33 Countries of Origin’ Profiles

3 GEOGRAPHY Justin Dodge The Republic of Kosovo has an area of 10 908 km². It is situated in South-Eastern Europe bordering Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to northwest, Serbia to northeast and Macedonia to the south. The territory lies in geographic longitudes 41° 51‘ and 43° 16‘ and the latitudes 19° 59‘ and 21° 47‘. The territory of Republic of Kosovo is characterized with various altitudes. The lowest point of Kosovo is in the valley of river Drini i Bardhë, in the border with Albania which is only 270 m above the sea level, and the highest point is in the west of Kosovo, Gjeravica with an altitude of 2.565 m. The territory of the Republic of Kosovo is characterized by different heights above sea level. The lowest point of Kosovo is located in the valley of the river Drini on the border with Albania and reaches up to 270 m above sea level, the higher it is in western Kosovo, in Gjeravicë - 2.656 m. In the hydrological aspect, Kosovo is divided into river basins of Drini i Bardhë, Ibri, Morava e Binçës and Lepenci. The rivers of Kosovo flow into three seas: Black Sea, Adriatic and Aegean Sea. The climate of the Republic of Kosovo in most part is continental, resulting in hot summers and cold winters, with Mediterranean and continental influence (average temperature in the country ranges between + 30 °C in summer and -10 °C in winter). However, due to uneven elevations in some parts of the country, there are variations in temperatures and distribution of precipitations. Currently there are 38 municipalities with 1,469 settlements organized under the laws of the country.