Economy in Kosovo

The main branch of the economy in Kosovo was initially industry (agriculture and forestry, mining and energy) and production that made a smaller contribution to increasing wealth. About 30% of GDP came from remittances (mainly from Germany and Switzerland), accounting for 20% of Kosovo's population before the 1999 civil war. Over 65% of the population resident in Kosovo is employed in the agricultural sector. Previously Kosovo has been a very negative trade balance in this sector. Food products are already the largest segment of imports, accounting for 30% of total imports. Apart from the use of lignite by energy suppliers, the Kosovo Energy Company (KEK) and the extraction of construction materials, the official mining sector has remained frozen since the NATO intervention in 1999 and there are no active mining operations yet. Plastic and wood materials account for 34% of exports, followed by metals (31%), which are almost exclusively derived from scrap. The energy sector has been affected by a lack of investment to replace the old Eastern Bloc equipment. There are two power plants (TPPs) operating there and these also need renovation. 50% of all electricity produced by KEK is lost due to technical problems or non-payment by customers, so the company receives only 40% of sufficient energy to serve the home market, but power outages condition the termination of electricity supply by import. Kosovo's minerals sector has been a major supplier to the economy at one time. Yugoslavia. Kosovo's geology is diverse and as a result a wide range of minerals has been discovered, which are already in exploitable quantities. These include lignite, lead - zinc, silver, nickel, chromium, aluminum, magnesium with different types of building materials. Poor management and poor investment and political developments in the former. Yugoslavia, brought about by NATO intervention, has had a dramatic negative effect on Kosovo's mining industry and the amount of metals produced throughout the region. This underscores the great role Kosovo has played in the former economy. Yugoslavia as a supplier of cleaners.

Infrastructure of Kosovo

Road Infrastructure - The territory of Kosovo has a road infrastructure suitable for the conduct of various business activities. The road network consists of 630 km of main roads. The country's road infrastructure is well developed. There is a fully developed road network, generally the roads are in very good condition. Many major roads connect Kosovo's major cities. The Ministry of Infrastructure is responsible for the maintenance of national and regional roads and the Municipality is responsible for local roads. With the construction of the highway with Albania, Kosovo is an important point of connection of Western Europe with the Adriatic Sea. Railway Infrastructure - Kosovo has a 330km railway system covering the entire territory of Kosovo connecting the north with the south and east with the west. In addition to transporting passengers for private and official purposes, the Railway System also provides the transport of various goods for business purposes, in and out of Kosovo. Such transport is carried out not only by rail but also in combination with other types of transport. Kosovo Railways enables the construction of private industrial rails from railway lines to the client's site. The main responsible for freight transport across the Kosovo Railways is the Commercial Railway Division of Kosovo. Air Infrastructure - Kosovo owns a single airport, Adem Jashari Airport, which is one of the most frequented airports in the region. This airport offers flights to the most important European centers but also to America. As with other transports, air transport besides passenger transport also carries various goods (cargo) for business purposes. Prishtina Airport offers a fast, effective and professional cargo transportation service. The airport examines each cargo through the rails - X. Depending on the weight of the cargo, the fees also vary. Prishtina Airport provides convenient conditions for the transport of goods requiring special handling, possessing refrigerators for storing goods. It also has all the equipment for loading and unloading of goods. Upon arrival of the goods, each carrier must withdraw within 24 hours, otherwise have to pay extra.

Hydrology

In Kosovo, there are many rivers flowing in the direction of the Adriatic Sea, the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea. The main rivers of Kosovo are the White Drin (in southern Kosovo - flows into the Adriatic Sea), the Ibar River (in the north western, flows into the Morava and Danube River and further into the Black Sea), the Lepence River (in the south eastern part flows into the Vardar River and the Aegean Sea). It is very interesting that the Black Sea is drained by water from an area of ​​5500 km² catchment area, or 51% of the territory of Kosovo, the Adriatic Sea is drained by an area of ​​4500 km² or 43% and the Aegean Sea is drained an area of ​​only 900 km² or 6%. The watersheds of the three main drains (Drini i Bardhe, Ibar and Lepenica River) meet each other approximately 16.5 km west of Ferizaj, in the cadastral zone of Buda Kova (Municipality of Suhareka). At this point the contact of the three watersheds is Mount Drmanska at 1,359 m above sea level. From this point, the water surface flows in the direction of the Adriatic Sea, Black Sea or Aegean Sea. Other important rivers in Kosovo are: Sitnica River, Bisneca Morava, Peja Bistrica and Decani Bistrica. Kosovo also has a large number of karstic springs, thermal and mineral water springs, glacial valleys and natural and artificial lakes.  

Climatic conditions

Kosovo's climate is largely continental, resulting in warm summers and cold winters with Mediterranean and Alpine influences (average temperatures in the country range from + 30 ° C (summer) to - 10 ° C (winter)). However, due to uneven elevations in some parts of the country, there are changes in temperature and rainfall distribution. December and January are considered the coldest months. July and August, as the warmest months of the year. The maximum amount of rainfall was reached between October and December. Between November and March, snowfall in Kosovo can occur, even in the flat parts of the country. The largest amount of rainfall can fall in the mountainous regions of Kosovo. The valley between Mitrovica and Kacanik belongs to the driest area of ​​the country. In contrast, the Dukagjini plain between Peja and Prizren is described as a very fertile area with more rainfall between November and March. Based on climate conditions, Kosovo can be divided into three climatic zones as follows: Climate Zone of Kosovo (Kosovo Plain), Climatic Zone of Dukagjini (Dukagjini Plain) and Climatic zone of mountains and forested areas. The climate zone of Kosovo (Kosovo Plain), which includes the Ibar valley is influenced by continental air mass. For this reason, in this part of the country the winters are colder with average temperatures above - 10 ° C, but sometimes below - 26 ° C. Summers are very hot, with an average temperature of 20 ° C, sometimes above 37 ° C. This area is characterized by a dry climate and a total annual rainfall of approximately 600 mm per year. The climate zone of Dukagjini (Dukagjini Plain), which includes the watershed of the Drini i Bardhe River, is heavily influenced by the hot air masses that cross the Adriatic Sea. Average winter temperatures range from 0.5 ° C to 22.8 ° C. The average annual rainfall of this climate zone is 700 mm per year. Winter is characterized by heavy snowfall.

Geographical position of Kosovo

Kosovo extents in south-eastern Europe, in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula. In the south-west it borders with Albania, in the north-west with Montenegro, in the north with Serbia, and in the east and south-west with Macedonia. The territory extents within latitude 41 ° 50 '58' and 43 ° 15 '42' 'and latitude 20 ° 01' 30 'and 21 ° 48' 02 '' Kosovo occupies an area of ​​approximately 10,900 km² and is characterized by an average altitude of 800 m above sea level, showing vertical variations in terrain and morphology. These morphological changes are due to geological construction. The lowest point of Kosovo is located in the Drini i Bardhe river valley, on the border with Albania and reaches 297 m above sea level. The highest point is in the south of Kosovo - in Gjeravicë - 2 565 m high.