Korab ( or ''Mali i Korabit''; ) is the highest peak of the eponymous mountain range and the fourth-highest mountain located entirely in the

Balkan Peninsula 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 ...

, standing at . Situated on the border between the two countries, Korab is the highest peak of both

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

and

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

and is also one of only two summits in Europe to be the highest point for more than one country. It is also the 18th most prominent mountain peak in Europe and the third on the Balkan Peninsula. The Albanian part of Korab is situated within the

Korab-Koritnik Nature Park The Korab-Koritnik Nature Park () is a nature park in eastern Albania and forms a section of the European Green Belt, which serves as a retreat for endangered animal and plant species. It encompasses of alpine mountainous terrain, with valleys, ...

. The mountain is noted for its rich flora, including species such as

Bosnian pine ''Pinus heldreichii'', the Bosnian pine or Heldreich's pine, is a species of pine native to mountains of southeast Europe in the Balkans and southern Italy. Description It is an evergreen tree up to in height, and in trunk diameter. The bark i ...

European beech ''Fagus sylvatica'', the European beech or common beech, is a large, graceful deciduous tree in the beech family with smooth silvery-gray bark, large leaf area, and a short trunk with low branches. Description ''Fagus sylvatica'' is a large ...

and

alder Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...

. The peak lies next to the Šar Mountains and is part of the

national emblem of North Macedonia The national emblem of North Macedonia depicts two curved garlands of sheaves of wheat, tobacco leaves and opium poppy fruits, tied by a ribbon decorated with embroidery of traditional Macedonian folk motifs. In the center of the ovoid frame ar ...

Geography

The

Korab Korab (, ) is a mountain range in eastern Albania and western North Macedonia, running along the border between the two countries. It forms also the European Green Belt. In Albania, it is also called ''Vargu lindor'' (), but this term encompass ...

range stretches over in a north–south direction between the lower section of the

Black Drin The Black Drin, or Black Drim (; ) is a river in North Macedonia and Albania. It flows out of Lake Ohrid in Struga, North Macedonia. It is long and its drainage basin is . Its average discharge is . After flowing through North Macedonia for , the ...

and its tributary the

Radika Radika (; Macedonian and Serbian: , ''Radika'') is a river in southern Kosovo and western North Macedonia, a -long right tributary to the Black Drin river. Geography The Radika proper is long, but measured from the most distant source in it ...

. It is around the border triangle of

and

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 ...

, southwest of the Šar Mountains. The peak is a very rugged mountain massif consisting mainly of

shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of Clay mineral, clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g., Kaolinite, kaolin, aluminium, Al2Silicon, Si2Oxygen, O5(hydroxide, OH)4) and tiny f ...

and

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

of the

Paleozoic The Paleozoic ( , , ; or Palaeozoic) Era is the first of three Era (geology), geological eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. Beginning 538.8 million years ago (Ma), it succeeds the Neoproterozoic (the last era of the Proterozoic Eon) and ends 251.9 Ma a ...

period with block structures, as well as severely damaged

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate Hydrate, dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, drywall and blackboard or sidewalk ...

rocks of Permo

Triassic The Triassic ( ; sometimes symbolized 🝈) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.5 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.4 Mya. The Triassic is t ...

. On the west side, the mountain falls steeply over rock walls. The north side consists of craggy rocks. A kind of double peak, that of

Korab II Korab ( or ''Mali i Korabit''; ) is the highest peak of the Korab, eponymous mountain range and the List of mountains of the Balkans#By height, fourth-highest mountain located entirely in the Balkan Peninsula, standing at . Situated on the bord ...

is about northwest of the peak within Albanian territory. On the same ridge are two other peaks rising over :

Shulani i Radomirës Shulani (; ) is a rural locality (a selo) and the administrative centre of Shulaninsky Selsoviet, Gunibsky District, Republic of Dagestan, Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It ...

and

Korab III Korab ( or ''Mali i Korabit''; ) is the highest peak of the eponymous mountain range and the fourth-highest mountain located entirely in the Balkan Peninsula, standing at . Situated on the border between the two countries, Korab is the highes ...

. The southeast, stretching from a few rock bands broken by meadows to the summit is easily accessed, and occasionally by shepherds with their flocks of sheep. In addition to the Korab peak, there are several other, almost equally high elevations. North of the twin peaks are numerous other nameless, almost equally high rock towers. The peak about to the southwest, Korab-gate ''(

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

: Maja e Portës së Korabit;

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia * Mac ...

: Korapska Mala vrata)'' reaches . A few hundred metres south is another peak,

Maja e Moravës Maja may refer to: People * Maja (given name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) * Charles Maja (1966–2020), South African actor * Josh Maja (born 1998), English footballer * Otto Maja (born 1987), Finnish street ...

, which is only a little lower at . The peaks are occasionally interrupted by radial tectonics in the shape of blocks that end in the

valley on North Macedonia's side. Some of these blocks have steep slopes reaching up to . In its highest part, above , the climate is alpine and includes some alpine flora elements. The mountain is home to the spectacular

Korab Falls Korab Falls (Macedonian: Корапски Водопад, also known as Proifel Falls; Macedonian: Пројфелски Водопад; ) is a waterfall in the upper course of the Dlaboka River on Mount Korab, North Macedonia. It forms in springt ...

in the upper valley of the Dlaboka River. In springtime, the waterfall reaches a height of over 130 meters, making it the highest in North Macedonia. The state border intersects the higher peak, Great Korab. Ascent from the Macedonian side involves entering the Macedonian–Albanian boundary area, for which a special permit is required from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia, although people regularly trek on Korab without it. The two main passes in the Korab ridge are the Little Korab Gate () and Big Korab Gate (). The mountain has a number of sub-peaks that are higher than 2000 metres. These include

(unnamed peak) ,

(unnamed peak) , Korab Gates (peak) ,

and Small Korab .

Climbing

There are no formal restrictions on climbing the mountain from the Albanian side. The area is now safer and more stable than it has been in recent times. It is possible to drive as far as the local village of Radomira, but the local infrastructure is generally not good. A four-wheel drive vehicle with high clearance may be required. There are no accurate and up-to-date maps, local signposting is poor, and hikers may have to overcome the additional problem of aggressive dogs. It is also possible to ascend from the North Macedonia side, starting at the Strezimir border outpost. When approaching from North Macedonia, hikers will be required to report to the border checkpoint and present their passport.Korab Hiking Guide
/ref>

References

External links

Korab, Albania/North Macedonia

Mount Korab on SummitPost

Korab climb on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Korab I Albania–North Macedonia border Geography of Dibër County Highest points of countries International mountains of Europe Korab Mountains of Albania Mountains of North Macedonia Two-thousanders of Albania Two-thousanders of North Macedonia

Geography

Climbing

See also

References

External links