General information

Where is Kosovo ? Regional Profile

Kosovo is situated in the heart of the Balkans surrounded by the neighbouring territories of Serbia, Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia. It covers an area of 10,887 km², and has a population of approximately 1.9 million (according to 1998 estimates). 90% Albanian and 7% Serbian, these are also the two key languages. The capital Prishtina/Pristina (pop. 300,000 before the conflict) is located in a valley between the Goljak and Central Hills. The centre is developing rapidly.

Other major cities in Kosovo include Prizren/Prizren, Peje/Pec, Mitrovice/Kosovska Mitrovica, Gjakove/Djakovica and Gjilan/Gnjilane. The North west region of Kosovo, Peje, hosts the highest mountain in Kosovo, Gjeravica, at 2522 metres. The two main rivers are the Sitnica and Drini i Bardh/Beli Drim. Kosovo has natural resources of lead and zinc, copper, silver, gold and brown coal. The main agricultural products are wheat, corn and grapes.

A Short History

At the heart of the Balkans, Kosovo was part of the Roman Empire, then Byzantium and then a part of the Ottoman Empire in the early 15th Century. 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 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), and enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy from 1974- 89. 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 security in the Province. Despite occasional outbreaks of violence nearby - 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 last two-and-a-half years.

The European Union is playing a major role in the reconstruction of Kosovo. It is the largest donor providing assistance to Kosovo and South Eastern Europe. In 1999 the European Commission provided €378 million in emergency humanitarian assistance for the victims of the Kosovo crisis, after the end of the conflict a further €127 million for reconstruction programmes started. In 2000 the EU continued to support Kosovo with funds of up to € 262 million and in 2001 € 285 million.