canyon

One of Kosovo's most prominent geological features is the Rugova Canyon in the Prokletije. The 25 km (16 mi) long canyon near the border with Montenegro was formed by the flow of the Pećka Bistrica. The canyon was declared a Protected National Monument in 1988, and will be included in a proposed Bjeshket e Nemuna/Prokletije National Park, approved by the Kosovo Parliament in 2003.

Plains

There are two main plains in Kosovo. The Metohija basin is located in the western part of the Kosovo, and the Plain of Kosovo occupies the eastern part. Between the two basins there is low hills area of Drenica.

The plain of Kosovo is on average higher that the plain of Metohija for about 100 metres (328 ft).

Average height of the plain of Kosovo is 550 m (1,804 ft) and the average height of the plain of Metohija is 450 m (1,476 ft).

Gadime Cave

Gadime Cave is a cave composed of Paleozoic marble, located in the village of Donje Gadimje on the eastern side of the Kosovo Valley. The northern passage contains displays of aragonite speleothems in a variety of rare formations.^[3][4]

Notes and references

Notes:

a.	^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo. The latter declared independence on 17 February 2008, while Serbia claims it as part of its own sovereign territory. Its independence is recognised by 85 UN member states.

References:

1. ^ Geography
2. ^ Strahler & Strahler. (2006).Introducing Physical Geography, Boston:John Wiley & Sons Inc.
3. ^ Mermerna Pecina, Tony Oldham, 2002
4. ^ Around Kosovo: It's Better to See it Once Than Hear About it 100 Times, Valerii Petrushka

External links

• Wikimedia Atlas of Kosovo
• Geography of Kosovo travel guide from Wikitravel
• Visit Kosovo - Tourism Website
• Kosovo Caves Gadimje