Velika Rudoka ( Macedonian and sr-cyr, Велика Рудока; sq, Maja e Njeriut, Rudoka e Madhe) is the highest

peak Peak or The Peak may refer to: Basic meanings Geology * Mountain peak ** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics * Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion * Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-di ...

of the Rudoka Mountain, situated in the

Šar Mountains The Šar Mountains (Serbian and mk, Шар Планина, Šar Planina, colloquially also ) or Sharr Mountains ( sq, Malet e Sharrit), form a mountain range in the Balkans that extends from Kosovo and the northwest of North Macedonia to north ...

range, exactly on the border between

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

and

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

. With the altitude of 2,660 metres (8,727 feet), it is the highest mountain of Kosovo and also the highest mountain of Serbia according to the view held by the government of Serbia. In some older sources, the altitude was stated to be 2,658 metres, but newer measurements showed that the true altitude is 2 metres higher. The Rudoka Mountain is situated between Šar Planina and Vrace, southwest of

Tetovo Tetovo ( mk, Тетово, , sq, Tetovë/Tetova) is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of at above sea level, w ...

. The

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

lies in a southwest to northeasterly direction, neighbouring Borislavec. The eastern slopes are very steep. The western slopes lightly descend into Šar Planina. Few waters are present on the mountain and there are few

valleys A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

. Two lakes are on Rudoka: Crno jezero (Black lake) and Belo jezero (White lake). The Mazdrača, a stream which flows into the

Vardar The Vardar (; mk, , , ) or Axios () is the longest river in North Macedonia and the second longest river in Greece, in which it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . Th ...

, has its

source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...

in Crno jezero. It is a common misconception that the highest mountain in Kosovo is

Gjeravica Gjeravica or Đeravica ( sq, Gjeravica; sr-cyr, Ђеравица) is the second-highest mountain peak in the Accursed Mountains mountain range and the Dinaric Alps chain, after Maja Jezercë. It is the second-highest mountain in Kosovo,. It has ...

at . This was stated even in the 2020 Statistical Yearbook of Serbia, and some Serbian schoolbooks. The 2021 edition of the Statistical Yearbook of Serbia corrected the info, naming Velika Rudoka the highest peak, as did the 2021 edition of the Geography schoolbook for Serbian elementary schools. The 2021 edition of the Statistical Yearbook of Kosovo still states that Gjeravica is the highest mountain. It has been known that Velika Rudoka is the higher of the two mountains since at least 1972, when the Topographical Map of Yugoslavia was published. According to Sava Stanković, PhD, the misconception started because of unclear boundaries between the Socialist Republic of Macedonia and the Socialist Republic of Serbia. The border was conclusively determined only after the breakup of Yugoslavia by a treaty between the

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...

and the

Republic of Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

signed in

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Sk ...

on 23 February 2001.

Notes

References

External links

Velika Rudoka on countryhighpoints.com

{{Highest points of Europe Mountains of Kosovo Mountains of Serbia Two-thousanders of Kosovo Two-thousanders of Serbia Highest points of countries Šar Mountains