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.
The border between Kosovo and Albania 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 the Albanian Alps, the Koritnik and Gjallica Mountains, which occupy the vast expanse of land between the countries. The border between Kosovo and North 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 the Sharr Mountains. The border between Kosovo and Montenegro 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.
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 the Bjeshkët e Nemuna, the region is considered to be among the most inaccessible mountain range in Europe and the wildest range on the Balkan Peninsula, which is best described in their name.
A landlocked country, there are several notable rivers and lakes within the country's borders. The drainage basin of the Black 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 of Ibar and Sitnica.
In contrast, 43.5 percent of the country's territory is encompassed by the drainage basin of the Adriatic Sea.[15] The area includes the largest rivers flowing in the country, the White Drin with its tributaries Erenik and Lumbardhi i Deçanit. The rest belongs to the Aegean Sea drainage basin, where the largest river by far is the Lepenac.[15]
The Nerodimka is of particular significance because it represents Europe's only instance of a river 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 the Gjeravica, Leqinat, Jazhincë, and Zemra. Kosovo also does have a large number of karst springs, thermal and mineral water springs.[16]
Kosovo is particularly rich in remote and mountainous landscapes endowed with forests. They are home to a large number of the country's animal species, including many endangered species. Kosovo is one of the rare countries in Europe with populations of rare species, the golden eagle, the brown bear, the grey wolf and the lynx.[17][18][19][20]
The country has only two designated national parks.[21] The Bjeshkët 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 the Albanian Alps. The Sharr Mountains National Park was established to protect the spectacular scenery of southeastern Kosovo. It includes the country's section of the Sharr Mountains that cuts across the landscape along the border between Kosovo and North Macedonia.
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).[22] According to the Strahler 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 the Ibar valley is influenced by continental air masses. For this reason, in this part of the region, the winters are colder with medium temperatures above −10 °C (14 °F), but sometimes down to −26 °C (−15 °F). The summers 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 of Dukagjin, which includes the watershed of the White Drin river, is influenced very much by the hot air masses, which cross the Adriatic 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 heavy snowfalls. The climatic area of the mountains and forest parts is characterized by a typical forest clime, that is associated with heavy rainfalls (900 to 1,300 mm (35 to 51 in) per year), and summers that are very short and cold, and winters that are cold and with a lot of snow. Finally, it can be stated that the Kosovo territory is characterized by a sunny climate with variable temperature and humidity conditions.[24]
^Around Kosovo: It's Better to See it Once Than Hear About it 100 Times, Valerii Petrushka
^ abcMinistria e Mjedisit dhe Planifikimit Hapësinor - Instituti i Kosovës për Mbrojtjen e Natyrës (2010). "Report The State of Water in Kosovo R"(PDF). ammk-rks.net. Prishtina. pp. 31–39.
