Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Albania
and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Geographic coordinates:
44 00 N, 21 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 102,350 sq km
water: 214 sq km
land: 102,136 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Kentucky
Land boundaries:
total: 2,246 km
border countries: Albania 287 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 527 km,
Bulgaria 318 km, Croatia (north) 241 km, Croatia (south) 25 km,
Hungary 151 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 221 km,
Romania 476 km
Coastline:
199 km
Maritime claims:
NA
Climate:
in the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid
summers with well distributed rainfall); central portion,
continental and Mediterranean climate; to the south, Adriatic
climate along the coast, hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively
cold winters with heavy snowfall inland
Terrain:
extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile plains; to the east,
limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast, ancient mountains and
hills; to the southwest, extremely high shoreline with no islands
off the coast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Daravica 2,656 m
Natural resources:
oil, gas, coal, antimony, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, gold, pyrite,
chrome, hydropower, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 36.34%
permanent crops: 3.44%
other: 60.22% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
570 sq km
Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets, especially in
tourist-related areas such as Kotor; air pollution around Belgrade
and other industrial cities; water pollution from industrial wastes
dumped into the Sava which flows into the Danube
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity
Geography - note:
controls one of the major land routes from Western Europe to Turkey
and the Near East; strategic location along the Adriatic coast