Prizren is located on the slopes of the Sharr Mountains in the southern part of Kosovo. The municipality has a border with Albania and North Macedonia. [1]
Prizren is located on the slopes of the Sharr Mountains in the southern part of Kosovo. The municipality has a border with Albania and North Macedonia. [1]
Prizren municipality with an area of 640 km2 (5.94% of Kosovo’s surface) [2] located in south-western Kosovo has 76 settlements with 220,776 inhabitants of whom 110,000 are Prizren’s local inhabitants. [3]
The most populated villages of the municipality of Prizren are: [4]
Geographical and regional position of Prizren can bestly be examined with analysis of his position in relation to Kosovo, and Dukagjini’s area. Kosovo contains areas of Kosovo and Dukagjini.
Good geographical position, regional and rich natural resources, historical wealth of cultural artifacts form the basis of tourism development in the municipality of Prizren. [2] Prizren is an ancient city located along Sharr Mountains and along the river Lumbardhi. The topography of Prizren has got a corrugated structure. Elevation ranges from 300 to 2,600 m within the boundaries. While the city center is focused on flat surfaces, hilly topography is observed along the western side, especially along the eastern side.
Forest surfaces in Prizren are rich with endemic plant reserves especially the Bosnian pine. [2] Forest surfaces in the National Park "Sharri Mountains " are known with natural values. The total area of the municipality of Prizren is 63,986 ha. 53% of this surface is agricultural land, 39% of forests and 8% others.
From the total amount of precipitation that falls in the territory of Kosovo, in Dukagjini region fall about 800 mm in 1m2 of the surface, while in Kosovo, about 600 mm in 1m2. With rivers flows about 40 % of precipitation, while about 60 % evaporates. The amount of water that flows into rivers is greater in late autumn and spring, and lower in summer and winter. The ratio between the maximum and minimum amounts of water flowing into Drini i Bardhe is 8:1. [5]
Maximum flow of water in rivers coming from Sharr Eastern Albanian Alps, can sometimes be in late autumn ( November and December ), when these regions have uninterrupted rainfall for several days. Otherwise, due to the long and dry summer, with autumn rainfalls there is not much water in these rivers, while the underground reserves in the mountains are not filled up. [5]
| Name of the River [6] | Length in km | Surface in km² |
|---|---|---|
| Drini i Bardhe/Beli Drim | 122 | 4.622 |
| Sitnica | 90 | 2.873 |
| Lumëbardhi i Pejës | 62 | 4.249 |
| Morava e Binqës/Binačka Morava | 60 | 1.552 |
| Lepenci/Lepenac | 53 | 6.790 |
| Erenik | 51 | 5.103 |
| Ibri/Ibar | 42 | 1.155 |
| Lumëbardhi i Prizrenit/Prizrenska Bistrica | 31 | 2.626 |
Hydrography of the watercourses of Kosovo is divided into four river basins: [6]
The longest and the most important river in Prizren is Drini i Bardhe( 122 km ), [2] while Prizren Lumëbardhi is smaller with 31 km. [7] All rivers flow into the Drini i Bardhe river. The average length of the branches of Drini i Bardhe is along the 45.8 km.
Along the center of Prizren passes the Lumbardhi River which is 35 km long.
Toplluha/Topluga River with a length of 37 km was declared as the river with the biggest risk of flooding. [2]
River Flow [7]
Much of the territory of Kosovo belongs to the Black Sea basin, the rest, slightly smaller belongs to the Adriatic Sea basin and the remaining part belongs to the Aegean Sea basin. [5]
Despite the larger area that belongs to the Black Sea basin, the rivers of the Adriatic Sea basin have large amounts of water, because on the basin of Drini i Bardhe falls greater amount of rainfall, then because of the high mountains, in which during winter falls even more snow, which melts in the spring months. [5]
Prizren borders with municipalities such as: Gjakovë, Rahovec, Shtërpcë, Suharekë, Dragash and in national borders with Albania and North Macedonia. For this reason Prizren’s region is located at an altitude of about 400 meters and some of Sharri Mountains reach the height 2000 m above sea level. [3] They are surrounded by almost all sides with high mountains and present a set of clearly separated. Dukagjini’s and Kosovo’s areas are in the middle part of the Balkans.
Prizren municipality borders in the north with municipalities of Suhareka/Suva Reka and Rahovec/ Orahovac, in the south of this municipality with Dragash, in the east with Shtërrpcë/Štrpce and in west borders with the Republic of Albania.Prizren is located off the European highway network. Many traffic routes pass through its territory.
However, natural predispositions provide favorable opportunities for connecting with neighboring regions more distant, while forming qualitative connections Prizren will have a much better position for both tourist and freight flows as more efficient connection and integration into wider spaces such as Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia, other border regions, and Europe.
The climate of the city is extremely varied. In low areas due to the influence of the Mediterranean climate and very hot summers crops are among the first in Southeastern Europe with the incomparable advantages for agricultural crops: grape vines, fruit and vegetables.
In rural regions, Alpine climate dominates, because until June into holes there are still several pieces of snow left where in the middle of the summer the top of mountains are full of snow. This type of configuration gives preconditions for wealth and other resources, for example:
Historical conditions in earlier periods were not in a very good position relative to major traffic centers. Also there was not enough openness towards neighboring regions like Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, causing Prizren not to use advantages that it has from pedological ground composition, climatic conditions of the Mediterranean climate and hydrological conditions for the development of agriculture and natural conditions for developing tourism and recreational activities. All this has affected the economic structure of Prizren. [3] According to the Spatial Plan of Kosovo, Prizren is known as a city museum, including antique values, cultural, historic and attractive development activities such as education, trade, tourism, agriculture, light food production, textile, pharmaceutical industry, etc. [2]
Metohija or Dukagjin is a large basin and the name of the region covering the southwestern part of Kosovo. The region covers 35% (3,891 km2) of Kosovo's total area. According to the 2011 census, the population of the region is 700,577.
The Drin is a river in Southern and Southeastern Europe with two distributaries one discharging into the Adriatic Sea and the other one into the Bojana River. Its catchment area extends across Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Greece, Montenegro and North Macedonia. The river and its tributaries form the Gulf of Drin, an ocean basin that encompasses the northern Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast.
Bistrica or Bistrice, from Proto-Slavic *bystrъ 'quickly flowing, rushing', may refer to:
Malisheva is a town and municipality in Kosovo. According to the Kosovo Agency of Statistics (KAS) estimate from the 2011 census, there were 54,613 people residing in Malisheva Municipality, with Kosovo Albanians constituting the majority of the population.
The South Morava is a river in eastern Kosovo and in southern Serbia, which represents the shorter headwater of Great Morava. Today, it is 295 km long, including its source river Binačka Morava. It flows generally in the south to north direction, from the Macedonian border to Kosovo and onwards to Central Serbia, where it meets West Morava at Stalać, to create Great Morava.
The Lepenac is a river in southern Kosovo and northern North Macedonia, a 75 km (47 mi) long left tributary to the Vardar river.
The Lumbardhi i Pejës, or Peć Bistrica, is a river in Kosovo. This 62 km-long right tributary to the White Drin river flows entirely within the south-western part of Kosovo.
Deçan Bistrica is a river in Kosovo. It is a 53 km-long right tributary of the White Drin River, passing the western part of Kosovo.
The White Drin or White Drim is a river in Kosovo and northern Albania, a ca. 140-kilometre (87 mi)-long headstream of the Drin.
Crnoljeva is a mountain in central Kosovo, dividing its two main geographical regions, the Kosovo Plain and Metohija. Crnoljeva is also a point where all three drainage basins of Kosovo meet, making the mountain a major hydrographic knot. It is named after the village of Crnoljevo.
Dragash or Sharr or Dragaš, is a town and municipality located in the Prizren District of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Dragash has 1,098 inhabitants, while the municipality has 34,827 inhabitants. The Albanian name Sharri is a reference to the Šar Mountains. The Serbian name Dragaš comes from medieval Serbian lord Constantine Dragaš.
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.
Rugova Canyon or Rugova Gorge is a river canyon near Peja in Western Kosovo, in the Accursed Mountains, close to the border with Montenegro. With a length of 25 km (16 mi) and a depth up to 1,000 meters, Rugova is considered to be one of Europe's longest and deepest canyons. It was created by water erosion and the retreat of the Peja glacier. The Peja Bistrica river cuts through the canyon.
The White Drin Canyon or White Drin Gorge is a small canyon located in the southwestern Kosovo. The White Drin river runs through the canyon. The canyon is relatively short, only being about 900 m (1 mi) long with a depth of 45 meters. At the entrance of the canyon is Fshajt Bridge, an old Ottoman bridge which attracts divers from all over the Balkans. Canyon of the White Drin river at Fshajt Bridge due to its hydrological and geomorphological values, in 1986 was taken under legal protection as a Natural Monument.
The Lumbardhi i Prizrenit or Prizren Bistrica is a river in Kosovo. It flows through the villages of Sredska and Prizren, and empties into the White Drin river. It is 18 km (11 mi) long, and has a drainage basin of 158 km2 (61 sq mi). It stems from the Sharr Mountains.
Kosovo is situated in south-eastern Europe. With its central position in the Balkans, it serves as a link in the connection between central and south Europe, the Adriatic Sea, and Black Sea. Tourism in Kosovo is characterized by archaeological heritage from Illyrian, Dardanian, Roman, Byzantine, Serbian and Ottoman times, traditional Albanian and Serbian cuisine, architecture, religious heritage, traditions, and natural landscapes.
The Roman heritage sites in Kosovo represent a multitude of monuments of material and spiritual culture, which reflect the Roman period in this region. Among them, a special place is occupied by those that represent the development of art, such as the plastic monuments that are more frequent, and at the same time occupy an important place, because with the presentation of figures in relief and with numerous inscriptions they speak to us enough for this period.
Kosovo is characterised by a diverse biodiversity and an abundance of different ecosystems and habitats determined by the climate along with the geology and hydrology. Predominantly mountainous, it is located at the center of the Balkan Peninsula bounded by Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the north and east, North Macedonia to the southeast, and Albania to the southwest.
The Oshlak Strict Nature Reserve is a strict nature reserve in the District of Prizren and Ferizaj of Southeastern Kosovo. The reserve encompasses 20 hectares of mountainous and hilly terrain, small lakes and wide forests with numerous of the related flora and fauna. It is entirely located within the Sharr Mountains National Park, one of the two national parks of Kosovo.
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