geographically defined in an area of 10,887 km2 (4,203 sq mi), kosovo is landlocked in the center of the balkans and bordered by the uncontested territory of serbia to the north and east, north macedonia to the southeast, albania to the southwest and montenegro to the west. it possesses remarkable varied and diverse landscapes for its size by climate along with geology and hydrology. most of central kosovo is dominated by the vast plains and fields of metohija and kosovo. the rugged prokletije and šar mountains rise in the southwest and southeast, respectively.