Kosovo

I

Introduction

Kosovo, United Nations-administered region in the Balkan Peninsula. Kosovo is bounded on the south by the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, on the west by Albania, and on the northwest by Montenegro. Serbia, which claims Kosovo as a province, is to the north and northeast. Kosovo was the location of the fourth conflict in the wars of Yugoslav succession, which took place in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) during the 1990s. In 1999 the United Nations set up an interim administration in Kosovo, pending a settlement on the region’s status. Subsequent negotiations were inconclusive, however, and its status remained a matter of dispute. In 2008 Kosovo declared its independence, but Serbia refused to recognize the declaration.

II

Land and Resources of Kosovo

Kosovo covers an area of 10,887 sq km (4,203 sq mi). Several peaks in the Šar Planina mountain range rise to more than 2,500 m (8,200 ft) in Kosovo. The mountain slopes are covered with deciduous forests, meadows, and pastureland. A branch of the Drin River rises in Kosovo, and the Ibar and Sitnica rivers also flow through the region.

Agriculture is of chief importance in Kosovo; major crops include grains (including corn, wheat, and barley), potatoes, plums, grapes, and tobacco. There are also industries relating to agriculture, including winemaking. Cattle and sheep are raised in the highlands. Timber is an important product. Kosovo has significant deposits of lead, zinc, lignite, chromite, and magnesite. Industries in Kosovo include mining and the production of cement and sulfuric acid. A small skiing industry has developed.

III

Population of Kosovo

In 1991 Kosovo had a population of 1,956,196. The administrative center of Kosovo is Priština; other major cities include Prizren and Peć. More than 90 percent of Kosovo’s inhabitants are ethnic Albanians, with the remainder being mostly Serbs and Montenegrins, and smaller numbers of Roma.

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IV

History of Kosovo

From the 2nd millennium bc, the Illyrian tribe of Dardanae occupied a territory that included present-day Kosovo. The region was later subdued by the Romans, and toward the end of the 12th century the Serbian ruler Stefan Nemanja annexed Kosovo. In 1389 an invading Ottoman army inflicted heavy casualties on the Serbian army in the Battle of Kosovo, leading to the subsequent conquest of all of Serbia by the Ottoman Empire in 1459 and driving many Serbs northward. In 1878 Albanians in the region formed the League of Prizren to resist Ottoman rule, and a provisional government was formed in 1881. But it was only in 1912 that anti-Ottoman resistance in Kosovo assumed a broad scale and succeeded in expelling the Ottomans. Kosovo was included in the newly independent state of Albania in 1912, but the following year the Great Powers (Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Britain, Italy, and Russia) forced Albania to cede the region to Serbia. In 1918 Kosovo was incorporated into the newly established Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, later renamed Yugoslavia.