Kosovo

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Autonomous region 1945–1990 of southern Serbia; capital Priština; area 10,900 sq km/4,207 sq mi; population (2003 est) 2,088,700, of which about 80% are Albanians; Serbs and Muslims are the dominant minorities. A largely mountainous region, it includes the fertile valleys of Kosovo and Metohija and is drained by the Southern Morava River. Products include wine, nickel, lead, and zinc; the chief occupations are farming, livestock-raising, and mining. In 1990 fighting broke out between ethnic Albanians, who were agitating for unification of Kosovo with Albania, and Kosovo Serbs, who wanted Kosovo to be merged with the rest of Serbia. The Serbian parliament formally annexed Kosovo in September, and Serbian troops were sent to the region in 1998. In 1999, after a three-month bombing campaign against Serbia, NATO forces moved in to Kosovo to keep the peace, and the United Nations (UN) took over the civil administration of the province.

History
Settled by the Slavs in the 7th century, Kosovo passed to Bulgaria in the 9th century and to Serbia in the 12th century. In 1389 the Turks defeated Serbia and its allies in the Battle of Kosovo (which figures prominently in Serbian poetry), and the region remained under Turkish rule until the Balkan War of 1913. Partitioned in 1913 between Serbia and Montenegro, it was included in Yugoslavia after World War I. In 1945, Kosovo became an autonomous region within Serbia, and was elevated to the status of an autonomous province after Albanian riots in 1968. In 1990, demands for greater autonomy were rebuffed by Serbia, which imposed direct rule and rescinded its status as an autonomous region.

Black reflects the African origins of the islanders. Red stands for the vigour of the people. White represents hope. Effective date: 27 February 1967. >>