KOSOVO
– GEOGRAPHY
News:
How the US broke Kosovo
and what that means for Ukraine
What's
in the news?
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Violent clashes have taken place in Kosovo
between ethnic Serbs and police belonging to the Albanian-led government.
Backdrop
of the Conflict:
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Of the 1.8 million people living in
Kosovo, 92% are Albanian and only 6%
Serbian.
○
The rest are Bosniaks, Gorans, Turks and
Roma.
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Serbs are Eastern Orthodox Christians,
while the Albanians in Kosovo are majority Muslims.
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For many Serbians, the Kosovo region, is
the heart of its national and religious identity — and home to numerous
cherished mediaeval Serb Orthodox Christian monasteries.
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On the other hand, Kosovo’s majority
ethnic Albanians view Kosovo as belonging to them, and accuse Serbia of
occupation and repression.
Serbia:
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Serbia, officially known as the Republic
of Serbia, is a landlocked country
located to the north of Kosovo.
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It is bordered by Hungary to the north,
Romania and Bulgaria to the east, North Macedonia to the south, Kosovo to the
southwest, Montenegro to the west, and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest.
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The capital and largest city of Serbia is Belgrade.
Kosovo:
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Kosovo, officially known as the Republic
of Kosovo, is a partially recognized
country situated in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula.
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Kosovo
declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
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Serbia
does not recognise Kosovo’s statehood.
○
Neither does India, Russia, China and five
European Union countries – Spain, Slovakia, Cyprus, Romania and Greece, which
have halted its path to EU membership.
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It is bordered by Serbia to the north and
east, North Macedonia to the southeast, Albania to the southwest, and
Montenegro to the west.
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The capital and largest city of Kosovo is Pristina.