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"Balkan" redirects here. For other uses, see Balkan (disambiguation).
Balkan peninsula (as defined by the Danube-Sava-Kupa line)
Balkan peninsula (as defined by the Danube-Sava-Kupa line)

The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe a region of southeastern Europe. A subregion is a conceptual unit which derives from a larger Region or Continent and is usually based on location

The region has a combined area of 550,000 km² (212,000 sq mi) and an approximate population of 55 million people. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. The archaic Greek name for the Balkan Peninsula is the Peninsula of Haemus (Χερσόνησος του Αίμου, Chersónisos tou Aímou). Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly In Greek mythology, King Haemus (Αἷμος Haîmos) of Thrace was the son of Boreas. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains which run through the centre of Bulgaria into eastern Serbia. The Balkan Mountain range ( Bulgarian and Стара планина Stara planina, "Old Mountain" The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country

Contents

Definitions and boundaries

Balkan Peninsula

Line stretching from the northernmost point of the Adriatic to the northernmost point of the Black Sea[citation needed]
Line stretching from the northernmost point of the Adriatic to the northernmost point of the Black Sea

The Balkans are adjoined by water on three sides: the Black Sea to the east and branches of the Mediterranean Sea to the south and west (including the Adriatic, Ionian, Aegean and Marmara seas). The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey The Ionian Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. Etymology In ancient times there were various explanations for the name Aegean. The Sea of Marmara ( Turkish: Marmara Denizi, Greek: Θάλασσα του Μαρμαρά or Προποντίς, Bulgarian

The Balkans

The identity of the Balkans is dominated by its geographical position; historically the area was known as a crossroads of various cultures. It has been a juncture between the Turk , Latin and Greek bodies of the Roman Empire, the destination of a massive influx of pagan Slavs, an area where Orthodox and Catholic Christianity met, as well as the meeting point between Islam and Christianity. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings

The Balkans today is a very diverse ethno-linguistic region, being home to multiple Slavic, Romance, and Turkic languages, as well as Greek, Albanian, and others. The Slavic languages (also called Slavonic languages) a group of closely related Languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages The Romance languages (sometimes referred to as Romanic languages, or Neolatin languages) are a branch of the Indo-European language family comprising all The Turkic languages constitute a Language family of some thirty languages spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Albanian (sq ''Gjuha shqipe'' ˈɟuha ˈʃcipɛ is an Indo-European language spoken by nearly 6 million peoplewhile others claim that it derives from Daco - Through its history many other ethnic groups with their own languages lived in the area, among them Thracians, Illyrians, Romans, Uzes, Pechenegs, Cumans, Avars, Celts, Germans and various Germanic tribes. "Thracians" also refers to modern inhabitants of Thrace, regardless of ethnicity Illyrians has come to refer to a broad ill-defined " Indo-European " group of peoples who inhabited the western Balkans ( Illyria, roughly Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Uzès is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. The Pechenegs or Patzinaks ( Turkish: Peçenekler, Hungarian: Besenyő, Greek: Patzinaki/Petsenegi or Πατζινάκοι/Πετσενέγοι/Πατζινακίται Cumans (Кумани Byzantine: Kuman or Cuman, Kunok Turkic: Kumanlar) were a nomadic Turkic people who inhabited a Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as

Possibly the historical event that left the biggest mark on the collective memories of the peoples of the Balkans was the expansion and later fall of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Many people in the Balkans place their greatest folk heroes in the era of either the onslaught or the retreat of the Ottoman Empire. For Serbs, Miloš Obilić, for Albanians, Skanderbeg, for ethnic Macedonians, Nikola Karev, for Bosniaks, Husein Gradaščević and for Bulgarians, Vasil Levski. Serbs ( Serbian: Срби Srbi) are a South Slavic people living in the Balkans and Central Europe, mainly in Serbia, Miloš Obilić ( Serbian Cyrillic: Милош Обилић (died June 29 1389) was a Serbian knight from Zeta ( Montenegro } Albanians (Shqiptarët are an Ethnic group and a Nation, in the sense of sharing a common Albanian culture speaking the Albanian language Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg ( 6 May 1405 &ndash 17 January 1468) ( Albanian: Gjergj Kastriot Skënderbeu, widely known as The Macedonians (Македонци transliterated Makedonci) also referred to as Macedonian Slavs --> --> are a South Slavic people Nikola Janakiev Karev ( Bulgarian and Macedonian: Никола Карев (23 November 1877 Kruševo, Macedonia - 27 April 1905 Rajčani The Bosniaks or Bosniacs (Bošnjak pl Bošnjaci bɔ'ʃɲaːt͡si are a South Slavic people living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina ("Bosnia" Husein-kapetan Gradaščević ( August 31 1802 &ndash August 17, 1834) was a Bosniak general who The Bulgarians (българи balgari) are a South Slavic people generally associated with the Republic of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian language Vasil Levski (Васил Левски also transliterated as Vassil Levski) born Vasil Ivanov Kountchev (Васил Иванов Кунчев ( Karlovo

In the 20th century, the Balkan nations—except Greece and Yugoslavia—were made part of the Warsaw pact (as a result of Soviet hegemony after the ending of World War II). Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία See also Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian The Warsaw Pact (see Nomenclature) was an organization of Communist states in Central and Eastern Europe. The " Iron Curtain " was the symbolic ideological and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II until the end The effects of World War II had far-reaching implications for the international community Following the pact's collapse and the breakup of Yugoslavia, the Balkan states have acceded to the European Union, or are in the process of doing so. Enlargement of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union (EU through the accession of new member states.

Etymology and evolving meaning

The region takes its name from the "Balkan" mountain range in Bulgaria (from the Turkish balkan meaning "a chain of wooded mountains"). The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. [1] The name is still preserved in Central Asia where there exist the Balkan Mountains[2] and the Balkan Province of Turkmenistan. Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south Balkan Daglary ( Gora Ardan) is an 1880 Meter peak in the western plains of Turkmenistan in Balkan Province. Balkan Province ( Balkan welaýaty / Балкан велаяты) is one of the Welayatlar (provinces of Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan ( Türkmenistan; also known as Turkmenia) is a Turkic country in Central Asia. On a larger scale, one long continuous chain of mountains crosses the region in the form of a reversed letter S, from the Carpathians south to the Balkan range proper, before it marches away east into Anatolian Turkey. The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians (Carpaţi Czech, Polish and Slovak: Karpaty; Ukrainian: Карпати Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black On the west coast, an offshoot of the Dinaric Alps follows the coast south through Dalmatia and Albania, crosses Greece and continues into the sea in the form of various islands. The Dinaric Alps or Dinarides ( Croatian and Bosnian: Dinarsko gorje or Dinaridi, Alpet Dinaride Dalmatia ( Croatian: Dalmacija, see names in other languages) is a region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, situated mostly in modern This article is about the country in southern Europe For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Albania topics. The word was based on Turkish balakan 'stone, cliff', which confirms the pure 'technical' meaning of the term. The mountain range that runs across Bulgaria from west to east (Stara Planina) is still commonly known as the Balkan Mountains. The Balkan Mountain range ( Bulgarian and Стара планина Stara planina, "Old Mountain" The Balkan Mountain range ( Bulgarian and Стара планина Stara planina, "Old Mountain"

The first time the name "Balkan" was used in the West for the mountain range in Bulgaria was in a letter by Buonaccorsi Callimarco, an Italian humanist, writer and diplomat in 1490. An English traveler, John Morritt, introduced this term into the English literature at the end of the 18th century, and other authors started applying the name to the wider area between the Adriatic and the Black Sea. The concept of the “Balkan peninsula” was created by the German geographer August Zeune in 1808. [3] As time passed, the term gradually obtained political connotations far from its initial geographic meaning, arising from political changes from the late 1800s to the creation of post-World War I Yugoslavia (initially the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes). World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All See also Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian The Kingdom of Yugoslavia (Serbo-Croato-Slovene ie Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene: Kraljevina Jugoslavija Zeune's goal was to have a geographical parallel term to the Italic and Iberian Peninsula, and seemingly nothing more. Th Italian Peninsula or Apennine Peninsula (Penisola italiana or Penisola appenninica) is one of the three Peninsulas of Southern Europe The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra The gradually acquired political connotations are newer, and, to a large extent, due to oscillating political circumstances. The term Balkans is generally used to describe areas that remained under Turkish rule after 1699, namely: Bulgaria, Serbia (except for Vojvodina), Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro (except for the Boka Bay and Budva), Kosovo, and continental Greece. Vojvodina and Transylvania, it is argued, do not belong to Balkans. Transylvania (Ardeal or ro ''Transilvania'' Erdély, see also other denominations) is a Central European region located in the eastern half of the Carpathian After the split of Yugoslavia beginning in June 1991, the term 'Balkans' again received a negative meaning, even in casual usage. Over the last decade, in the wake of the former Yugoslav split, Slovenes have rejected their former label as 'Balkan nations'. Slovenes or Slovenians ( Slovene Slovenci, dual Slovenca, singular Slovenec, feminine Slovenke, dual Slovenki This is in part due to the pejorative connotation of the term 'Balkans' in the 1990s, and continuation of this meaning until now. Today, the term 'Southeast Europe' is preferred or, in the case of Slovenia and Croatia, 'Central Europe'. Central Europe is the Region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and

Southeastern Europe

Due to the aforementioned connotations of the term 'Balkan', many people prefer the term Southeastern Europe instead. The use of this term is slowly growing; a European Union initiative of 1999 is called the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, and the online newspaper Balkan Times renamed itself Southeast European Times in 2003. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe is an institution aimed at strengthening peace Democracy, Human rights and economy in the countries of South Eastern Southeast European Times is a United States European Command -sponsored news website dedicated to coverage of Southeastern Europe i

The use of this term to mean the Balkan peninsula (and only that) technically ignores the geographical presence of northern Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, and Ciscaucasus, which are also located in the southeastern part of the European continent. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova ( Republica Moldova) is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. Ciscaucasus may refer to Fore-Caucasus North Caucasus SimpleCiscaucasus

Western Balkans

European Union institutions and member states use the term "Western Balkans" to refer to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, as well as Kosovo. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in [4] The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development uses "Western Balkans" to refer to the above states, minus Croatia. Founded in 1991 the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD uses the tools of investment to help build market economies and democracies in 27 countries from central Europe [5][6][7][8]

Ambiguities and controversies

The northern border of the Balkan peninsula is usually considered to be the line formed by the Danube, Sava and Kupa rivers and a segment connecting the spring of the Kupa with the Kvarner Bay. The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj The Sava ( Bosnian, Croatian, Slovene: Sava; Serbian: Сава, Sava) is a river in The Kupa ( Croatian) or Kolpa ( Slovene) river forms a natural border between north-west Croatia and southeast Slovenia. The Kvarner Gulf ( Croatian: Kvarnerski zaljev, Italian: Golfo del Quarnero/Quarnaro/Carnaro; sometimes also Kvarner Bay) is a

Some other definitions of the northern border of the Balkans have been proposed:

Balkan peninsula with northwest border Soča-Krka-Sava
Balkan peninsula with northwest border Soča-Krka-Sava

The most commonly used Danube-Sava-Kupa northern boundary is arbitrarily set as to the physiographical characteristics, however it can be easily recognized on the map. The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj The Sava ( Bosnian, Croatian, Slovene: Sava; Serbian: Сава, Sava) is a river in The Krka is a river in the Slovenian Region of Lower Carniola with a length of around 111 km. Postojna (Adelsberg Postumia Grotte is a town and a municipality in the province of Carniola, 35 kilometers (22 miles from Trieste in southwestern Slovenia The Vipava (in Slovene) or Vipacco (in Italian) or Wipbach / Wippach (in German) is a River that flows through The Soča (in Slovene) or The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj The Sava ( Bosnian, Croatian, Slovene: Sava; Serbian: Сава, Sava) is a river in The Idrijca is a River flowing through the Idrija Hills and Cerkno Hills. The Soča (in Slovene) or The Dniester (Дністер translit Dnister; Nistru is a river in Eastern Europe. Timişoara (pronunciation in Romanian: {{IPA|/timiˈʃo̯ara/}}; Hungarian: Temesvár, German: Temeschburg, Temeswar Zagreb (ˈzɑːgrɛb is the Capital and the largest city of Croatia. Triglav (Monte Tricorno is the highest Mountain in Slovenia (and formerly in all of Yugoslavia and the Illyrian Provinces) and the Julian Trieste (Trieste Slovene and Croatian: Trst; German: Triest) is a city and port in northeastern Italy very near to ODESSA which stands for the German phrase O rganisation d er e hemaligen SS - A ngehörigen which in turn translates Trieste (Trieste Slovene and Croatian: Trst; German: Triest) is a city and port in northeastern Italy very near to Ljubljana ( is the largest and Capital city of Slovenia. It is located in the center of the country and is a mid-sized city of some 270000 inhabitants The Sava ( Bosnian, Croatian, Slovene: Sava; Serbian: Сава, Sava) is a river in The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj The Soča (in Slovene) or The Krka is a river in the Slovenian Region of Lower Carniola with a length of around 111 km. The Sava ( Bosnian, Croatian, Slovene: Sava; Serbian: Сава, Sava) is a river in It has a historical and cultural substantiation. The region so defined (excluding Montenegro, Dalmatia, and the Ionian Islands) constituted most of the European territory of the Ottoman Empire from the late 15th to the 19th century. Montenegro ( British English) Montenegrin / Serbian: PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THE LANGUAGES WITHOUT CONSENSUS ON THE TALK PAGE! This article is about the group of islands west of Greece For the ancient region in western Anatolia see Ionia. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Kupa forms a natural boundary between south-eastern Slovenia and Croatia and has been a political frontier since the 12th century, separating Carniola (belonging to Austria) from Croatia (belonging to Hungary). Carniola (Kranjska Krain is a traditional and historical region of Slovenia. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic

The Danube-Sava-Krka-Postojnska Vrata-Vipava-Isonzo line ignores some historical and cultural characteristics, but can be seen as a rational delimitation of the Balkan peninsula from a geographical point of view. It assigns all the Karstic and Dinaric area to the Balkan region. The other separation is Danube-Sava-Una, which is a natural border between Croatia, and Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovnia.

The Sava bisects Croatia and Serbia and the Danube, which is the second largest European river (after Volga), forms a natural boundary between both Bulgaria and Serbia and Romania. North of that line lies the Pannonian plain and (in the case of Romania) the Carpathian mountains. The Pannonian Plain is a large Plain in Central Europe that remained when the Pliocene Pannonian Sea dried out The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians (Carpaţi Czech, Polish and Slovak: Karpaty; Ukrainian: Карпати

Although Romania (with the exception of Dobrudja) is not geographically a part of the Balkans, it is often included in the Balkans in public discourse.

The northern boundary of the Balkan peninsula can also be drawn otherwise, in which case at least a part of Slovenia and a small part of Italy (Province of Trieste) may be included in the Balkans. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Province of Trieste (Provincia di Trieste Tržaška pokrajina is a province in the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy.

Croatia is located by half in the Balkan Peninsula and it is generally included to the Balkan states.

Slovenia is also sometimes regarded as a Balkan country due to its association with the former Yugoslavia. See also Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian When the Balkans are described as a twentieth-century geopolitical region, the whole Yugoslavia is included (in which case Slovenia, Croatia and Vojvodina would also be considered Balkan). The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina ( Serbian: Аутономна Покрајина Војводина or Autonomna Pokrajina Vojvodina; Hungarian: Vajdaság

Current common definition

In most of the English-speaking, western world, the countries commonly included in the Balkan region are:[9][10][11][12][13][14]

Some other countries are sometimes included in the list as well:

Related countries

Other countries not included in the Balkan region that are close to it and/or play or have played an important role in the region's geopolitics, culture and history:

Regional organizations

Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) member states
Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) member states
Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe      members     observers      supporting partners
Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe      members     observers      supporting partners
Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA)      members      former members, joined the EU
Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA)      members      former members, joined the EU
Central European Initiative (CEI) member states
Central European Initiative (CEI) member states
Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI)      members      observers
Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI)      members      observers
Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)      members      observers
Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)      members      observers

See also the Black Sea Regional organizations

Nature and natural resources

Southeastern Europe as seen from NASA's Terra Satellite
Southeastern Europe as seen from NASA's Terra Satellite

Most of the area is covered by mountain ranges running from north-west to south-east. This article is about the country in southern Europe For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Albania topics. Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Montenegro ( British English) Montenegrin / Serbian: PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THE LANGUAGES WITHOUT CONSENSUS ON THE TALK PAGE! The Republic of Macedonia (Република Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova ( Republica Moldova) is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches This is a list of countries spanning more than one continent, sometimes referred to as transcontinental states. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía The Cyprus dispute is a territorial conflict between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and also Republic of Cyprus and Turkey over Cyprus, an Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Trieste (Trieste Slovene and Croatian: Trst; German: Triest) is a city and port in northeastern Italy very near to The history of the Republic of Venice began with the city of Venice, which originated as a collection of lagoon communities banded together for mutual defence from Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending One of the first Serbian states Raška, was founded in the first half of the 7th century on Byzantine territory by the Unknown The South East European Co-operation Process (SEECP was launched on Bulgaria 's initiative in 1996. Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe is an institution aimed at strengthening peace Democracy, Human rights and economy in the countries of South Eastern Members As of 1 May 2007, the parties of the CEFTA agreement are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The Central European Initiative or CEI, is a political economical cultural and scientific international organisation founded in 1989 The Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI is an international organization aimed to combat and improve coordination against transborder crime in Southeast Europe On 25 June 1992, the Heads of State and Government of eleven countries signed in Istanbul the Summit Declaration and the Bosporus Statement The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey The main ranges are the Dinaric Alps in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia, the Šar massif which spreads from Albania to Republic of Macedonia and the Pindus range, spanning from southern Albania into central Greece. The Dinaric Alps or Dinarides ( Croatian and Bosnian: Dinarsko gorje or Dinaridi, Alpet Dinaride The Šar Mountains (Malet e Sharrit, Шар Планина Šar planina) is a Mountain range that extends from southern Kosovo and the northwest This article is about the mountain range called Pindus for other uses of these names see Pindus (disambiguation The Pindus (Πίνδος In Bulgaria there are ranges running from east to west: the Balkan mountains and the Rhodope mountains at the border with Greece. The Balkan Mountain range ( Bulgarian and Стара планина Stara planina, "Old Mountain" The Rhodopes (Родопи Rodopi, usually used with a definite article Родопите Rodopite, sometimes also called Родопа Rodopa or Родопа The highest mountain of the region is Musala in Bulgaria at 2925 m, with Mount Olympus in Greece, the throne of Zeus, being second at 2919 m and Vihren in Bulgaria being the third at 2914. Musala (Мусала is the highest peak in Bulgaria and the entire Balkan Peninsula, standing at 2925 m (9596 ft The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Mount Olympus (Όλυμπος also transliterated as Ólympos, and on Greek maps Óros Ólimbos) is the highest Mountain in Greece

On the coasts the climate is Mediterranean, in the inland it is moderate continental. A Mediterranean climate is one that resembles the Climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes over half of the area with this climate type world-wide Continental climate is a Climate that is characterized by Winter Temperatures cold enough to support a fixed period of Snow cover each Year In the northern part of the peninsula and on the mountains, winters are frosty and snowy, while summers are hot and dry. In the southern part winters are milder.

During the centuries many woods have been cut down and replaced with bush and brush. In the southern part and on the coast there is evergreen vegetation. In the inland there are woods typical of Central Europe (oak and beech, and in the mountains, spruce, fir and pine). Central Europe is the Region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of about 400 species of Trees and Shrubs in the Genus Quercus (from Latin For the babyfood see Beech-Nut. Beech ( Fagus) is a genus of ten Species of Deciduous Trees in the Spruce refers to Trees of the genus Picea, a genus of about 35 species of Coniferous Evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae Firs ( Abies) are a genus of between 45-55 species of Evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. This article is about the tree For other uses of the term "pine" see Pine (disambiguation. The tree line in the mountains lies at the height of 1800-2300 m. The tree line or timberline is the edge of the habitat at which Trees are capable of growing

The soils are generally poor, except on the plains where areas with natural grass, fertile soils and warm summers provide an opportunity for tillage. Elsewhere, land cultivation is mostly unsuccessful because of the mountains, hot summers and poor soils, although certain cultures such as olives and grapes flourish. The Olive ( Olea europaea) is a Species of small Tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern For the Tokyo University supercomputer see Gravity Pipe. GRAPE, or GRA phics P rogramming E nvironment is

Resources of energy are scarce. There are some deposits of coal, especially in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Bosnia. Lignite deposits are widespread in Greece. Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad, is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere Petroleum is most notably present in Romania, although scarce reserves exist in Greece, Serbia, Albania and Croatia. Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit Natural gas deposits are scarce. Natural gas is a Gaseous Fossil fuel consisting primarily of Methane but including significant quantities of Ethane, Propane, Hydropower stations are largely used in energetics.

Metal ores are more usual than other raw materials. Iron ore is rare but in some countries there is a considerable amount of copper, zinc, tin, chromite, manganese, magnesite and bauxite. Copper (ˈkɒpɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol Cu (cuprum and Atomic number 29 Zinc (ˈzɪŋk from Zink is a Metallic Chemical element with the symbol Zn and Atomic number 30 Tin is a Chemical element with the symbol Sn (stannum and Atomic number 50 Chromite is iron magnesium chromium oxide (Fe MgCr2O4 It is an Oxide Mineral belonging to the Spinel group Manganese (ˈmæŋgəniːz is a Chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. Magnesite is not to be confused with Magnetite or Magnemite. Magnesite is Magnesium carbonate, Mg[[carbon Bauxite is the most important Aluminium Ore. It consists largely of the minerals Gibbsite Al(OH3 Boehmite γ-AlO(OH and Some metals are exported.

History and geopolitical significance

Political history of the Balkans
Political history of the Balkans
Main article: History of the Balkans

The Balkan region was the first area of Europe to experience the arrival of farming cultures in the Neolithic era. The Balkans is an area of southeastern Europe situated at a major crossroads between mainland Europe and the Near East. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos The practices of growing grain and raising livestock arrived in the Balkans from the Fertile Crescent by way of Anatolia, and spread west and north into Pannonia and Central Europe. The Fertile Crescent is a Crescent -shaped region in the Middle East, originally incorporating the Levant and Ancient Mesopotamia, and often Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black Pannonia is an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, Central Europe is the Region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and

In pre-classical and classical antiquity, this region was home to Greek city-states, Illyrians, Paeonians, Thracians, Epirotes, Mollosians, Thessalians, Dacians and other ancient groups. Classical antiquity (also the classical era or classical period) is a broad term for a long period of cultural History centered on the Mediterranean A polis ( πόλις, pronunciation, in English-- plural poleis ( πόλεις, pronunciation, in English --is a City, a Illyrians has come to refer to a broad ill-defined " Indo-European " group of peoples who inhabited the western Balkans ( Illyria, roughly For the flower genus see Peony. Paionia or Paeonia (Παιονία was in ancient geography the land of the Paeonians "Thracians" also refers to modern inhabitants of Thrace, regardless of ethnicity The term Epirotes (Ηπειρώτες refers to the inhabitants of the region of Epirus. The Molossians (Μολοσσοί English: Molossoi were an ancient Greek tribe that settled Epirus during Mycenaean times Thessalia redirects here For the Butterfly Genus, see Thessalia (butterfly. The Dacians ( Lat Daci, Gr Dákai) were a Thracian people the ancient inhabitants of Dacia (located in the area Later the Roman Empire conquered most of the region and spread Roman culture and the Latin language but significant parts still remained under classical Greek influence. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca During the Middle Ages, the Balkans became the stage for a series of wars between the Byzantine, Bulgarian and Serbian Empires. The History of Bulgaria as a separate country began in 632 AD with the establishment of Old Great Bulgaria, which stretched from east of the Sea The Serbian Empire ( Serbian: Српско Царство Srpsko Carstvo) was a medieval empire in the Balkans that emerged from the medieval

The Balkans at the end of the 19th century
The Balkans at the end of the 19th century

By the end of the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire became the controlling force in the region, although it was centered around Anatolia. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black In the past 550 years, because of the frequent Ottoman wars in Europe fought in and around the Balkans, and the comparative Ottoman isolation from the mainstream of economic advance (reflecting the shift of Europe's commercial and political centre of gravity towards the Atlantic), the Balkans has been the least developed part of Europe. The wars of the Ottoman Empire in Europe are also sometimes referred to as the Ottoman Wars or as Turkish Wars, particularly in older European

The Balkan nations began to regain their independence in the 19th century (Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro), and in 1912-1913 a Balkan League reduced Turkey's territory to its present extent in the Balkan Wars. The Balkan League was the alliance of Serbia, Montenegro, Greece and Bulgaria against the Ottoman Empire during the Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two wars in South-eastern Europe in 1912–1913 in the course of which the Balkan League ( Bulgaria, Montenegro, Greece The First World War was sparked in 1914 by the assassination in Sarajevo (the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina) of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan Franz Ferdinand ( December 18, 1863 &ndash June 28, 1914) was an Archduke of Austria-Este, Prince Imperial of

After the Second World War, the Soviet Union and communism played a very important role in the Balkans. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based During the Cold War, most of the countries in the Balkans were ruled by Soviet-supported communist governments. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the

However, despite being under communist governments, Yugoslavia (1948) and Albania (1961) fell out with the Soviet Union. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian: This article is about the country in southern Europe For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Albania topics. Yugoslavia, led by marshal Josip Broz Tito (1892–1980), first propped up then rejected the idea of merging with Bulgaria, and instead sought closer relations with the West, later even joining many third world countries in the Non-Aligned Movement. The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings Third World is a name given to nations that are generally considered to be underdeveloped economically The Non-Aligned Movement ( NAM) is an International organization of states considering themselves not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc Albania on the other hand gravitated toward Communist China, later adopting an isolationist position. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Isolationism is a Foreign policy which combines a non-interventionist military policy and a political policy of Economic nationalism ( Protectionism

The only non-communist countries were Greece and Turkey, which were (and still are) part of NATO. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches The North Atlantic Treaty

In the 1990s, the region was gravely affected by armed conflict in the former Yugoslav republics, resulting in intervention by NATO forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and the Republic of Macedonia. The Yugoslav Wars were a series of violent conflicts in the territory of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY that took place between 1991 and The North Atlantic Treaty Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan The Republic of Macedonia (Република The status of Kosovo and ethnic Albanians in general is still mostly unresolved. } Albanians (Shqiptarët are an Ethnic group and a Nation, in the sense of sharing a common Albanian culture speaking the Albanian language

Balkan countries control the direct land routes between Western Europe and South West Asia (Asia Minor and the Middle East). The international E-road network is a numbering system for Roads in Europe developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE. Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe ' Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. Since 2000, all Balkan countries are friendly towards the EU and the USA. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Greece has been a member of the European Union since 1981; Slovenia and Cyprus since 2004. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía Bulgaria and Romania became members in 2007. The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania In 2005 the European Union decided to start accession negotiations with candidate countries Croatia and Turkey and the Republic of Macedonia was accepted as a candidate for the European Union membership. Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches The Republic of Macedonia (Република As of 2004, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia are also members of NATO. The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west The North Atlantic Treaty Bosnia and Herzegovina and what was then Serbia and Montenegro started negotiations with the EU over the Stabilisation and Accession Agreements, although shortly after they started, negotiations with Serbia and Montenegro were suspended for lack of co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro (Државна заједница Србија и Црна Гора / Državna zajednica Srbija i Crna Gora, abbreviated The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991

All other countries have expressed a desire to join the EU but at some date in the future.

Population composition by nationality and religion

Ethnic map of the Balkans prior to the First Balkan War, by Paul Vidal de la Blache.
Ethnic map of the Balkans prior to the First Balkan War, by Paul Vidal de la Blache. The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 pitted the Balkan League ( Serbia, Montenegro, Greece, and Bulgaria Paul Vidal de la Blache ( Pézenas, 22 January 1845 - Tamaris, 5 April 1918) was a French geographer

The region's principal nationalities include:

The region's principal religions are (Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic) Christianity and Islam. The Romani people (singular Rom, plural Roma as a Noun; also known as Romanies or Roma people) are an ethnic group with origins PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. A variety of different traditions of each faith are practiced, with each of the Eastern Orthodox countries having its own national church.

Eastern Orthodoxy is the principal religion in the following countries:

Roman Catholicism is the principal religion in the following countries:

Islam is the principal religion in the following countries:

The following countries have many religious groups which exceed 10% of the total population:

For more detailed information and a precise ethnic breakdown see articles about particular states:

References

  1. ^ "Balkan." (English). Encarta World English Dictionary. Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved on 2008-03-31. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor
  2. ^ "Balkhan Mountains." (English). World Land Features Database. Land. WorldCityDB. com. Retrieved on 2008-03-31. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor
  3. ^ Pavic, Silvia (2000-11-22). 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Events 498 - Kofi Aseidu- After the death of Anastasius II, Symmachus is elected Pope in the Lateran "Some Thoughts About The Balkans." (English). About, Inc. . Retrieved on 2008-03-31. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor
  4. ^ Western Balkans: Enhancing the European Perspective. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council (2008-03-05). 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a Retrieved on 2008-04-08. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian
  5. ^ Marjola Xhunga. "Western Balkans Initiative launched", European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 2006-05-21. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. Retrieved on 2008-05-17. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason.  
  6. ^ http://www.ebrd.com/pubs/factsh/themes/wbalkans.pdf
  7. ^ Marjola Xhunga. "Western Balkans Initiative launched", European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 2006-05-21. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. Retrieved on 2008-05-17. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason.  
  8. ^ http://www.ebrd.com/pubs/factsh/themes/wbalkans.pdf
  9. ^ britannica.com - Balkans, comprising Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova
  10. ^ encarta.msn.com - commonly known as the Balkan states: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, and Bulgaria
  11. ^ The Columbia Encyclopedia - The Balkan Peninsula therefore includes most of Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, continental Greece (including the Peloponnesus), Bulgaria, European Turkey, and SE Romania. These countries, successors to the Ottoman Empire, are called the Balkan States. Historically and politically the region extends north of this line to include all of Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Romania.
  12. ^ http://geo.international.gc.ca/canada-europa/croatia/right_nav/about_croatia-en.asp
  13. ^ http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9113768/CROATIA
  14. ^ http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9112720/CROATIA
  15. ^ Only the European section of it (traditionally called Rumelia or Eastern Thrace) is in the Balkans. Rumelia or Rumeli ( Turkish: Rumeli ("Land of the Romans" from Rum: "Greek" "Roman" and El Thrace (Тракия Trakiya or "Trakija" or Trakia, Θράκη Thráki, Trakya is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe "Balkan Peninsula." (English). Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2007. Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved on 2008-03-31. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor

See also

External links

The Balkans is an area of southeastern Europe situated at a major crossroads between mainland Europe and the Near East. This is a list of major historical regions of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan Wars were two wars in South-eastern Europe in 1912–1913 in the course of which the Balkan League ( Bulgaria, Montenegro, Greece This is a list of languages spoken in the Balkans. With the exception of several Turkic languages Hungarian and Circassian all of them belong to the Indo-European family The Balkan Sprachbund or linguistic area is the ensemble of Areal features —similarity in grammar syntax vocabulary and phonology—among languages of Balkanization is a geopolitical term originally used to describe the process of fragmentation or division of a region or state into smaller regions or states that are often Balkan Insight is a publication of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN that focusses on news analysis commentary and investigative reporting from Southeast The Orient Express is the name of a long-distance Passenger train originally operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. The music of Southeastern Europe or Balkan music is a type of music distinct from others in Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina ’s Slavic population underwent a large-scale conversion to Islam after the region’s conquest and occupation by the Ottoman Empire The United States Department of Energy ( DOE) is a Cabinet -level department of the United States government responsible for energy policy

Dictionary

Balkans

-proper noun

  1. A geographical region in the southeast of Europe, roughly equivalent to the area covered by the former Yugoslav countries, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece and sometimes Romania.
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