Kosova
> Fact Book
Introduction: At
the heart of the Balkans, Kosova was part of the Roman Empire, then Byzantium,
and part of the Ottoman Empire in the early 15th Century. Kosova became part of
Serbia before the First World War, and Yugoslavia just after. Under German and
Albanian influence during the Second World War, it's place in Yugoslavia was reaffirmed
after the conflict. Kosovo became a province in the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia
(SFRY), and enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy from 1974-90 within SFRY and
Serbia. The Yugoslav Republic began to break up during the early 1990's with Slovenia,
Croatia and Bosnia breaking away from the state. An upsurge in violence in Kosovo
in 1998 drew the attention of the international community, leading to an eleven-week
conflict in the spring of 1999. On 10th June 1999 the region was placed under
United Nations administration, with the European Union and Organisation for Security
and Cooperation in Europe providing key parts of the interim government. KFOR,
the NATO-led peace implementation force, provides military security in the Province.
Despite occasional outbreaks of violence, around the Presevo valley in Serbia
in 2000, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in 2001 Kosovo has become
increasingly calm and peaceful over the past two-and-a-half years. The European
Union is playing a major role in the reconstruction of Kosova.
Official name :Kosova
Independence
Declared: July 2nd, 1990 Constitution:
September 7th, 1990 Geographic
Position: Kosova streches between 41"52' and 43"16' north geographical
latitude and 19"59' and 21"16' of the east geographical longitude. Area:
Territorial area covers 10,887 squared kilometers. Borders:
Montenegro to the northwest, Serbia to the north and northeast, (FYR of) Macedonia
to the south, Albania to the west and southwest. Population:
2,100,000 (1993 estimate) Ethnic
Composition: Albanian 90%, Serb and Montenegrin 8%, Others 2% (Turks, Romani, Languages:
Albanian, English Religions:
Islam, Catholic, Orthodox Capital:
Prishtina
(pop. 300,000 before the conflict) Currency:
Euro Enterprise
Approx. 40,000 registered in the Private Sector, Approx. 300-350 Socially Owned
Enterprises and 60 Public/Infrastructure Enterprises Natural
Resources: Lead and Zinc, Copper, Silver, Gold, Brown Coal, Bauxite, Lignite,
Nickel The
main agricultural products are wheat, corn and grapes.
Sources include: Musa Limani, The Geographic
Position, Natural Riches, Demographic Characteristics, and the Economical Development
of Kosova (Prishtina, Kosova: The Association of Lawyers of Kosova, 1992).
Copyright
2003 Albanian.com, All Rights Reserved.
|
