page_title: Kosovo
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Kosovo / Geography
caption_attribution_description: English: Sharr National Park, Prizren Suharekë Kaçanik Shtërpcë, DragashShqip: Parku Kombëtar Sharri, Prizren Suharekë Kaçanik Shtërpcë, Dragash This is a photo of a natural heritage site in Kosovo, id: A. LL.
context_page_description: Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a partially-recognised state in Southeast Europe, subject to a territorial dispute with the Republic of Serbia.
  Defined in an area of 10,887 square kilometres, Kosovo is landlocked in the center of the Balkans and bordered by the uncontested territory of Serbia to the north and east, North Macedonia to the southeast, Albania to the southwest and Montenegro to the west. It possesses varied and diverse landscapes for its size by climate along with geology and hydrology. Most of central Kosovo is dominated by the vast plains and fields of Metohija and Kosovo. The Albanian Alps and Šar Mountains rise in the southwest and southeast respectively.
  The earliest known human settlements in what is now Kosovo were the Paleolithic Vinča and Starčevo cultures. During the Classical period, it was inhabited by Illyrian-Dardanian and Celtic people. In 168 BC, the area was annexed by the Romans. In the Middle Ages, it was conquered by the Byzantine, Bulgarian, and Serbian Empires. The Battle of Kosovo of 1389 is considered to be one of the defining moments in Serbian medieval history.
context_section_description: Kosovo is landlocked and located in the center of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. It is defined in a total area of 10,887 square kilometres (4,203 square miles). It lies between latitudes 42° and 43° N, and longitudes 20° and 22° E.
  Kosovo's northernmost point is Bellobërda at 43° 14' 06" northern latitude; the southernmost is Restelica at 41° 56' 40" northern latitude; the westernmost point is Bogë at 20° 3' 23" eastern longitude; and the easternmost point is Desivojca at 21° 44' 21" eastern longitude. The highest point is Velika Rudoka at 2,658 metres (8,720 ft) above sea level, and the lowest is the White Drin at 297 metres (974 ft).
  Most of the Kosovo's borders are dominated by mountainous and high terrain. The most noticeable topographical features are the Prokletije and the Šar Mountains. The Albanian Alps, also commonly known as Bjeshkët e Nemuna, are a geological continuation of the Dinaric Alps. The mountains run laterally through the west along the border with Albania and Montenegro. The southeast is predominantly the Šar Mountains, which form the border with North Macedonia. Besides the mountain ranges, Kosovo's territory consists mostly of two major plains: the Kosovo Plain in the east and the Metohija Plain in the west.
  Kosovo's hydrological resources are relatively small. The longest rivers of Kosovo include the White Drin, the South Morava and the Ibar. Sitnica, a tributary of Ibar, is the largest river lying completely within Kosovo's territory. River Nerodimka represents Europe's only instance of a river bifurcation flowing into the Black Sea and Aegean Sea.
caption: The Šar Mountains encompass one-tenth of Kosovo's territory.[175]
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