Balkans 4829 225861139 2008-07-15T19:12:02Z Hkp-avniel 5843007 /* Jewish Communities of the Balkans */ spelling {{redirect|Balkan}} [[Image:Balkanpeninsula.png|thumb|250px|Balkan peninsula (as defined by the Danube-Sava-Kupa line)]] The '''Balkans''' is the historic and geographic name used to describe a [[subregion|region]] of southeastern [[Europe]]. The region has a combined area of {{convert|550000|km2|sqmi|sigfig=3|lk=on|abbr=on}} and an approximate population of 55 million people. The ancient [[Greek language|Greek]] name for the ''Balkan Peninsula'' is the Peninsula of [[Haemus]] (Χερσόνησος του Αίμου, ''Chersónisos tou Aímou''). The region takes its name from the [[Balkan Mountains]] which run through the centre of [[Bulgaria]] into eastern [[Serbia]]. ==Definitions and boundaries== ===Balkan Peninsula=== [[Image:Balkan peninsula line.jpg|thumb|right|Line stretching from the northernmost point of the [[Adriatic]] to the northernmost point of the [[Black Sea]]{{Fact|date=May 2008}}]] 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 sea|Adriatic]], [[Ionian sea|Ionian]], [[Aegean sea|Aegean]] and [[Sea of Marmara|Marmara]] seas). ===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 [[Latin]] and [[Greek language|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]]. The Balkans today is a very diverse ethno-linguistic region, being home to multiple [[Slavic languages|Slavic]], [[Romance languages|Romance]], and [[Turkic languages]], as well as [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Albanian language|Albanian]], and others. Through its history many other ethnic groups with their own languages lived in the area, among them [[Thracians]], [[Illyrians]], [[Ancient Rome|Romans]], [[Uzes]], [[Pechenegs]], [[Cumans]], [[Avars]], [[Celts]], [[Germans]] and various Germanic tribes. 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]]. 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]]. In the 20th century, the Balkan nations—except [[Greece]] and [[Yugoslavia]]—were made part of the [[Warsaw Pact|Warsaw pact]] (as a result of [[Iron Curtain|Soviet hegemony]] after the ending of [[Effects of World War II|World War II]]). Following the pact's collapse and the [[breakup of Yugoslavia]], the Balkan states have [[Enlargement of the European Union|acceded to the European Union]], or are in the process of doing so. ===Etymology and evolving meaning=== The region takes its name from the "Balkan" mountain range in [[Bulgaria]] (from the [[Turkish language|Turkish]] {{lang|tr|''balkan''}} meaning "a chain of wooded mountains").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/balkan.html|title="Balkan."|work=Encarta World English Dictionary|publisher=Microsoft Corporation|accessdate=2008-03-31|language=English}}</ref> The name is still preserved in [[Central Asia]] where there exist the [[Balkan Daglary|Balkan Mountains]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://land.worldcitydb.com/balkhan_mountains_3522246.html|title="Balkhan Mountains."|work=World Land Features Database|publisher=Land.WorldCityDB.com|accessdate=2008-03-31|language=English}}</ref> and the [[Balkan Province]] of [[Turkmenistan]]. On a larger scale, one long continuous chain of mountains crosses the region in the form of a reversed letter S, from the [[Carpathian Mountains|Carpathians]] south to the Balkan range proper, before it marches away east into [[Anatolia]]n Turkey. 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 word was based on Turkish {{lang|tr|''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 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.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pavic|first=Silvia|url=http://geography.about.com/library/misc/ucbalkans.htm|title="Some Thoughts About The Balkans."|publisher=About, Inc.|date=2000-11-22|accessdate=2008-03-31|language=English}}</ref> 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]]). Zeune's goal was to have a geographical parallel term to the [[Italian peninsula|Italic]] and [[Iberian Peninsula]], and seemingly nothing more. 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. 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'. 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]]'. ===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 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. ===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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/balkans_communication/western_balkans_communication_050308_en.pdf|title=Western Balkans: Enhancing the European Perspective|publisher=Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council|date=2008-03-05|accessdate=2008-04-08}}</ref> The [[European Bank for Reconstruction and Development]] uses "Western Balkans" to refer to the above states, minus Croatia.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ebrd.com/new/stories/2006/060521a.htm|title=Western Balkans Initiative launched|author=Marjola Xhunga|publisher=European Bank for Reconstruction and Development|date=2006-05-21|accessdate=2008-05-17}}</ref><ref>http://www.ebrd.com/pubs/factsh/themes/wbalkans.pdf</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ebrd.com/new/stories/2006/060521a.htm|title=Western Balkans Initiative launched|author=Marjola Xhunga|publisher=European Bank for Reconstruction and Development|date=2006-05-21|accessdate=2008-05-17}}</ref><ref>http://www.ebrd.com/pubs/factsh/themes/wbalkans.pdf</ref> ===Ambiguities and controversies=== {{Refimprovesect|date=May 2008}} The northern border of the Balkan peninsula is usually considered to be the line formed by the [[Danube]], [[Sava]] and [[Kupa River (Croatia)|Kupa]] rivers and a segment connecting the spring of the Kupa with the [[Kvarner Bay]]. Some other definitions of the northern border of the Balkans have been proposed: *the line [[Danube]] - [[Sava]] - [[Krka, Slovenia|Krka River]] - [[Postojna|Postojnska Vrata]] - [[Vipava River]] - [[Soča]] *the line [[Danube]] - [[Sava]] - [[Ljubljansko polje]] - [[Idrijca]] - [[Soča]] *the line [[Dniester]] - [[Timişoara]] - [[Zagreb]] - [[Triglav]] *the line [[Trieste]] - [[Odessa]] ([[Trieste-Odessa line]])<ref>http://runeberg.org/salmonsen/2/2/0604.html</ref> *the line Bay of [[Trieste]] - [[Ljubljana]] - [[Sava]] - [[Danube]] (<ref>http://www.rastko.org.yu/istorija/srbi-balkan/jilic-knot.html</ref>) [[Image:Balkan topo en.jpg|thumb|350px|Balkan peninsula with northwest border [[Soča]]-[[Krka, Slovenia|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. 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. 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]]). 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]]. 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. {{Fact|date=May 2008}} 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]]. 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). ===Current common definition=== In most of the English-speaking, western world, the countries commonly included in the Balkan region are:<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9110555/Balkans britannica.com] - Balkans, comprising Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova</ref><ref>[http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761567023/Balkan_Peninsula.html 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</ref><ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/65/ba/BalkanPe.html 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.</ref><ref>http://geo.international.gc.ca/canada-europa/croatia/right_nav/about_croatia-en.asp</ref><ref>http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9113768/CROATIA</ref><ref>http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9112720/CROATIA</ref> *{{ALB}} *{{BIH}} *{{BUL}} *{{CRO}} *{{GRE}} *{{flagcountry|Kosovo}} (sovereignty disputed; not a UN member) *{{MNE}} *{{MKD}} *{{SRB}} ===Related countries=== Some other countries are sometimes included in the list as well: *{{MDA}} *{{ROU}} *{{SLO}} *{{TUR}} (a [[transcontinental country]])<ref>Only the European section of it (traditionally called [[Rumelia]] or Eastern [[Thrace]]) is in the Balkans. {{cite web|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761567023/balkan_peninsula.html|title="Balkan Peninsula."|work=Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2007|publisher=Microsoft Corporation|accessdate=2008-03-31|language=English}}</ref> 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: *[[Austria]] (see also [[Austria-Hungary]], [[Assassination in Sarajevo]]) *[[Cyprus]] (see also [[Cyprus dispute]]) *[[Hungary]] (see also [[Austria-Hungary]]) *[[Italy]] (see [[Triest]] and [[History of the Republic of Venice|History of the Venetian Republic]]) *[[Russia]] (see [[History of Serbia]]) == Regional organizations ==<!-- This section is linked from [[Black Sea]] --> {| style="width:500px" |- |[[Image:SEECP members.png|thumb|280px|[[Southeast European Cooperation Process]] (SEECP) member states]] || [[Image:SP for SEE members.png|thumb|280px|[[Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe]] {{legend|#ff7f40|members}}{{legend|#00ff00|observers}} {{legend|#007fff|supporting partners}}]] |- |[[Image:CEFTA members 2007.png|thumb|280px|[[Central European Free Trade Agreement]] (CEFTA) {{legend|#ff7f40|members}} {{legend|#007fff|former members, joined the [[European Union|EU]]}}]] ||[[Image:CEI members.png|right|thumb|280px|[[Central European Initiative]] (CEI) member states]] |- |[[Image:SECI members.png|right|thumb|280px|[[Southeast European Cooperative Initiative]] (SECI) {{legend|#ff7f40|members}} {{legend|#00ff00|observers}}]] || [[Image:BSEC members.png|right|thumb|280px|[[Black Sea Economic Cooperation]] (BSEC) {{legend|#ff7f40|members}} {{legend|#00ff00|observers}}]] |- |} See also the [[Black Sea#Regional organizations|Black Sea Regional organizations]] ==Nature and natural resources== [[Image:SEEurope-small.jpg|thumb|right|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. The main ranges are the [[Dinaric Alps]] in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia, the [[Sar mountain|Šar]] massif which spreads from Albania to Republic of Macedonia and the [[Pindus]] range, spanning from southern Albania into central Greece. In Bulgaria there are ranges running from east to west: the [[Balkan mountains]] and the [[Rhodope mountains]] at the border with Greece. The highest mountain of the region is [[Musala]] in [[Bulgaria]] at 2925 m, with [[Mount Olympus (Mountain)|Mount Olympus]] in Greece, the throne of Zeus, being second at 2919 m and Vihren in Bulgaria being the third at 2914. On the coasts the climate is [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]], in the inland it is moderate [[continental climate|continental]]. 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]]). The [[tree line]] in the mountains lies at the height of 1800-2300 m. 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 [[olive]]s and [[grape]]s flourish. Resources of energy are scarce. There are some deposits of [[coal]], especially in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Bosnia. [[Lignite]] deposits are widespread in Greece. [[Petroleum]] is most notably present in Romania, although scarce reserves exist in Greece, Serbia, Albania and Croatia. [[Natural gas]] deposits are scarce. 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]]. Some metals are exported. ==History and geopolitical significance== [[Image:Balkans Animation 1800-2006.gif|thumb|250|Political history of the Balkans]] {{main|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 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]]. 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. Later the [[Roman Empire]] conquered most of the region and spread Roman culture and the [[Latin]] language but significant parts still remained under [[Ancient Greece|classical Greek]] influence. During the [[Middle Ages]], the Balkans became the stage for a series of wars between the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]], [[History of Bulgaria|Bulgarian]] and [[Serbian Empire|Serbian]] Empires. [[Image:Stielers Handatlas 1891 50.jpg|thumb|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]]. 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 Ocean|Atlantic]]), the Balkans has been the least developed part of Europe. 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 [[World War I|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]]. After the [[World War II|Second World War]], the [[Soviet Union]] and [[communism]] played a very important role in the Balkans. During the [[Cold War]], most of the countries in the Balkans were ruled by Soviet-supported communist governments. However, despite being under communist governments, [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] (1948) and [[Albania]] (1961) fell out with the Soviet Union. Yugoslavia, led by marshal [[Josip Broz Tito]] (1892&ndash;1980), first propped up then rejected the idea of merging with [[Bulgaria]], and instead sought closer relations with the [[Western World|West]], later even joining many [[third world]] countries in the [[Non-Aligned Movement]]. Albania on the other hand gravitated toward [[People's Republic of China|Communist China]], later adopting an [[Isolationism|isolationist]] position. The only non-communist countries were [[Greece]] and [[Turkey]], which were (and still are) part of [[NATO]]. In the 1990s, the region was gravely affected by [[Yugoslav wars|armed conflict in the former Yugoslav republics]], resulting in [[intervention]] by [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization|NATO]] forces in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Kosovo]] and the [[Republic of Macedonia]]. The status of [[Kosovo]] and [[Albanians|ethnic Albanians]] in general is still mostly unresolved. Balkan countries control the direct [[European route|land routes]] between [[Western Europe]] and South West [[Asia]] ([[Asia Minor]] and the [[Middle East]]). Since 2000, all Balkan countries are friendly towards the [[European Union|EU]] and the [[United States|USA]]. [[Greece]] has been a member of the [[European Union]] since 1981; [[Slovenia]] and [[Cyprus]] since 2004. [[Bulgaria]] and [[Romania]] became members in 2007. 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. As of 2004, [[Bulgaria]], [[Romania]] and [[Slovenia]] are also members of [[NATO]]. [[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]]. All other countries have expressed a desire to join the EU but at some date in the future. ==Population composition by nationality and religion== {{Unreferencedsection|date=April 2008}} [[Image:Balkans-ethnique.JPG|thumb|right|300px|Ethnic map of the Balkans prior to the [[First Balkan War]], by [[Paul Vidal de la Blache]].]] The region's principal nationalities include: * [[Romanians]] (20 million) * [[Greeks]] (11.5 million) * [[Turkish people|Turks]] (10 million) * [[Serbs]] (10 million) * [[Bulgarians]] (7.3 million) * [[Albanians]] (6.4 million) * [[Croats]] (4.5 million) * [[Bosniaks]] (2 million) * [[Slovenes]] (1.8 million) * [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonians]] (1.3 million) * [[Montenegrins]] (0.3 million) * others ([[Roma (people)|Roma]], [[Jews]]) The region's principal religions are ([[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern Orthodox]] and [[Roman Catholicism|Roman Catholic]]) [[Christianity]] and [[Islam]]. 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: *Bulgaria ([[Bulgarian Orthodox Church]]) *Greece ([[Church of Greece]]) *Republic of Macedonia (unrecognized [[Macedonian Orthodox Church]]) *Montenegro ([[Serbian Orthodox Church]]) *Romania ([[Romanian Orthodox Church]]) *Serbia ([[Serbian Orthodox Church]]) [[Roman Catholicism]] is the principal religion in the following countries: *Croatia *Slovenia [[Islam]] is the principal religion in the following countries: *Albania *Bosnia & Herzegovina (40% Muslim) *Turkey The following countries have significant minority religious groups of the following denominations: *Albania: Eastern Orthodox, Catholicism. *Bosnia and Herzegovina: Eastern Orthodox, Catholicism *Bulgaria: Islam. *Croatia: Serbs of the Serbian Orthodox Church. *Republic of Macedonia: Albanian and Turkish minorities are predominantly Muslim. *Montenegro: Albanians and Bosniaks and other Slavic Muslims are followers of Islam. *Serbia: Albanians and Bosniaks and other Slavic Muslims (e.g. [[Gorani]]) are followers of Islam, Hungarians and Croats are mostly Catholic, Slovaks are mostly Protestant (Evangelic). For more detailed information and a precise ethnic breakdown see articles about particular states: * [[Albania]], [[Demographics of Albania]] * [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Demographics of Bosnia and Herzegovina]] * [[Bulgaria]], [[Demographics of Bulgaria]] * [[Greece]], [[Demographics of Greece]] * [[Montenegro]], [[Demographics of Montenegro]] * [[Republic of Macedonia]], [[Demographics of the Republic of Macedonia]] * [[Serbia]], [[Demographics of Serbia]] * [[Turkey]], [[Demographics of Turkey]] ==Jewish Communities of the Balkans== The Jewish communities of the Balkans are some of the oldest in Europe and date back to ancient times as well as having received a large influx of [[Sephardic]] Jews and later [[Ashkenazi]] Jews. In Slovenia, there were Jewish immigrants dating back to Roman times pre-dating the 6th Century settlement of the region by the Slavic peoples.<ref>Jews of Yugoslavia 1941-1945 Victims of Genocide and Freedom Fighters, Jasa Romano </ref> In [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], the Jewish communitiy is 90% [[Sephardic]] (Jews of Spanish origin) and [[Ladino]] is still spoken among the elderly. The Sephardi Jewish cemetery in [[Sarajevo]] is one of the most important Jewish burial grounds in Europe because of the shape of the tombstones and the ancient Ladino inscriptions on them.<ref>http://www.eurojewcong.org/ejc/news.php?id_article=59 [Accessed July 15, 2008].</ref> ==References== {{Refimprove|date=February 2008}} === Notes === {{reflist}} === Sources === <div class="references-small"> * {{cite journal |last=Banac |first=Ivo |authorlink=Ivo Banac |year=1992 |month=October |title=Historiography of the Countries of Eastern Europe: Yugoslavia |journal=[[American Historical Review]] |volume=97 |issue=4 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |pages=pp. 1084–1104 |url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-8762(199210)97%3A4%3C1084%3AY%3E2.0.CO%3B2-O |format=fee required |accessdate=2008-06-19}} * {{cite book |last=Banac |first=Ivo |title=The National Question in Yugoslavia: Origins, History, Politics |year=1984 |publisher=Cornell University Press |location=Ithaca, N.Y. |isbn=978-0801494932}} * Carter, Francis W., ed. ''An Historical Geography of the Balkans'' Academic Press, 1977. * Dvornik, Francis. ''The Slavs in European History and Civilization'' Rutgers University Press, 1962. * Fine, John V. A., Jr. ''The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century'' [1983]; ''The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest.'' Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, [1987]. * John R. Lampe and Marvin R. Jackson; ''Balkan Economic History, 1550-1950: From Imperial Borderlands to Developing Nations'' Indiana University Press, 1982 * {{cite book |last=Jelavich |first=Barbara |authorlink=Barbara Jelavich |title=History of the Balkans |date=1983-07-29 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]}} * {{cite book |last=Jelavich |first=Charles and Jelavich, Barbara, eds. |title=The Balkans In Transition: Essays on the Development of Balkan Life and Politics Since the Eighteenth Century |year=1963 |publisher=[[University of California Press]]}} * Király, Béla K., ed. ''East Central European Society in the Era of Revolutions, 1775-1856.'' 1984 * {{cite book |last=Komlos |first=John |authorlink=John Komlos |title=Economic Development in the Habsburg Monarchy and in the Successor States |series=East European Monographs #28 |date=1990-10-15 |publisher=East European Monographs |location= |isbn=978-0880331777}} * {{cite book |last=Mazower |first=Mark |authorlink=Mark Mazower |title=The Balkans: A Short History |series=[[Modern Library Chronicles]] |year=2000 |publisher=[[Random House]] |location=New York |isbn=0-679-64087-8 }} * {{cite book |last=Stavrianos |first=L. S. |authorlink=L. S. Stavrianos |others=with Traian Stoianovich |title=The Balkans since 1453 |date=2000-05-01 |origyear=1958 |publisher=NYU Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0814797662}} * {{cite book |last=Stoianovich |first=Traian |title=Balkan Worlds: The First and Last Europe |month=September |year=1994 |series=Sources and Studies in World History |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |location=New York |isbn=978-1563240324 }} </div> ==See also== *[[History of the Balkans]] **[[Historical regions of the Balkan Peninsula]] **[[Balkan wars]] *[[Balkan languages]] **[[Balkan sprachbund]] *[[Balkanization]] *[[Balkan Insight]] *[[Orient Express]] *[[Music of Southeastern Europe]] *[[The Islamization of Bosnia and Herzegovina]] ==External links== {{commons|Balkans}} {{wikiquote}} * [http://www.boeckler.de/cps/rde/xchg/SID-3D0AB75D-EE15F528/hbs/hs.xsl/179.html South-East Europe Review] * [http://www.balkanbaby.blogspot.com/ BalkanBaby travel writing, analysis and photos from the Balkans] * [http://www.lib.msu.edu/sowards/balkan/ Balkan History by Steven W. Sowards] * [http://www.seeurope.net/ SEEurope.net] - news coverage on Southeastern Europe * [http://www.setimes.com/ Southeast European Times] * [http://www.csees.net/ The Centre for South East European Studies] * [http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/balkans.html Balkans region: Oil and Gas Fact Sheet] - [[United States Department of Energy]] Analysis Brief * [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4397497.stm Balkans urged to curb trafficking - BBC] * [http://www.balkanupdate.com News from Balkans] * [http://www.balkaninsight.com Analysis from Balkans] {{Balkan music}} {{Regions of the world}} [[Category:Balkans| ]] [[Category:Peninsulas of Europe]] [[Category:Words of Turkish origin]] [[als:Balkanhalbinsel]] [[ar:البلقان]] [[frp:Balcans]] [[ast:Balcanes]] [[be-x-old:Балканская паўвыспа]] [[bs:Balkan]] [[br:Balkanioù]] [[bg:Балкански полуостров]] [[ca:Balcans]] [[cv:Балкан çурутравĕ]] [[cs:Balkán]] [[cy:Balcanau]] [[da:Balkanhalvøen]] [[de:Balkanhalbinsel]] [[et:Balkani poolsaar]] [[el:Βαλκάνια]] [[es:Península Balcánica]] [[eo:Balkana duoninsulo]] [[eu:Balkanak]] [[fa:بالکان]] [[fr:Balkans]] [[fur:Balcans]] [[ga:Na Balcáin]] [[gd:Na Balcain]] [[gl:Balcáns]] [[zh-classical:巴爾幹半島]] [[ko:발칸 반도]] [[hi:बाल्कन]] [[hr:Balkan]] [[id:Balkan]] [[is:Balkanskaginn]] [[it:Penisola balcanica]] [[he:חבל הבלקן]] [[jv:Balkan]] [[sw:Balkani]] [[ku:Balkan]] [[lad:Balkanos]] [[la:Paeninsula Balcanica]] [[lv:Balkānu pussala]] [[lt:Balkanai]] [[hu:Délkelet-Európa]] [[mk:Балкански полуостров]] [[ms:Balkan]] [[nl:Balkan (schiereiland)]] [[new:बाल्कन]] [[ja:バルカン半島]] [[no:Balkan]] [[nn:Balkan]] [[nrm:Balkans]] [[oc:Balcans]] [[pl:Półwysep Bałkański]] [[pt:Bálcãs]] [[ro:Balcani]] [[ru:Балканский полуостров]] [[sq:Gadishulli Ballkanik]] [[scn:Pinìsula balcànica]] [[simple:Balkans]] [[sk:Balkánsky polostrov]] [[sl:Balkan]] [[sr:Балкан]] [[sh:Balkan]] [[fi:Balkan]] [[sv:Balkanhalvön]] [[th:คาบสมุทรบอลข่าน]] [[vi:Balkan]] [[tr:Balkanlar]] [[uk:Балканський півострів]] [[ur:بلقان]] [[vec:Penìxoła balcànega]] [[zh:巴尔干半岛]]