Exploring Kosovo Trivia Quiz

Answer: Balkan Peninsula

All of Europe is sometimes considered to be a peninsula of the Eurasian landmass. The four largest peninsulas within Europe are the ones listed here. The Balkan Peninsula, in southeastern Europe, is surrounded on three sides by the Adriatic, Ionian, Aegean and Black Seas. Its northern boundary can be defined by the Danube, Sava and Kupa/Kolpa rivers.

"The Balkans" is a term used to describe not only the Balkan peninsula (which includes the countries of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Montenegro), but also nearby regions that were still under Turkish rule in 1808 despite the ceding of significant portions of the Ottoman Empire to Austria in1699. About two-thirds of Serbia and half of Croatia and Slovenia are on the peninsula proper; portions of Italy, Moldova and Turkey are also sometimes included.

Answer: None of them - Kosovo is landlocked, and has no coastline

Kosovo is a landlocked region, bordered by Central Serbia, the Republic of Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro. In 2010, Serbia considered the region of Kosovo to be a part of Serbia, while the other three neighbors were among the 67 states which recognised the Republic of Kosovo as an independent nation following its declaration of independence in 2008.

Answer: Large seasonal temperature variance

Places with more than three months of average daily temperatures above 10 C (50 F) and a coldest month with temperatures below -3 C (26.6 F), and which receive more than 250-500 mm (10-20 in) of precipitation annually, are classified as continental. Kosovo has warm summers with temperatures that regularly reach 30 C (86 F). Winters are much colder, with snow in the mountains, and a daily maximum typically around -10 C (14 F).

The climate that is typified by low precipitation and large daily temperature ranges is a desert. High rainfall and warm temperatures all year occur in rainforests, and polar ice caps can be described as covered in ice.

Answer: Albania

Deravica (2,656 m or 8,714 ft above sea level) is in the Prokletije (sometimes known as the Accursed Mountains), part of the Dinaric Alps, on the border with Albania. It is easier to climb than most other mountains in the region, and has a number of glacial lakes near its summit. The largest of them, Deravica Lake, is the source of the Erenik River.

The Sar Mountains, bordering the Republic of Macedonia in the southeast, are a more popular tourist destination, with several skiing resorts as the main attraction.

Answer: Rice paddies

The Metohija is surrounded by mountains, including the Drenica Range which separates it from the rest of Kosovo physically and climatically. The principal river is the White Drin, but there are a number of smaller rivers that provide plenty of water.

The area is known for producing excellent wines, fruits and nuts, especially chestnuts and almonds. The climate does not particularly suit any cereal crops, especially not rice, which needs a much higher rainfall than is found in the region.

Answer: Its underground source surfaces as a waterfall.

The White Drin has its source in a sinking river on the southern side of Zljeb mountain, bordering Montenegro. Near the village of Radovac, it emerges as a waterfall that is 25 m (82 ft) high, and which is a popular tourist attraction. Surprisingly, there are no major towns built directly on the river, an important source of power and of irrigation for the fertile Metohija Basin.

Answer: It was diverted to underground tunnels.

The city of Pristina was 'developed' during the 1950s. The process included demolishing entire sections of the city, including the region's largest covered market, a Catholic church, a mosque, a synagogue, and a number of other historically-significant buildings.

At the same time, the Pristevka and Vellushka Rivers were covered over in the interests of hygiene. They still flow, but are contained in underground tunnels as they pass through the city, and are only seen above-ground in the suburbs.

Answer: Caves that used to be used as hermit cells

The city name, Pec, means furnace or cave in Serbian, and its name is probably connected with the caves which were used by Orthodox monks as hermit cells from the 12th century. Tourists can also travel 12 km (7 mi) south from Pec to visit the Visoki Dečani, a medieval Orthodox monastery famed for its well-preserved frescoes, which has been listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

The Rugova Gorge is one of Kosovo's most prominent geological features. Formed by the Pecka Bistrica River ('Clearwater of Pec'), a tributary of the White Drin, the canyon is 25 km (16 mi) long and up to 1000 m (3281 ft) deep. The upstream part of the canyon is the glacial trough of the former Rugovo glacier. The gorge has been carved through layers of limestone, slate, marble and serpentine. the road connecting Kosovo with Montenegro goes through this gorge on its way to the Cakor Pass.

Answer: Stalactites and stalagmites

Aragonite is a form of calcium carbonate that makes more spectacular crystals than the usual calcite found in most caves. A speleothem (from the Greek for 'cave deposit') is a general term for the variety of mineral formations formed as overlays to the basic structure of a cave.

They include stalactites, stalagmites, columns, flowstone and cave crystals. Gadime Cave is known for some sensational formations. There is reputed to be an underground lake the size of a football field in the cave system, but it is not open to the public.

The cave temperature is described in various sources as cold or warm - it's a matter of opinion how to describe the fairly constant temperature of 16 C (61 F) inside the cave system.

Answer: 6

The flag, produced from an international competition, is based on a design by Muhamer Ibrahimi, with a silhouette of Kosovo topped by six stars arranged in an arc. The Kosovan ethnic groups being referenced are Bosniak, Gorani, Roma, Turk, Ashkali and Egyptian. In 2009, the CIA World Factbook listed the ethnicity of Kosovo as 88% Albanian, 7% Serbian, and 5% Others. Many members of the Serbian minority live in enclaves in North Kosovo, a region that functions for a large part independently of the rest of Kosovo.

Before the declaration of independence in 2008, Kosovo was under the administration of the United Nations, and used the UN flag for official purposes. Serb residents also used a tricolor similar to the current flag of Serbia, while the Albanian population used the flag of Albania.