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Kosova Kosova is bounded on the nord by FRY (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) on the south by the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, on the west by Albania, and on the northwest by Montenegro. It covers an area of about 10,887 sq km (about 4203 sq mi). Mountains and hills cover part of the region, with several peaks in the Šar Planina range rising to more than 2500 m (more than 8200 ft). 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. Although Kosovo has important deposits of lead and zinc (at Trepca and elsewhere in the Kopaonik range) as well as significant deposits of lignite, chromite, and magnesite, the region has long been one of the poorest in all of Europe. Even today, Kosovo has poorly developed plumbing and electricity services, and unemployment is well above 50 percent. Agriculture is of chief importance in Kosovo; the 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 Kosovo's highlands. Industry and mining are economically important in Kosovo, including the production of cement and sulfuric acid. Timber is also an important product. In addition, a small ski industry has developed recently in the region. In 1991 Kosovo had a population of 1,956,196. The administrative center of Kosovo is Priština; other major cities include Prizren and Peç. More than 90 percent of the population of Kosovo are ethnic Albanians, with the remainder being mostly Serbs and Montenegrins. From the second 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, Great 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. During World War II (1939-1945) Kosovo was briefly assigned to Albania. In 1946 it was granted autonomous status within Serbia. Periodic uprisings by ethnic Albanians gradually led to greater autonomy for the region, but riots in 1981 fueled a Serbian backlash. Rising Serbian resentment against Albanians resulted in protest marches and helped facilitate the rise to power of Slobodan Miloševiç in 1987. Miloševiç brought an end to the region's autonomy in March 1989, placing Kosovo under de facto military occupation. Albanian media was suppressed, and all Albanian-language education was suspended (although elementary education was restored in late 1994). Serbian authorities abolished Kosovo's parliament in 1990, forcing the region's political leaders to seek refuge in the Yugoslav republic of Macedonia, where they declared Kosovo's independence. However, the underground government of Ibrahim Rugova, elected in May 1992, was declared illegal by the Serbian government and prevented from convening. Twenty members of the government were arrested in Macedonia in December 1994 and expelled to Kosovo. |