General
With its 10,887 km², Kosovo ranks 41st in terms of surface area among the fifty states that make up Europe, just ahead of the micronations of Luxembourg, Malta and the Vatican. However, despite its declaration of independence on February 17, 2008, Kosovo is still not recognized as a sovereign state by the United Nations: it still belongs in theory to neighboring Serbia (88,361 km² including Kosovo) as the autonomous province of Kosovo-and-Metohija. The shape of this province or country evokes a rhombus with each corner oriented towards a cardinal point. The distance from north to south is about 140 km and from east to west 120 km. Located in the Balkan Peninsula, 1,600 km southeast of Paris, Kosovo is landlocked between four countries and has a total of 744 km of borders: 380 km with Serbia (to the northwest, north, northeast and east), 171 km with North Macedonia (to the southeast), 114 km with Albania (to the southwest) and 79 km with Montenegro (to the west). Although it has no maritime outlet, Kosovo is only 90 km as the crow flies from the Albanian coast and the Adriatic Sea. The population is divided into seven districts: pristina in the northeast (population 477,000 in 2011), Prizren in the south (population 332,000), Mitrovica in the north (population 272,000), Gjakova/Đakovica in the southwest (population 215,000), Ferizaj/Uroševac in the southeast (population 186,000), Gjilan/Gnjilane in the east (population 180,000), and Peja/Peć in the west (population 174,000).
Mountains
Kosovo is the fifth most mountainous nation in Europe. Eighty percent of the country is mountainous, with an average elevation of 800 m. Pristina is the third highest capital on the continent at 652 m above sea level. The relief is particularly steep on the edges of the country. Kosovo is thus hemmed in by three mountain ranges. In the western part, the Dinaric Alps, which run along the Adriatic Sea, form a natural border with Albania, Montenegro and Serbia. Locally known as the Albanian Alps or "Cursed Mountains" (Bjeshkët e Nemuna/Prokletije), they have six peaks above 2,500 m in Kosovo, including the "official" highest point of the country, Gjeravica, which reaches 2,656 m in altitude near the Albanian border. There is also the Rugova Canyon near Peja/Peć, whose deep and majestic gorges were carved out by an ancient glacier. In the southeast, the Šar Mountains (Malet e Sharrit/Šar planina) are shared with Northern Macedonia and, to a lesser extent, with Albania. There are sixteen peaks above 2,500 m in Kosovo, including the real highlights of the country, the two Rudoka Mountains (2,658 and 2,661 m above sea level), which were identified only in 2011 and can only be accessed from Northern Macedonia. Still in the Šar Mountains, Mount Ljuboten (2,498 m) is considered the most beautiful peak in the country, with its point forming a perfect triangle. Finally, in the far north, the Kopaonik Mountains have as their peak the Pančić Mountain (2,017 m above sea level), which is located in Serbia, 60 m north of Kosovo. These three massifs, difficult to access and sparsely populated are home to a rich and diverse fauna and flora. For centuries, they have also been exploited for their important mining deposits. Thus, in the Kopaonik Mountains, near Mitrovica, the Trepča mines still have the largest reserves of silver and zinc in Europe.
Plains and rivers
Below the three large massifs, Kosovo offers duller landscapes and hosts the vast majority of the population. The center of the country is made up of small mountains, hills and two large plains. In the eastern part, between Mitrovica (in the northwest) and Ferizaj/Uroševac (in the southeast) and passing through Pristina, lies the plain of Kosovo. Famous for the great confrontation that took place there in the Middle Ages (battle of Kosovo Polje, in 1389), it gives its current name to the country. This karstic plain located at 500-600 m altitude is home to the most important river basin of the country, feeding the Danube and the watershed of the Black Sea with in particular the river Ibar (272 km long from Montenegro to Serbia) and its tributary the Stinica (90 km, only in Kosovo). In the southern part and at a lower altitude, the plain of Metochia stretches between Peja/Peć (in the east) and Prizren (in the south). It takes its name from the "monastic dependencies"(metochion in Greek) of the Serbian Orthodox Church established in the region since the Middle Ages. The architectural gems of the monasteries of Peć and Dečani still testify to this today. But in Albanian, it is named "Dukagjini Plain" in honor of the Albanian hero Lekë Dukagjini who fought against the Ottomans in the fifteenth century. However, the river basin of this plain is turned towards the Adriatic Sea. It includes the longest river of the country, the White Drin (136 km) which then feeds the Drin River in Albania. Very fertile, these two large plains concentrate most of the agricultural resources of the country. The Metochia plain in particular benefits from a milder climate and shorter winters which allow for better harvests. Finally, it should be noted that east of Prizren is the source of the river Lepenac (76 km long), which belongs to the Aegean basin as a tributary of the river Vardar (North Macedonia and Greece).
A landlocked country
Surrounded by high mountains, Kosovo is not always easily accessible by land. This position is exacerbated by its political situation, as it is not recognized by the UN, the EU or its neighbor Serbia. It is also surrounded by four non-EU countries whose access has been frequently restricted since the Covid-19 crisis. While there is a good understanding with Montenegro, the Albanian Alps (or Cursed Mountains) are an almost impassable obstacle. So much so that there is only one official crossing point between the two countries: Kula/Kulina (25 km northeast of Peja/Peć). With Serbia, the obstacle is primarily diplomatic. On the 380 km of common border, there are six crossing points created thanks to the intervention of the EU in 2011, the most important of which, Merdara (35 km north of Pristina), will soon be served by the Niš-Pristina highway (European route E80). But these six border crossings are frequently closed in case of a crisis with Belgrade. There are also six border crossings in the southwest with the "sister country" Albania. However, due to the rugged terrain of the Albanian Alps and the poor road network in Albania, most of them are difficult to access, perched on closed passes in winter, and one of them is reserved for pedestrians. Only the post of Vërmica/Morina (19 km southwest of Prizren) is reliable, as it is located at the junction of the Durrës-Kukës (Albania) and Prizren-Pristina (Kosovo) highways. Finally, it is with North Macedonia that the connections are easiest thanks to the river Lepenac, which, on its way to the Aegean Sea, makes a breakthrough in the Šar Mountains. Thus, in the valley of Kaçanik/Kačanik (31 km south of Ferizaj/Uroševac) are located three of the four border crossings with Northern Macedonia, which allows to connect Pristina to Skopje by freeway in less than 2 hours throughout the year.
Borders that could change
Since 2018, the authorities of Serbia and Kosovo have been engaged in negotiations under the auspices of the EU for a territorial exchange. If an agreement were reached, Serbia would get back the mainly Serb-populated North Kosovo region (about 1,000 km² and 48,500 inhabitants). Kosovo would get the Serbian region of the Preševo Valley (about 725 km² and 75,300 inhabitants), which borders the eastern tip of Kosovo and where Albanians are in the majority. No agreement has yet been signed, as one major obstacle remains: Serbia refuses to recognize Kosovo's independence. Other more technical concerns also need to be clarified, such as the city of Mitrovica, which would be divided between the two countries along the Ibar River, or the sharing of revenues from the Trepča mines. Despite the successive failures of the talks, negotiators from both countries remain open to dialogue. The exchange of territories is probably not for immediately, but it could end up taking place one day. Especially since the eventual accession of Serbia and Kosovo to the EU is conditional on the normalization of relations between the two countries. Another border change being considered, and this one even more radical, is the pure and simple integration of Kosovo into Albania. Since the 2010s, this is a wish shared by the leaders and the vast majority of public opinion in both countries. Several joint bodies have already been created, such as in 2021, with the symbolic creation of a single league for the best basketball clubs of both countries. If it were to be created, this new state would cover 39,500 km² and have a population of nearly 5 million. The EU and neighbouring countries (Greece, northern Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia) are strongly opposed to this, as they all fear the project of a "Greater Albania", i.e. the union of all the territories populated by Albanians within a single nation. The integration of Kosovo into Albania is therefore unlikely in the short term. But it is not impossible that the United States will support the dossier. Knowing that it was the United States that chose to promote Kosovo's independence in 1999, its voice will be decisive for the future of the Balkan borders.
