II.

Land and Resources

Serbia is mostly mountainous. The Dinaric Alps are to the west, the Sar Mountains and the North Albanian Alps (Prokletje) ring it to the south; and the Balkan and Carpathian mountains lie to the east. Many peaks in these ranges surpass 1,800 m (6,000 ft), with the highest ranges in the south, where the intermontane Kosovo and Metohija basins contain the province of Kosovo. Central Serbia, the Šumadija (“forested area”), is hilly and the most populous area of the country. In the north are the low-lying, fertile, plains of the province of Vojvodina, where the Sova and Tisza rivers join the River Danube. The Danube enters Serbia from the northern border with Hungary, and flows south-east where it forms the border between Serbia and Romania. The River Morava and its tributaries drain most of the centre and south, before flowing north to join the Danube.

Serbia has a generally continental climate with cold, dry winters and warm, humid summers. Temperatures in Belgrade average 1.7° C (35° F) in January, and almost 22.8° C (73° F) in July. Precipitation ranges between about 560 and 1,900 mm (22 and 75 in) depending on elevation and exposure.