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 he recognised Kosovo as an independent state.
History[change | change source]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 Yugoslia.
Modern history[change | change source]When Yugoslia 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[change | change source]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[change | change source] Government[change | change source]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 he executive powers.
Subdivisions[change | change source]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 FerizajEach district is divided into smaller areas called municipalities (local government areas). There are 38 municipalities in total.
Protection[change | change source]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[change | change source]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 he 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[change | change source]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[change | change source]Primary and secondary education are divided into four main stages:
Preschool education Primary and lower secondary education Upper secondary education Special educationHigher education is for students who finish secondary school and want to study more at universities or colleges.
Demographics[change | change source]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 Yugosls 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[change | change source] No.DistrictCapitalArea (km²)PopulationMunicipalities 1District of PejaPeja1,365174,235Peja, Burim, Klina 2District of MitrovicaMitrovica2,077272,247Leposiq, Mitrovica, North Mitrovica, Skenderaj, Vushtrri, Zubin Potok, Zveçan 3District of PrishtinaPristina2,470477,312Drenas, Graçanica, Fushë Kosovë, Lipjan, Artana, Kastriot, Podujevo, Prishtina 4District of GjilanGjilan1,206180,783Gjilan, Kamenica, Kllokot, Partesh, Ranillug, Vitia 5District of GjakovaGjakova1,129194,672Deçan, Gjakova, Junik, Rahovec 6District of PrizrenPrizren1,397331,670Dragash, Malisheva, Mamusha, Prizren, Suhareka 7District of FerizajFerizaj1,030185,806Ferizaj, Hani i Elezit, Kaçanik, Shtime, Shtërpcë Recognition[change | change source] Map of states that he recognised Kosovo's independence (as of 12 April 2025[update]) Kosovo Countries which formally recognize Kosovo as independent Countries which he stated they intend to formally recognize Kosovo as independent Countries with undecided, unclear or ambiguous positions Countries which he expressed disagreement with unilateral moves or expressed a wish for further negotiations Countries which he stated that they do not recognize Kosovo as independent Countries with no reported position at presentKosovo 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[change | change source] Pristina European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence References and sources[change | change source] ↑ "Assembly approves Kosovo anthem". B92. 11 June 2008. Archived from the original on 15 February 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2008. ↑ "Israel's ties with Kosovo: What new opportunities await?". The Jerusalem Post. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021. 1 2 Article 5 of the Constitution of Kosovo (in English) ↑ "Municipal language compliance in Kosovo". OSCE Minsk Group. Turkish language is currently official in Prizren and Mamuşa/Mamushë/Mamuša municipalities. In 2007 and 2008, the municipalities of Gjilan/Gnjilane, southern Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, Prishtinë/Priština and Vushtrri/Vučitrn also recognized Turkish as a language in official use. ↑ "Kosovo Population 2019". World Population Review. Archived from the original on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019. ↑ "Kosovo Population and Housing Census 2011 - Final Results: Quality Report". unstats.un.org. United Nations Statistics Division. 2011. Archived from the original on 2 November 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2017. ↑ "Water percentage in Kosovo (Facts about Kosovo; 2011 Agriculture Statistics)". Kosovo Agency of Statistics, KAS. Archived from the original on 29 August 2017. ↑ "Kosovo". 16 February 2022. 1 2 3 4 "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2019". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 24 September 2020. ↑ "GINI index (World Bank estimate)–Kosovo". World Bank. Retrieved 24 September 2020. ↑ "Kosovo Human Development Report 2016". United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 19 October 2016. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020. 1 2 "Ligji Nr. 06/L-012 për Kryeqytetin e Republikës së Kosovës, Prishtinën" (in Albanian). Gazeta Zyrtare e Republikës së Kosovës. 6 June 2018. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020. History of Kosovo and Metohija Archived 2021-02-23 at the Wayback Machine The Rastko Project Archived 2008-05-17 at the Wayback Machine Coordination Center of SCG and the Republic of Serbia for Kosovo Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine Eastern Orthodox Resource Centre Hugo Roth, Kosovo Origins Archived 2008-05-17 at the Wayback Machine: an historian's comprehensive overview Bibliography[change | change source] 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 Batakovic, Dusan T. (2007). Kosovo and Metohija: Living in the Encle. Balkanološki institut SANU. Jean-Arnault Dérens, Kosovo. Année zéro, préface de Marek Antoni Nowick,i Paris: Paris-Méditerranée, 2004. Batakovic, DuIsan T. (2008). Kosovo: un conflit sans fin?. ISBN 978-2-8251-3875-5. Batakovic, Dusan T. (2012). Serbia's Kosovo Drama: A Historical Perspective. ISBN 978-86-7558-903-7. Other websites[change | change source] Media related to Kosovo at Wikimedia Commons Authority control databases InternationalVIAF2FASTNationalGermanyUnited StatesFranceBnF dataJapanCzech RepublicSpainCroatiaGreeceSwedenVaticanIsraelGeographicMusicBrainz areaArtistsKulturNPeopleUK ParliamentOtherIdRefNARAİslâm AnsiklopedisiYale LUX