Kosovo represents an important link between central and southern Europe and the Adriatic and Black Seas.
General Information: Kosovo during the 20th century history has largely been characterised by wars and major population exchanges. The region formed a part of numerous entities, some internationally recognized, others not.
Capital: Pristina with 198 000 inhabitants
Geography: Kosovo has an area of 10,908 square km. The border of Kosovo is approximately 602.09 kilometres long. Most of Kosovo’s terrain is mountainous, the highest peak is Deravica (2,656 m/8,714 ft). There are two main plain regions, the Metohija basin is located in the western part of the Kosovo, and the Plain of Kosovo occupies the eastern part. The main rivers of the region are the White Drin running towards the Adriatic Sea with the Erenik among its tributaries, the Sitnica, the South Morava in the Goljak area, and Ibar in the north.
Local time: CET (UTC+1)
Languages: Official languages in Kosovo are standard literary Albanian and Serbian. Laws are also published in English. Other minority languages include Turkish, Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, Gorani and Romani.
Climate: Its climate is continental, with warm summers and cold and snowy winters.
Currency: Euro
Religion: The two main religions of Kosovo are Islam and Christianity. The great majority of Kosovo Albanians, perhaps 97% have Muslim family backgrounds. Kosovo censuses do not ask questions on religious affiliation; it is therefore not clear how many maintain a Muslim affiliation.
Transportation: Transport links to the north are fractured (especially rail transport) as Serbia does not recognise Kosovo’s independence. Kosovo is recognised as sovereign by all other countries with which it has a land border, except Serbia. It has 1926 km roads, 4 airports and 430 km rail way.
GSM And Internet Providers: WIFI is widely available and accessible for free in UBT premises. WIFI is a free utility given in all of coffee shops and restaurants around Kosovo. If you wish to obtain a GSM SIM-card which will provide you a local phone number as well as constant internet access you can purchase service packages for reasonable price ranges 5-10 Euro depending on the operators’ offers.