# Golem Korab / Maja e Korabit
**Golem Korab** (Macedonian: Голем Кораб, "big Korab"), known in Albanian as **Maja e Korabit** or Mali i Korabit, is a border peak on the ridge between Albania and [North Macedonia](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-macedonia) and, at 2,764 m (9,068 ft), the highest point of both countries.[1](https://worldmeasure.com/mountain/golem-korab) • [2](https://www.summitpost.org/maja-e-korabit-golem-korab/152212) It is the summit of the Korab mountain range, which runs along the Albania–North Macedonia border in the western Balkans.[3](https://albaniaatlas.com/mountain/mount-korab?lang=en)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 2,764 m (9,068 ft) per GeoNames; older sources list 2,753 m[1](https://worldmeasure.com/mountain/golem-korab) • [4](https://mountainfieldguide.com/mountains-in-north-macedonia-highest-peaks-major-ranges-and-hiking-guide/) |
| Status | Highest point of both Albania and North Macedonia; one of two summits in Europe that are the national highpoint of more than one country[2](https://www.summitpost.org/maja-e-korabit-golem-korab/152212) |
| Location | On the border ridge, at approximately 41.791°N, 20.547°E[1](https://worldmeasure.com/mountain/golem-korab) |
| Prominence | 2,169 m[1](https://worldmeasure.com/mountain/golem-korab) |
| Range | Korab range, extending roughly 40 km north–south along the border[3](https://albaniaatlas.com/mountain/mount-korab?lang=en) |
| Protection | Korab-Koritnik Nature Park on the Albanian side (53,850 ha since 2022); Mavrovo National Park on the North Macedonian side[5](https://akzm.gov.al/parku-natyror-korab-koritnik/) • [6](https://eprints.unite.edu.mk/609/1/11.pdf) |
| Ascent | Non-technical summer hike; routes from Radomirë (Albania) and Strezimir (North Macedonia)[7](https://mountainfieldguide.com/korab/) |
## Elevation and measurement
The peak's elevation is given as 2,764 m by GeoNames, World Measure, Peakbagger, and the Albanian national tourism authority, and this is the figure most commonly cited.[1](https://worldmeasure.com/mountain/golem-korab) • [8](https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=10332) • [9](https://akt.gov.al/en/eco-tourism/ship-mountain/) Older and some national sources give 2,753 m: a World Bank environmental assessment and a UNEP review of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia both list the highest point at 2,753 m, and a 2020 journal article on the Mavrovo region uses the same figure.[10](https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/895761468270554081/pdf/E17960v10EA0RE1ssessment0Vol010Text.pdf) • [11](https://www.lfmwb.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Second-Environmental-performance-review-Former-Yogoslav-republic-of-Macedonia.pdf) • [6](https://eprints.unite.edu.mk/609/1/11.pdf) Published elevations vary among maps, tourism sources, and digital elevation models, and the difference of about 11 meters falls within this spread.[4](https://mountainfieldguide.com/mountains-in-north-macedonia-highest-peaks-major-ranges-and-hiking-guide/)
The summit's topographic prominence, the height of the summit above the lowest contour encircling it and no higher peak, is 2,169 m.[1](https://worldmeasure.com/mountain/golem-korab) Under Peakbagger's isolation calculation, the nearest higher ground is Vihren, the highest mountain of Bulgaria's Pirin range.[7](https://mountainfieldguide.com/korab/)
## Location and the Korab range
The Korab range runs along the border between eastern Albania and western North Macedonia, extending approximately 40 kilometers from the Dibër Valley in a north–south direction, southwest of the [Šar Mountains](https://www.edgepedia.org/sar-mountains).[3](https://albaniaatlas.com/mountain/mount-korab?lang=en) • [7](https://mountainfieldguide.com/korab/) The massif has several other peaks above 2,000 m, including Korab 2 (2,753 m), Korab 3 (2,745 m), Mal Korab (2,683 m), Kepi Bar (2,595 m), and Kabaš (2,395 m).[6](https://eprints.unite.edu.mk/609/1/11.pdf) Nearby summits within a few kilometers include Crna Čuka (2,540 m, 2.4 km away) and Mali Korab (2,524 m, 2.5 km away).[1](https://worldmeasure.com/mountain/golem-korab)
The range was formed as a horst, an uplifted crustal block, between the Black Drin graben to the west and the Pollog graben to the east, with fault-block structure shaped by neotectonic movements.[5](https://akzm.gov.al/parku-natyror-korab-koritnik/) Glacial and fluvial erosion have left cirques, springs, and occasional post-glacial lakes on the mountain.[6](https://eprints.unite.edu.mk/609/1/11.pdf)
## Ranking among Balkan and European peaks
Golem Korab is the fourth-highest peak situated entirely on the Balkan Peninsula, after [Musala](https://www.edgepedia.org/musala) (2,925 m) and the summits of the Rila, Olympus, and Pirin ranges.[12](https://balkanheritage.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-extreme-points-and-highest-peaks-of.html) Among Balkan national highpoints, Golem Korab ranks behind Musala in Bulgaria and [Mount Olympus](https://www.edgepedia.org/mount-olympus) in Greece; at 2,764 m it is North Macedonia's highest point, above Titov Vrv (2,747 m), the country's second-highest point and not a national highpoint.[12](https://balkanheritage.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-extreme-points-and-highest-peaks-of.html) • [1](https://worldmeasure.com/mountain/golem-korab) • [15](https://nationalparks.mk/en/parks/mavrovo) SummitPost describes it as the 12th highest national point in Europe.[2](https://www.summitpost.org/maja-e-korabit-golem-korab/152212)
## Protected areas and natural environment
On the Albanian side the mountain lies within Korab-Koritnik Nature Park, a category IV protected area between the Black Drin and White Drin rivers. A [Council of Ministers](https://www.edgepedia.org/council-of-ministers) decision no. 60 of 26 January 2022 adjusted its area from 55,550.2 ha to 53,850.00 ha.[5](https://akzm.gov.al/parku-natyror-korab-koritnik/) The park's elevations run from about 400–500 m to over 2,750 m, and its alpine pastures between 1,800 and 2,700 m form a large summer grazing reserve.[5](https://akzm.gov.al/parku-natyror-korab-koritnik/) The area records 37 mammal species, including brown bear, gray wolf, and lynx, alongside golden eagle, capercaillie, and peregrine falcon.[5](https://akzm.gov.al/parku-natyror-korab-koritnik/)
On the North Macedonian side, Golem Korab belongs to the territory of Mavrovo National Park, and the eastern mountain side falling within the park has a steep slope, especially in its middle and southern sections.[6](https://eprints.unite.edu.mk/609/1/11.pdf) The Korab-Koritnik park borders Mavrovo National Park, forming an extensive cross-border conservation zone.[13](https://albaniaturism.com/mount-korab/)
## Climbing and tourism
Despite its height, Korab is generally considered a hiking mountain rather than a technical climbing peak in normal summer conditions, though routes are long, exposed, and remote.[7](https://mountainfieldguide.com/korab/) The most common Albanian approach starts near the village of Radomirë in Dibër County, a round trip of roughly 18–20 km with well over 1,300 m of elevation gain through pastures and open alpine terrain.[7](https://mountainfieldguide.com/korab/) On the North Macedonian side, a traditional route begins near the Strezimir border area in Mavrovo National Park; one described out-and-back route covers 16–17.2 km with 1,260–1,361 m of gain and takes an estimated 7–9 hours, with late June to October the recommended season.[14](https://www.storm.ski/guidebooks/balkans-sar-korab-north-macedonian-high-mountains-essential-day-hikes) A hiking permit is required for the border zone.[13](https://albaniaturism.com/mount-korab/) Because of border-crossing policy between the two countries, ascending on one side and descending on the other is not currently feasible.[2](https://www.summitpost.org/maja-e-korabit-golem-korab/152212)
The name "Korab" is of Slav origin; according to SummitPost it was considered a god of the sea by various Slavic tribes before their conversion to Christianity.[2](https://www.summitpost.org/maja-e-korabit-golem-korab/152212)
## References
1. [Golem Korab Elevation, World Measure](https://worldmeasure.com/mountain/golem-korab)
2. [Maja e Korabit/Golem Korab, SummitPost](https://www.summitpost.org/maja-e-korabit-golem-korab/152212)
3. [Mount Korab, The Albania Atlas](https://albaniaatlas.com/mountain/mount-korab?lang=en)
4. [Mountains in North Macedonia, Mountain Field Guide](https://mountainfieldguide.com/mountains-in-north-macedonia-highest-peaks-major-ranges-and-hiking-guide/)
5. [Parku Natyror "Korab – Koritnik", AKZM (Albanian National Agency of Protected Areas)](https://akzm.gov.al/parku-natyror-korab-koritnik/)
6. [Journal of Natural Sciences and Mathematics of UT, Vol. 5, No. 9-10, 2020](https://eprints.unite.edu.mk/609/1/11.pdf)
7. [Korab, Mountain Field Guide](https://mountainfieldguide.com/korab/)
8. [Korab, Peakbagger.com](https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=10332)
9. [Korab Mountain, Official Tourism Website of Albania](https://akt.gov.al/en/eco-tourism/ship-mountain/)
10. [Macedonia Regional and Local Roads Program Support Project, Sectoral Environmental Assessment, World Bank](https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/895761468270554081/pdf/E17960v10EA0RE1ssessment0Vol010Text.pdf)
11. [Second Environmental Performance Review, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, UNEP](https://www.lfmwb.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Second-Environmental-performance-review-Former-Yogoslav-republic-of-Macedonia.pdf)
12. [The Extreme Points and Highest Peaks of the Balkan Peninsula, Balkan Heritage](https://balkanheritage.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-extreme-points-and-highest-peaks-of.html)
13. [Mount Korab – The Highest Peak of Albania and North Macedonia, Albania Turism](https://albaniaturism.com/mount-korab/)
14. [Balkans — Šar, Korab and North Macedonian High Mountains, storm.ski](https://www.storm.ski/guidebooks/balkans-sar-korab-north-macedonian-high-mountains-essential-day-hikes)
15. [Mavrovo National Park](https://nationalparks.mk/en/parks/mavrovo)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Landforms and terrestrial features › Mountains, plains, and other land terrain › Named mountains and peaks › Mountains of Europe*
*Initially written Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license