Where Is Kosovo?

Kosovo is a landlocked region in the Balkan Mountains in Europe. It borders Central Serbia to the east and Albania to the west. The region is a disputed territory. It declared independence on 17 February, 2008. The case, whether to grant the request for a new nation or not, is still pending with the United Nations. Serbia considers the region a part of the Serbian nation and strongly opposes the independence move of Kosovo.

KosovoThe name of the region comes from the Serbian language and it means ‘a field of the blackbirds’. Within Kosovo, the term ‘Kosovo’ refers to the eastern part of the region and the western part is known as ‘Metohija’. Both parts are sometimes collectively called ‘Kosovo and Metohija’. The largest city in Kosovo is Pristina, where approximately half a million people live. Most of the terrain of the region is mountainous and the highest peak, Djeravica (Đeravica), is 2656 meters high. About 39% of Kosovo is covered by forests and there is only one national park in Kosovo, Šar Mountains National Park. Islam is the predominant religion in Kosovo.

Both Serbia and Kosovo were once a part of Yugoslavia and the secular socialist government of Yugoslavia did its best to prevent any ethnic or religious tensions arising. The iron grip of the Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito held Yugoslavia together for decades but within 10 years after his death the nation broke up into several smaller countries. Kosovo became a part of Serbia after the dissolution of Yugoslavia but it wasn’t long before ethnic tensions began to rise and a war broke out. About 92% of the Kosovon population is ethnically Albanian and the Serbs are the largest minority comprising approximately 4% of the population. The relations between the Albanians and the Serbians are most of the time unfriendly. The war dampened down after a UN intervention but things have been simmering again since Kosovo declared its independence in 2008.

Category: Geography