Geography of Kosovo

Geography of Kosovo

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	Albania 113.551 km (70.557 mi) Montenegro 79.165 km (49.191 mi) North Macedonia 170.772 km (106.113 mi) Serbia 380.068 km (236.163 mi)
Highest point	Gjeravica 2,656 m (8,714 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 and Mediterranean
Terrain	Mountains, Hills, Forest, urban

Kosovo is a small and landlocked country in Southeastern Europe. The country is strategically positioned in the center of the Balkan Peninsula enclosed by Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the north and east, North Macedonia to the southeast, and Albania to the southwest. It has no direct access to the Mediterranean Sea but its rivers flow into three seas, the Adriatic, Aegean and Black Sea.

The country possesses impressive and contrasting landscapes determined by the climate along with the geology and hydrology. Both, the Bjeshkët e Nemuna and Sharr 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 of Dukagjin and Kosovo stretches over the west and east, respectively. Additionally, Kosovo consists of multiple geographic and ethnographic regions, such as Drenica, Dushkaja, Gollak, Has, Highlands of Gjakova, Llap, Llapusha and Rugova.

The country is a quite rich country for its water sources, there are many long and short rivers, as well as artificial and natural 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 the Drini i Bardhë, while the shortest river is the Lumëbardhi i Prizrenit.

The climate of the country is mostly defined by its geographical location in the southeastern part of the european continent and strongly influenced by the seas in the west, south and east. It enjoys a combination of a continental climate and a mediterranean climate, with four distinct seasons.

Kosovo is characterised by rich flora and fauna, and a wide array of ecosystems and habitats considering its relatively small area.^[2] The country's biodiversity is conserved in two national parks and hundreds of other protected areas of different categories. The remote and forested regions are primarily inhabited by important species that are fast becoming rare in Southern Europe, amongst them the brown bear, grey wolf, lynx and golden eagle.