Kosovo

Kosovo (/ˈkɒsəvoʊ, ˈkoʊ-/; Albanian: Kosova or Kosovë, pronounced [kɔˈsɔva] or [kɔˈsɔvə]; Serbian Cyrillic: Косово, pronounced [kôsoʋo]), is a partially recognised country located in Southeastern Europe. Until 2008, Kosovo was a part of Serbia. On 17 February 2008, Kosovo declared independence and said it was now a separate country. Since then, 104 UN member countries have recognised Kosovo as an independent state.

 History 
From the 4th century BC, the area that is now Kosovo was part of the Kingdom of Dardania. In the 10st century BC, it was annexed by the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Kosovo's territory was ruled by several different countries over time, such as the Byzantine Empire and later the First Bulgarian Empire.

In the 13th century, Kosovo became part of Serbia. After the First and Second Battles of Kosovo in 1389 and 1448, Kosovo was taken over by the Ottoman Empire. After the Balkan Wars, which ended in 1913, Kosovo became a province of Yugoslavia.

 Modern history 
When Yugoslavia broke apart, Kosovo remained within Serbia. However, tensions between the Albanian and Serbian communities led to the Kosovo War. In February 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia.

 Geography 
Kosovo covers an area of 10,887 km2 (4,203 sq mi). It is a landlocked region in the center of the Balkans. Kosovo shares borders with Serbia to the north and east, North Macedonia to the southeast, Albania to the southwest, and Montenegro to the west.

Kosovo has many different types of land and scenery for its size. In the center, there are large plains and fields called Metohija and Kosovo. In the southwest and southeast, there are high mountains known as the Prokletije and Šar Mountains.

Most of Kosovo has a continental climate. Some areas are also influenced by the Mediterranean climate and Alpine climate. The weather is affected by the nearby Adriatic Sea in the west, the Aegean Sea in the south, and the European mainland to the north.

The coldest places are in the mountains in the west and southeast. The warmest places are in the far south, near the border with Albania.

 Politics 

 Government 
Kosovo is a parliamentary republic. This means that the leader of the political party with the most seats in the Assembly becomes the Prime Minister, who is the head of government.

The President of Kosovo is the head of state. The president is chosen by the Assembly every five years. The president mostly has ceremonial duties and does not have executive powers.

 Subdivisions 
Kosovo is divided into seven districts. Each district is centered around a major city.

The districts are:

 District of Peja
 District of Mitrovica
 District of Pristina
 District of Gjilan
 District of Gjakova
 District of Prizren
 District of Ferizaj

Each district is divided into smaller areas called municipalities (local government areas). There are 38 municipalities in total.

 Protection 
The Kosovo Security Force is the national army of Kosovo. The president is the commander-in-chief of the army.

The Kosovo Police is the main police force in the country.

 Economy 

Kosovo is a developing country. In 2018, about one out of every six people lived below the poverty line. Also, about one out of every three people who could work did not have a job.

Kosovo has a lot of natural resources. These include lead, zinc, silver, nickel, cobalt, copper, iron, and bauxite.

Kosovo does most of its trade with Albania, Italy, Switzerland, China, Germany, and Turkey.

The official currency of Kosovo is the Euro.

 Education 

Education in the country is mostly public and paid for by the government. The Ministry of Education is in charge of the schools. There are two main parts of education: primary and secondary education, and higher education.

 Stages of Education 

Primary and secondary education are divided into four main stages:
 Preschool education
 Primary and lower secondary education
 Upper secondary education
 Special education

Higher education is for students who finish secondary school and want to study more at universities or colleges.

 Demographics 

The official results of the censuses in Kosovo about ethnic groups and nationality from after World War II to 1991 are below. The numbers of Albanians in the 1991 census were only guesses based on censuses in the past. Most Albanians did not do the 1991 census. Today, most people in Kosovo are Albanian.

 Ethnicgroup 1948 census 1953 census 1961 census 1971 census 1981 census 1991 census Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Albanians 498,244 68.5 524,559 64.9 646,605 67.1 916,168 73.7 1,226,736 77.4 1,596,072 81.6 Serbs 171,911 23.6 189,869 23.5 227,016 23.5 228,264 18.4 209,498 13.2 194,190 9.9 Muslims 9,679 1.3 6,241 0.8 8,026 0.8 26,357 2.1 58,562 3.7 66,189 3.4 Montenegrins 28,050 3.9 31,343 3.9 37,588 3.9 31,555 2.5 27,028 1.7 20,365 1.1 Croats 5,290 0.7 6,201 0.8 7,251 0.8 8,264 0.7 8,718 0.6 8,062 0.4 Yugoslavs 5,206 0.5 920 0.1 2,676 0.2 3,457 0.2 Romani 11,230 1.5 11,904 1.5 3,202 0.3 14.593 1.2 34,126 2.2 45,760 2.3 Turks 1,315 0.2 34,583 4.3 25,764 2.7 12,244 1.0 12,513 0.8 10,445 0.5 Macedonians 526 0.1 972 0.1 1,142 0.1 1,048 0.1 1,056 0.1 Others or not said 1,577 0.2 2,469 0.3 2,188 0.2 4,280 0.3 3,454 0.2 11,656 0.6 Total 727,820 808,141 963,988 1,243,693 1,584,441 1,956,196

 Divisions 
No. District Capital Area (km²)Population Municipalities 1  District of Peja  Peja 1,365174,235  Peja, Burim, Klina 2  District of Mitrovica  Mitrovica 2,077 272,247 Leposaviq, Mitrovica, North Mitrovica, Skenderaj, Vushtrri, Zubin Potok, Zveçan 3  District of Prishtina  Pristina 2,470477,312 Drenas, Graçanica, Fushë Kosovë, Lipjan, Artana, Kastriot, Podujevo, Prishtina 4  District of Gjilan  Gjilan 1,206180,783 Gjilan, Kamenica, Kllokot, Partesh, Ranillug, Vitia 5  District of Gjakova  Gjakova 1,129194,672 Deçan, Gjakova, Junik, Rahovec 6  District of Prizren  Prizren 1,397331,670 Dragash, Malisheva, Mamusha, Prizren, Suhareka 7  District of Ferizaj  Ferizaj 1,030185,806 Ferizaj, Hani i Elezit, Kaçanik, Shtime, Shtërpcë

 Recognition 
alt=|thumb|292x292px|Map of states that have recognised Kosovo's independence ()

Kosovo is recognised by 107 out of 193 member countries of the United Nations. These 107 countries say that Kosovo is a real country and a sovereign state.

Serbia says it has sovereignty (power) over Kosovo and does not recognise Kosovo's independence.

Three other places also recognise Kosovo. These are Taiwan (which also has limited recognition), and the non-sovereign constituent countries Niue and the Cook Islands.

Out of 46 members of the Council of Europe, 34 recognise Kosovo. Also, 14 out of 22 members of the Arab League, 9 out of 15 of the Caribbean Community, 22 out of 27 members of the European Union, and 27 out of 31 members of NATO recognise Kosovo.

 Related pages 
 Pristina
 European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo
 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence

 References and sources 

 History of Kosovo and Metohija 
 The Rastko Project 
 Coordination Center of SCG and the Republic of Serbia for Kosovo 
 Eastern Orthodox Resource Centre
 Hugo Roth, Kosovo Origins : an historian's comprehensive overview

 Bibliography 
 Dušan T. Bataković, The Kosovo Chronicles, Plato Books, Belgrade 1992.
 R. Petrović, M. Blagojević, The Migration of the Serbs and Montenegrins from Kosovo and Metohija, SASA, Belgrade 1992,
 Dušan T. Bataković, Kosovo. La spirale de la haine, L'Age d'Homme,  Lausanne 1998.
 Kosovo-Kosova. Confrontation or Coexistence, Nijmegen: University of Nijmegen & Political Cultural Centre 042 1996.
 Kosovo. Avoiding Another Balkan War,Thanos Veremis & Evangelos Kofos, (eds.), Athens:Eliamep & University of Athens, 1998.
 Kosovo. Contending Voices on Balkan Interventions, William Joseph Buckley, ed.,William B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan &  Cambridge U. K 2000

 Jean-Arnault Dérens,  Kosovo. Année zéro, préface de Marek Antoni Nowick,i Paris: Paris-Méditerranée, 2004.



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Category:Autonomous areas