Balkans Map

The Balkans are a geopolitical and cultural region of Southeast Europe, covering about 470,000 km² (181,000 sq mi). This map shows its extent on shaded relief, with the surrounding relief, rivers, borders and cities.

Balkans Map
Balkans MapPNG 2000×1616 (1.4 MB)Balkans Map (PDF A4) (669 KB)

How to read this map

The Balkans are about 470,000 km² (181,000 sq mi) in area.

The dashed outline marks the Balkans as mapped by Natural Earth. Towns and cities on the map include Istanbul, Ankara, Rome, Athens, Milan, İzmir, Tunis and Vienna. Labeled countries: Turkey, Italy, Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia and Austria.

Greens show lower elevations; tan and brown show higher land, with pale tones toward the highest terrain. Shadows emphasize the slopes, and vertical relief is exaggerated so landforms are easier to read. Dashed lines show country borders.

The relief uses Terrain Tiles (SRTM, GMTED2010 and ETOPO1 elevation data). Rivers, lakes, borders and the outline of the Balkans come from Natural Earth, and the figures on this page from Wikidata. Natural Earth draws features at a small scale, so the outline is a guide to where the Balkans are, not a surveyed boundary.

Blank physical map

The blank version keeps the mapped features and removes the place labels. Download it for a geography worksheet or practice identifying the features.

Balkans Map without names
Blank version of balkans map.PNG 2000×1616 (1.4 MB)Balkans Map: blank (PDF A4) (654 KB)

Balkans facts

FactValue
Area470,000 km² (181,000 sq mi)
Highest pointMusala, 2,925 m (9,598 ft)

Data sources and license

Map design and rendered images: Atlas of Maps, CC BY 4.0. Source databases retain their own licenses; the map license does not replace them.

Frequently asked questions

How big are the Balkans?

About 470,000 km² (181,000 sq mi).

Can I download a blank map of the Balkans?

Yes. The blank version keeps the relief, rivers and borders and the highlighted landform but removes the place names. Both versions are free to download as PNG and as an A4 PDF.

Use this map

You can download, print and share this map for free, in class, in school projects, in presentations and on websites, as long as you credit the source: Balkans Map · Atlas of Maps (atlasofmaps.com), license CC BY 4.0.

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