Carraleva (; ) is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

in central

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

, dividing its two main geographical regions, the Kosovo Plain and

Metohija Metohija (), also known in Albanian as Dukagjini, (, ) is a large drainage basin, 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 2024 ce ...

. Carraleva is also a point where all three

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

s of Kosovo (and three out of four in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

) meet, making the mountain a major hydrographic knot. It is named after the village of Carraleva. Carraleva is located in the south-central part of Kosovo, between the valleys of the rivers

Drenica Drenica (, ), also known as the Drenica Valley, is a hilly region in central Kosovo, covering roughly around of Kosovo's total area (6%). It consists of two municipalities, Drenas and Skenderaj, and several villages in Klina, Zubin Potok, Mitr ...

(to the east) and Mirusha and Toplluha (to the west). The mountain is elongated in the north–south direction and divides the Prizren depression of Metohija from the

region of the Kosovo Plain. The highest peak is Topila (1,177 m), while the Drmanska glava peak (926 m) is point of the hydrographic knot. Another prominent peak is the Korenik (1,142 m). Carraleva is rich in

ore Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically including metals, concentrated above background levels, and that is economically viable to mine and process. The grade of ore refers to the concentration ...

s, most notably the

chromium Chromium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6 element, group 6. It is a steely-grey, Luster (mineralogy), lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal. Chromium ...

magnesite Magnesite is a mineral with the chemical formula ( magnesium carbonate). Iron, manganese, cobalt, and nickel may occur as admixtures, but only in small amounts. Occurrence Magnesite occurs as veins in and an alteration product of ultramafic r ...

and

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

. Right through the middle of the mountain goes the regional

Ferizaj Ferizaj or Uroševac,, or Uroševac sr-Cyrl, Урошевац, . Also formerly known as Ferizovići (). is a city and a municipality in Kosovo. It is the third largest city in Kosovo by population and also the seat of Ferizaj Municipality and ...

Prizren Prizren ( sq-definite, Prizreni, ; sr-cyr, Призрен) is the second List of cities and towns in Kosovo, most populous city and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and District of Prizren, ...

road, using the natural route of the Carralevë river valley. Some rivers originating from the mountain are: *

, Topila and Carraleva; through the

Sitnica The Sitnica (; sr-Cyrl, Ситница) is a river in Kosovo. It flows into the Ibar at Mitrovica, and it is the longest river that flows completely within Kosovo. History In the 14th century, during the reign of king Milutin, a canal con ...

they drain the area into the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

; * Nerodimka; through the

Lepenac The Lepenac (; ; , ) is a river in southern Kosovo and northern North Macedonia, a long left tributary to the Vardar river. Course Kosovo The Lepenac springs out on the Oshlak mountain, east of the city of Prizren, at an altitude of . It ...

it drains the area into the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

; * Banja, Mirusha and Toplluha; through the

White Drin The White Drin or White Drim (; , ) is a river in Kosovo and northern Albania, a ca. long headstream of the Drin. Course Kosovo The Kosovo section of the White Drin flows entirely in the semi-karst part of Kosovo, in an arc-shaped -long ...

they drain the area into the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

; Larger settlements around the Carraleva are

Shtime Shtime ( sq-definite, Shtimja) or Štimlje ( sr-Cyrl, Штимље), is a town and municipality located in the Ferizaj District of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Shtime has 7,225 inhabitants, while the municipality has 27,324 ...

(east),

Suva Reka Suva Reka ( sr-Cyrl, Сува Река) or Suharekë () or Therandë () is a town and municipality located in the Prizren district of central-southern Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town has 10,422 inhabitants, while the municipality ...

Bllacë Bllacë or Blace ( sr-Cyrl, Блаце) is a settlement in the Suva Reka municipality in Kosovo. It lies 609 m above sea level. It is exclusively inhabited by Albanians The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who sha ...

, Banja,

Malisheva Malisheva, ) is a List of cities and towns in Kosovo, town and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality in Kosovo. The municipality is part of the District of Prizren and it is located in the central part of Kosovo. Malisheva has a population of 43, ...

(west), Llapushnik, Komoran (north) and Carraleva (east). The mountain is the place of a battle between Albanian rebels and Ottoman forces in 1910, that is known as the Battle of Carraleva Pass.

References

Mountains of Kosovo {{Kosovo-geo-stub

See also

References