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Physical geography of the Balkans

One can't understand the Balkans without understanding its ethnic groups, and one can't understand the ethnic groups and their history without knowing the influence of the region's geography.

Even the geographic extent of the "Balkan" region is a matter of controversy. Many scholars, especially those writing in the Cold War era, have included only the Communist states and linked them with Czechoslovakia, Poland and East Germany, while omitting Greece and ignoring Turkey and the Ottoman era. Other historians exclude Hungary, Croatia and other Habsburg lands, because of their "central" European character, supposedly contrary to Balkan themes. But the presence of contradictory themes is itself characteristically Balkan.

Balkan geography revolves around three features: the area's situation as a peninsula, its mountains, and its rivers. Leften Stavrianos has pointed out the influence of geography on Balkan history.

The Balkan region is a triangular peninsula with a wide northern border, narrowing to a tip as it extends to the south. The Black, the Aegean, the Mediterranean and the Adriatic Seas surround it; they have served as both barriers and entry points. Unlike some peninsulas, the Balkan area has not been physically isolated from nearby regions. In the northeast, Romania is exposed to the steppe regions of the Ukraine, an easy invasion route from prehistoric times to the present. In the northwest, the valley of the Danube and the flat Hungarian plain are easy points of entry. Most (but not all) of the ethnic groups in the region entered by one of these paths.

Serbia

is country located in the Balkans (a historical and geographical region of southeastern Europe) and in the Pannonian Plain (a region of central Europe). It shares borders with Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Romania. It is landlocked, although access to the Adriatic is available through Montenegro, and the Danube River provides shipping access to inland Europe and the Black Sea.
In Central Serbia, the terrain consists chiefly of hills, low and medium-high mountains, interspersed with numerous rivers and creeks. The main communication and development line stretches southeast of Belgrade, towards Niš and Skopje (in Republic of Macedonia), along the valley of Great and South Morava river. Most major cities are located on or around that line, as well as the main railroad and highway. On the East of it, the terrain quickly rises to limestone ranges of Stara Planina and Homolje, relatively sparsely populated. On the West, height of mountains slowly rises towards southwest, but they do not form real ridges. The highest mountains of that area are Zlatibor and Kopaonik.
Mountains cover the largest parts of Central Serbia and Kosovo. Four mountain systems meet in Serbia: Dinaric Alps in the west cover the greatest territory, and stretch from northwest to southeast. Carpathian Mountains and Balkan Mountains stretch in north-south direction in the eastern Serbia, west of the Morava valley. Ancient mountains along the South Morava belong to Rilo-Rhodope Mountain system.

The most significant mountains in Serbia are:
Divčibare
Tara
Zlatibor
Kopaonik
Brezovica
Fruška Gora

The highest peak in Serbia is Midžor on Stara Planina (2,169 m), while Vršački breg (641 m) tops Vojvodina
Practically the entire territory (92%) of Serbia belongs to the Danube (Black Sea) drainage basin, an area in Kosovo (5%) belongs to the Adriatic drainage basin, chiefly through the White Drin river, and the rest (3%) in Kosovo and southern Serbia belongs to Aegean basin, chiefly via the Vardar river.

Apart from the Danube, which flows 588 km through Serbia or as a border river (with Croatia on its northwestern flow and Romania on southeast), the chief rivers are its tributaries Sava (incoming from West), Tisa (incoming from North), Drina (incoming from South, forming a natural border with Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Morava; only the latter flowing (almost) entirely through Serbia. Their tributaries form a dense network of smaller rivers and creeks, covering most of the Central Serbia and Kosovo.

Due to the configuraton of the terrain, natural lakes are sparse and small; most of them are located in Vojvodina, like the glacial lake Palić or numerous oxbow lakes along river flows. However, there are numerous artificial lakes, mostly due to hydroelectric dams, the biggest being Đerdap on the Danube, Perućac on the Drina and Vlasina Lake.

Croatia

is located in Southeastern Europe (aka the western Balkans) between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia. It borders the Adriatic Sea along its 5,835 km coastline. Its size is comparable to that of West Virginia or Nova Scotia. Croatia has a 932 km border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, a 670 km border with Slovenia, a 329 km border with Hungary, a 241 km border with Serbia and a 25 km border with Montenegro. Islands and coastal areas in Croatia have a Mediterranean climate while most inland areas experience short, cool summers and long, severe winters characteristic of continental climate. The local terrain is quite diverse given the size of the country. There are flat plains along the Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near the Adriatic coastline and islands. Croatia's strategic location gives it control over most land routes from Western Europe to the Aegean Sea and the Turkish Straits. The country's natural resources include Petroleum, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt and hydropower.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina is located in Southeastern Europe (aka the western Balkans) bordering the Adriatic Sea along its 23 km coastline. It has a 932 km border with Croatia, a 312km border with Serbia and a 215 km border with Montenegro. The southern and western parts of the country have a Mediterranean climate while inland areas and areas with high elevation experience short, cool summers and long, severe winters. The most striking features of the local terrain are valleys and mountains which measure up to 2386 m in height. The country's' natural resources include: coal, iron, bauxite, manganese, forests, copper, chromium, lead, zinc and hydro power.

Macedonia

is located in Southeastern Europe, north of Greece. The country is bordered by Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Montenegro.

Macedonia's mountainous territory is covered with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River.

Hungary

is a country in Central Europe. It measures about 250 kilometers from north to south and 524 kilometers from east to west. It has 2,258 kilometers of boundaries, shared with Austria to the west, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia to the south and southwest, Romania to the southeast, the Ukraine to the northeast, and Slovakia to the north.
The major rivers in the country are the Danube and Tisza. The Danube also flows through parts of Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Serbia, and Romania.It is navigable within Hungary for 418 kilometers
Lake Balaton, the largest, is 78 kilometers long and from 3 to 14 kilometers wide, with an area of 592 square kilometers. Hungarians often refer to it as the Hungarian Sea. It is Central Europe's largest freshwater lake and an important recreation area.

Romania

is the twelfth largest country in Europe. Situated in the northeastern portion of the Balkan Peninsula.
Republic of Moldova lies to the east, Bulgaria lies to the south, Serbia to the southwest, and Hungary to the west. In the southeast, 245 kilometers of Black Sea coastline provide an important outlet to the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Romania's natural landscape is almost evenly divided among mountains (31 percent), hills (33 percent), and plains (36 percent). These varied relief forms spread rather symmetrically from the Carpathian Mountains, which reach elevations of more than 2,400 meters, to the Danube Delta, which is just a few meters above sea level.
The Danube is by far Romania's most important river, not only for transportation, but also for the production of hydroelectric power. One of Europe's largest hydroelectric stations is located at the Iron Gates, where the Danube surges through the Carpathian gorges. The Danube is an important water route for domestic shipping, as well as international trade. It is navigable for river vessels along its entire Romanian course and for seagoing ships as far as the port of Brăila. An obvious problem with the use of the Danube for inland transportation is its remoteness from most of the major industrial centers. Moreover, marshy banks and perennial flooding impede navigation in some areas.