Kosovo
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{{redirect6|Republic of Kosovo|the former entity|Republic of Kosova||Kosovo (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox Country
|conventional_long_name = Kosovo
|image_map = Kosovo-map.gif
|map_caption = [[CIA Factbook]] map of Kosovo
|ethnic_groups = 92% [[Albanians]]<br />{{spaces|2}}5.3% [[Serbs]]<br />{{spaces|2}}2.7% others<ref>[http://www.ks-gov.net/ESK/esk/english/english.htm Enti i Statistikës së Kosovës]</ref>
|ethnic_groups_year = 2007
|capital = {{nowrap|[[Pristina]] (also Prishtina, Priština)}}
|latd=42 |latm=40 |latNS=N |longd=21 |longm=10 |longEW=E
|area_magnitude = 1 E10
|area_km2 = 10,908
|area_sq_mi = 4,212
|percent_water = n/a
|population_estimate = 2,100,000<ref>See [http://www.ks-gov.net/esk/esk/pdf/english/population/Demographic%20changes%20of%20the%20Kosovo%20population%201948-2006.pdf]
[http://enrin.grida.no/htmls/kosovo/SoE/popullat.htm UN estimate], Kosovo’s population estimates range from 1.9 to 2.4 million. The last two population census conducted in 1981 and 1991 estimated Kosovo’s population at 1.6 and 1.9 million respectively, but the 1991 census probably undercounted Albanians. The latest estimate in 2001 by OSCE puts the number at 2.4 Million. The World Factbook gives an estimate of 2,126,708 for the year 2007 (see {{CIA_World_Factbook_link|kv|Kosovo}}).</ref>
|population_estimate_year = 2007
|population_census = 1,956,196{{smallsup|1}}
|population_census_year = 1991
|population_density_km2 = 220
|population_density_sq_mi = 500
|GDP_PPP_year = 2007
|GDP_PPP = $4 billion<ref name="CIAKosovo">[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kv.html CIA - The World Factbook - Kosovo], updated on [[March 20]], [[2008]], accessed on [[April 5]], [[2008]].</ref>
|GDP_PPP_rank = n/a
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $1,800<ref name="CIAKosovo"/>
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 151st
|GDP_nominal_year = 2007
|GDP_nominal = $3.237 billion<ref name="CIAKosovo"/>
|GDP_nominal_rank = n/a
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $1,500<ref name="CIAKosovo"/>
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 119th
|currency = [[Euro]] ([[Euro sign|€]])
|currency_code = EUR
|time_zone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
|utc_offset = +1
|time_zone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
|utc_offset_DST = +2
|cctld = ''None assigned''
|calling_code = 381{{smallsup|2}}
|footnote1 = The census is a reconstruction; most of the ethnic Albanian majority boycotted.
|footnote2 = Officially [[+381]]; some mobile phone providers use [[+377]] (Monaco) or [[+386]] (Slovenia) instead.
}}
{{Republic of Kosovo}}
{{Infobox Country
|conventional_long_name = Kosovo, UN protectorate
|image_map = Map of Serbia (Kosovo and Metohija).PNG
|map_caption = Kosovo within Serbia
|common_name = Kosovo
|continent = Europe
|region = Balkans
|capital = Pristina
|image_flag = Flag of the United Nations.svg
|image_coat =
|sovereignty_type = UN protectorate
|sovereignty_note = [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244|UN administration]] of [[Kosovo]], an autonomous province of [[Serbia]]
|leader_title1 = [[Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Kosovo|Special Representative]]
|leader_name1 = [[Lamberto Zannier]]
|established_event1 = [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244|UNSCR 1244]]
|established_date1 = [[10 June]] [[1999]]
|established_event2 = [[European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo|EULEX]]
|established_date2 = [[16 February]] [[2008]]
|currency = [[Euro]]
|currency_code = EUR
}}
{{History of Kosovo and Metohija}}
'''Kosovo''' ({{lang-sq|Kosova, Kosovë}}; {{lang-sr|Косово и Метохија}}; {{lang|sr-Latn|''Kosovo i Metohija''}}) is a [[Political status of Kosovo|disputed territory]] in the [[Balkans]].
<!---Note: Mentioning of Kingdom of Dardani was discussed on talk page. Please add some facts about Kingdom on Dardani article before mentioning it here.--->
The [[landlocked]] territory was a part of the lands of [[Thraco-Illyrian]] tribes, then of the [[Roman empire|Roman]], [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]], [[Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarian]], [[Serbian Empire|Serbian]], and [[Ottoman empire|Ottoman]] empires. In the 20th century it was part of the [[Kingdom of Serbia]] and its successor state [[Yugoslavia]]. Following the 1999 [[NATO bombing of Yugoslavia]] during the [[Kosovo War]], the territory came under the interim administration of the [[United Nations]] ([[UNMIK]]).
In February 2008, the [[Assembly of Kosovo]] declared Kosovo's independence as the [[Kosovo#Republic_of_Kosovo|'''Republic of Kosovo''']] ({{lang-sq|Republika e Kosovës}}). [[As of June 2008]], its independence is [[diplomatic recognition|recognised]] [[International reaction to the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence#States which formally recognize Kosovo as independent|by 43 countries]], including the [[USA]], [[France]] and the [[United Kingdom]], and [[International reaction to the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence#States which do not recognize Kosovo or have yet to decide|opposed by others]], including the [[People's Republic of China]], [[India]], [[Russia]] and the [[Republic of Serbia]], which continues to claim sovereignty over Kosovo (as the '''Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija''', {{lang-sr|Аутономна Покрајина Косово и Метохија, ''Autonomna Pokrajina Kosovo i Metohija''}}).
<!-- Note: Below, the exact sentence with alternative city names was first discussed on the talk page, proposed, then inserted here as consensus. Please do not alter it without discussing it first on the talk page. Thank you. -->
Kosovo borders [[Albania]] to the west, [[Central Serbia]] to the north and east, the [[Republic of Macedonia]] to the south, and [[Montenegro]] to the northwest. The largest city and the capital of Kosovo is [[Pristina]] (also Prishtina, Priština), while other cities include [[Peć]] (Peja), [[Prizren]], and [[Kosovska Mitrovica|Mitrovica]].
==Name==
{{main|Names of Kosovo}}
''Kosovo'' (Косово, {{IPAlink|ˈkɔsɔvɔ}}<!--PLEASE VERIFY VOWELS-->) is the Serbian neuter possessive adjective of ''kos'' (кос) "[[Turdus merula|blackbird]]",<ref>''Ibid''.</ref><ref>[http://opinionleaders.htmlplanet.com/koskosova.html "The name Kosovo"]. Dr John-Peter Maher, Professor Emeritus of Linguistics, [[Northeastern Illinois University]]</ref> an [[ellipsis]] for ''Kosovo Polje'' "field of the blackbirds", the [[Kosovo Field|site]] of the 1389 [[Battle of Kosovo Field]]. The name of the field was applied to [[Kosovo Province, Ottoman Empire|an Ottoman province]] created in 1864.
The region currently known as "Kosovo" became an administrative region in 1946, as the [[Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (1946-1974)|Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija]]. In 1974, the compositional "Kosovo and [[Metohija]]" was reduced to simple "Kosovo" in the name of the [[Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo]], but in 1990 was renamed back to [[Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (1990-1999)|Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija]].
The entire region is commonly referred to in [[English language|English]] simply as ''Kosovo'' and in [[Albanian language|Albanian]] as ''{{lang|sq|Kosova}}'' ([[Albanian language#Grammar|definite form]], {{IPAlink|kɔ'sɔva}}) or ''{{lang|sq|Kosovë}}'' ([[Albanian language#Grammar|"indefinite" form]], {{IPAlink|kɔ'sɔvə}}). In [[Serbian language|Serbian]], a distinction is made between the eastern and western areas; the term ''{{lang|sr-Latn|Kosovo}}'' ({{lang|sr|Косово}}) is used for the eastern part, while the western part is called "[[Metohija]]" ({{lang|sr|Метохија}}).
Since Kosovo declared independence, it is now also referred to as "The Republic of Kosovo" in English, though "Kosovo" is still the most common name used.
==History==
{{main|History of Kosovo|20th century history of Kosovo}}
The formation of the Republic of Kosovo is a result of the turmoils of the [[disintegration of Yugoslavia]], particularly the [[Kosovo War]] of 1996 to 1999, but it is suffused with issues dating back to the [[rise of nationalism in the Balkans]] under [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman rule]] in the 19th century, [[Albanian nationalism|Albanian]] vs. [[Serbian nationalism|Serbian]] nationalisms in particular, the latter notably surrounding the [[Battle of Kosovo]] eponymous of the Kosovo region.
===Early history===
{{main|Prehistoric Balkans|Moesia Superior|History of Medieval Kosovo|First Bulgarian Empire|History of Medieval Serbia}}
During the [[Neolithic]] period, the region of Kosovo lay within the extent of the [[Vinča-Turdaş culture]]. In the 4th to 3rd centuries BC, it was the territory of the [[Thraco-Illyrian]] tribe of the [[Dardani]]. The territory of present-day Kosovo was conquered by Rome in the 160s BC, and made the Roman province of [[Illyricum (Roman province)|Illyricum]] in 59 BC. The Kosovo region became part of [[Moesia Superior]] in AD 87. The "[[Slavic migrations]]" reached the Balkans in the 6th to 7th century, whereby autochthonous peoples merged with the northern newcomers. Kosovo was absorbed into the [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarian Empire]] in the 850s, where Christianity and a Byzantine-Slavic culture was cemented in the region. It was re-taken by the Byzantines after 1018. As the center of Slavic resistance to Constantinople in the region, it often switched between Serbian and Bulgarian rule on one hand and Byzantine on the other until the Serb principality of [[Rascia]] conquered it by the end of the 11th century. Fully absorbed into the Serbian Kingdom until the end of the 12th, it became the secular and spiritual centre of the [[History of Medieval Serbia|Serbian medieval state]] of the [[House of Nemanjić|Nemanyiden]] dynasty in the 13th century, with the Patriarchate of the Serbian Orthodox Church in [[Peć]], while [[Prizren]] was the secular center. The zenith was reached with the formation of a [[Serbian Empire]] in 1346, which after 1371 transformed from a centralized absolutist medieval monarchy to a feudal realm. Kosovo became the hereditary land of the [[House of Branković]] and [[Vučitrn]] and [[Priština|Pristina]] flourished.
In the 1389 [[Battle of Kosovo]], Ottoman forces defeated a coalition led by [[Lazar Hrebeljanović]].
In 1402, a [[Serbian Despotate]] was raised and Kosovo became its richest territory, famous for mines.
The local House of [[Vuk Branković|Branković]] came to prominence as the local lords of Kosovo, under [[Vuk Branković]], with the temporary fall of the [[History of Serbia|Serbian Despotate]] in 1439.
During the first fall of Serbia, [[Novo Brdo]] and Kosovo offered last resistance to the invading Ottomans in 1441; in 1455, it was finally and fully conquered by the Ottoman Empire.
===Ottoman Kosovo (1455 to 1912)===
{{main|History of Ottoman Kosovo}}
{{see|Vilayet of Kosovo|History of Ottoman Serbia}}
Kosovo was part of the [[Ottoman Empire]] from 1455 to 1912, at first as part of the [[eyalet]] of [[Rumelia]], and from 1864 as a [[Kosovo Province, Ottoman Empire|separate province]].
Kosovo was briefly taken by the Austrian forces during the Great War of 1683–1699 with help of 6,000 Albanian fighters led by [[Pjetër Bogdani]]. In 1690, the [[Serbian Patriarch of Peć]] [[Arsenije III]] led 37,000 predominantly Serbian families out of Kosovo. More migrations of Orthodox Christians from the Kosovo area continued throughout the 18th century.
In 1766, the Ottomans abolished the [[Patriarchate of Peć]] and the position of Christians in Kosovo deteriorated, including full imposition of [[jizya]] (taxation of non-Muslims). In contrast, many Albanian chiefs converted to Islam and gained prominent positions in the Turkish regimen.<ref name="hupchik">The Balkans. From Constantinople to Communism. Dennis Hupchik</ref> On the whole, "Albanians had little cause of unrest" and "if anything, grew important in Ottoman internal affairs."<ref name="hupchik"/> The final result of four and a half centuries of Muslim rule was a marked decline in the previously dominant Slavic Christian demographic element in Kosovo, replaced by a Turko-Albanian<ref>Kosovo.Catholic Encyclopaedia</ref> stratum.
In the 19th century, there was a "[[Rise of nationalism under the Ottoman Empire|awakening]]" of [[ethnic nationalism]] throughout the Balkans. The ethnic [[Albanian nationalism]] movement was centered in Kosovo.
In 1871, a Serbian meeting was held in [[Prizren]] at which the possible retaking and reintegration of Kosovo and the rest of "Old Serbia" was discussed, as the [[History of Serbia|Principality of Serbia]] itself had already made plans for expansions towards Ottoman territory. In 1878, a Peace Accord was drawn that left the cities of Pristina and [[Kosovska Mitrovica]] under civil Serbian control, and outside Ottoman jurisdiction, while the rest of Kosovo remained under Ottoman control. In the same year ethnic Albanians formed the [[League of Prizren]], pursuing political aspirations of unifying the Albanian people and seeking autonomy within the Ottoman Empire. The League of Prizren ruled Kosovo until 1881, when it was quashed by Ottoman troops.
===20th century===
{{main|20th century history of Kosovo}}
====Balkan Wars to World War II====
The [[Young Turk]] movement supported a centralist rule and opposed any sort of autonomy desired by Kosovars, and particularly the Albanians. In 1910, an [[Albanian]] uprising spread from Pristina and lasted until the Ottoman Sultan's visit to Kosovo in June of 1911.
In 1912, during the [[Balkan Wars]], most of Kosovo was captured by the [[History of Serbia|Kingdom of Serbia]], while the region of [[Metohija]] ({{lang-sq|Dukagjini Valley}}) was taken by the [[History of Montenegro|Kingdom of Montenegro]]. An exodus of the local Albanian population occurred. This was described by [[Leon Trotsky]]{{Fact|date=June 2008}}, who was a reporter for the ''[[Pravda]]'' newspaper at the time. The Serbian authorities planned a re-colonization of Kosovo.<ref> [http://www.elsie.de/pdf/B2002GatheringClouds.pdf Elsie, R. (ed.) (2002): "''Gathering Clouds. The roots of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. Early twentieth-century documents''"]. Dukagjini Balkan Books, Peja (Kosovo, Serbia). ISBN 9951-05-016-6</ref> Numerous colonist Serb families moved into Kosovo, equalizing the demographic balance between Albanians and Serbs.
Kosovo's status within Serbia was finalized the following year at the [[Treaty of London]].<ref>[http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/boshtml/bos145.htm Treaty of London, 1913]</ref>
In the winter of 1915-1916, during [[World War I]], Kosovo saw a large exodus of the Serbian army which became known as the ''Great Serbian Retreat'', as Kosovo was occupied by [[Third Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarians]] and [[Austro-Hungarians]].
In 1918, the Serbian Army pushed the [[Central Powers]] out of Kosovo. After World War I ended, the Monarchy was then transformed into the [[Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians]] on [[1 December]] [[1918]].
Kosovo was split into four counties, three being a part of Serbia (Zvečan, Kosovo and southern Metohija) and one of Montenegro (northern Metohija). However, the new administration system since [[26 April]] [[1922]] split Kosovo among three Areas of the Kingdom: Kosovo, [[Rascia]] and [[Zeta]]. In 1929, the Kingdom was transformed into the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] and the territories of Kosovo were reorganized among the [[Zeta Banovina|Banate of Zeta]], the [[Morava Banovina|Banate of Morava]] and the [[Vardar Banovina|Banate of Vardar]].
In order to change the ethnic composition of Kosovo, between 1912-1941 a large-scale Serbian colonization of Kosovo was undertaken by the Belgrade government. Meanwhile, Kosovar Albanians' right to receive education in their own language was denied, as they weren't officially designated as a minority. Albanians and other Muslims were forced to emigrate, mainly with the [[land reform]] which struck Albanian landowners in 1919, but also with direct violent measures.<ref name="daskalovski">Daskalovski, Židas. Claims to Kosovo: Nationalism and Self-Determination. In: Florian Bieber & Zidas Daskalovski (eds.), ''Understanding the War in Kosovo''. L.: Frank Cass, 2003. ISBN 0714653918. P. 13-30.</ref><ref name="malcolm">[[Malcolm, Noel]]. ''Kosovo: A Short History''. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1998. ISBN 0333666127.</ref> In 1935 and 1938 two agreements between the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and [[Turkey]] were signed on the expatriation of 240,000 Albanians to Turkey, which was not completed because of the outbreak of [[World War II]].<ref>Ramet, Sabrina P. The Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Ends: Kosovo in Serbian Perception. In Mary Buckley & Sally N. Cummings (eds.), ''Kosovo: Perceptions of War and Its Aftermath''. L. – N.Y.: Continuum Press, 2002. ISBN 0826456707. P. 30-46.</ref>
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia lasted until the [[World War II]] [[Axis powers|Axis]] invasion of 1941, when the greatest part of Kosovo became a part of [[Albania under Italy|Italian-controlled Albania]], and smaller bits by the [[Tsardom of Bulgaria]] and [[Nazi Germany|German]]-occupied [[Serbia (1941-1944)|Military Administration of Serbia]]. At the 1944 wartime [[Bujan]] conference the Kosovar communist resistance leaders passed a resolution on the postwar assignment of Kosovo to Albania, but their opinion was later disregarded.<ref name="malcolm"/> After numerous uprisings of [[Partisan (military)|Partisans]] led by [[Fadil Hoxha]], Kosovo was liberated after 1944 with the help of the Albanian partisans of the [[Comintern]] and became a province of [[Serbia]] within the [[Yugoslavia|Democratic Federal Yugoslavia]].
====Kosovo in Yugoslavia====
{{main|Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (1946-1974)|Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo}}
The province was first formed in 1945 as the Autonomous Kosovo-Metohian Area to protect its regional [[Albanians|Albanian]] majority{{Fact|date=June 2008}} within the [[People's Republic of Serbia]] as a member of the [[SFRJ|Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia]] under the leadership of the former Partisan leader, [[Josip Broz Tito]].
The violent oppression and forced expatriation of Albanians resumed, particularly after 1953, when [[Josip Broz Tito]] reached an agreement with Turkish Foreign Minister [[Mehmet Fuat Köprülü]] to push Yugoslavian Albanians to declare themselves Turks and leave for Turkey.<ref name="daskalovski"/>
The harsh repressions and expatriations came to an end when the 4th Plenum of the Central Committee of the [[League of Communists of Yugoslavia]] held at [[Brijuni|Brioni]] in July 1966 ousted Yugoslavian Interior Minister and Vice President [[Aleksandar Ranković]],<ref name="hdk">[[Elsie, Robert]]. ''Historical Dictionary of Kosova''. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2004. ISBN 0810853094.</ref> who was instrumental in the brutal treatment of Kosovar Albanians.<ref name="daskalovski"/> In the late 1960s Kosovo gained limited internal autonomy. In February 1970 the [[University of Prishtina]] was opened, providing higher education in Albanian.<ref name="hdk"/> In the 1974 constitution, the [[Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo]]'s government received more powers, including the highest governmental titles – President and Prime Minister and a seat in the Federal Presidency which made it a ''de facto'' Republic within the Federation, but remaining a Socialist Autonomous Province within the Socialist Republic of Serbia. (Similar rights were extended to [[Vojvodina]]). In Kosovo [[Serbo-Croatian]], [[Albanian language|Albanian]] and [[Turkish language|Turkish]] were defined as official languages on the provincial level. Due to very high birth rates, the number of Albanians increased from 75% to over 90%. In contrast, the number of Serbs barely increased, and in fact dropped from 15% to 8% of the total population, since many Serbs departed from Kosovo as a response to the tight economic climate and increased incidents of alleged harassment from their Albanian neighbors. While there was tension, charges of "genocide" and planned harassments have been debunked as an excuse to revoke Kosovo's autonomy. For example in 1986 ""[http://books.google.com/books?id=ap8wa_YmT2QC&pg=PA215&dq=genocide+false+kosovo&sig=kmSTVjt9oW2TpXi7kUVw81mjN7o the Serbian Orthodox Church published an official, though false, claim that Kosovo Serbs were being subjected to an Albanian program of 'Genocide']. Even though they were disproven[http://books.google.com/books?id=ap8wa_YmT2QC&pg=PA215&dq=genocide+false+kosovo&sig=kmSTVjt9oW2TpXi7kUVw81mjN7o] by police statistics, the received wide play in the Serbian press and that lead to further ethnic problems and eventual removal of Kosovo's status. Beginning in March 1981, Kosovar Albanian students of the [[University of Prishtina]] organized protests seeking that Kosovo become a republic within Yugoslavia and human rights.<ref name="nyt19810419">New York Times 1981-04-19, "One Storm has Passed but Others are Gathering in Yugoslavia"</ref> The protests were brutally suppressed by the police and army, with many protesters arrested.<ref name="hdk"/> During the 1980s, ethnic tensions continued with frequent violent outbreaks against Yugoslav state authorities resulting in a further increase in emigration of Kosovo Serbs and other ethnic groups.<ref name="reuters19860527">Reuters 1986-05-27, "Kosovo Province Revives Yugoslavia's Ethnic Nightmare"</ref><ref name="csm19860728">Christian Science Monitor 1986-07-28, "Tensions among ethnic groups in Yugoslavia begin to boil over"</ref> The Yugoslav leadership tried to suppress protests of Kosovo Serbs seeking protection from ethnic discrimination and violence.<ref name="nyt19870627">New York Times 1987-06-27, "Belgrade Battles Kosovo Serbs"</ref>
====Disintegration of Yugoslavia and Kosovo War====
{{main|Kosovo War|Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (1990-1999)|Republic of Kosova (1990–2000)}}
{{see|Disintegration of Yugoslavia}}
[[Image:Mitrovica bridge.JPG|thumb|Bridge over the [[Ibar River|Ibar]], connecting the Serbian and Albanian parts of the city of [[Mitrovica, Kosovo|Mitrovica]]]]
Inter-ethnic tensions continued to worsen in Kosovo throughout the 1980s.
The 1986 [[SANU Memorandum|Memorandum of the Serbian Academy]] warned that Yugoslavia was suffering from ethnic strife and the disintegration of the Yugoslav economy into separate economic sectors and territories, which was transforming the federal state into a loose confederation.<ref>SANU (1986): [http://www.balkan-archive.org.yu/kosta/memorandum/contents.html Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts Memorandum]. GIP Kultura. Belgrade.</ref>
On [[June 28]], [[1989]], [[Slobodan Milošević]] delivered the [[Gazimestan speech]] in front of a large number of Serb citizens at the main celebration marking the 600th anniversary of the [[Battle of Kosovo]]. Many think that this speech helped Milošević consolidate his authority in Serbia.<ref>''The Economist'', [[June 05]], [[1999]], U.S. Edition, 1041 words, "What's next for Slobodan Milošević?"</ref>
In 1989, Milošević, employing a mix of intimidation and political maneuvering, drastically reduced Kosovo's special autonomous status within Serbia and started cultural oppression of the ethnic Albanian population.<ref name="rogel">Rogel, Carole. [http://www.springerlink.com/index/J38474423180V000.pdf Kosovo: Where It All Began]. ''International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society'', Vol. 17, No. 1 (September 2003): 167-182.</ref> Kosovo Albanians responded with a non-violent separatist movement, employing widespread civil disobedience and creation of parallel structures in education, medical care, and taxation, with the ultimate goal of achieving the independence of Kosovo.<ref>Clark, Howard. ''Civil Resistance in Kosovo''. London: Pluto Press, 2000. ISBN 0745315690</ref> On [[July 2]], [[1990]], an unconstitutional Kosovo parliament declared Kosovo an independent country, the [[Republic of Kosova (1990–2000)|Republic of Kosova]]. In May 1992, [[Ibrahim Rugova]] was elected president.<ref name="babuna">Babuna, Aydın. [http://www.sam.gov.tr/perceptions/volume8/september-november2003/ayd%C4%B1nbabuna2dec2003.pdf Albanian national identity and Islam in the post-Communist era]. ''Perceptions'' 8(3), September-November 2003: 43-69.</ref> During its lifetime, the Republic of Kosova was only [[diplomatic recognition|recognised]] by [[Albania]]; it was formally disbanded in 2000 when its institutions were replaced by the [[Joint Interim Administrative Structure]] established by the [[United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo]] (UNMIK).
Only after the [[Bosnian War]], drawing considerable international attention, was ended with the [[Dayton Agreement]] in 1995, but the situation in Kosovo remained largely unaddressed by the international community, the [[Kosovo Liberation Army]] (KLA), an ethnic [[Albanians|Albanian]] guerrilla group, by 1996 had started offering armed resistance to [[Serbs|Serbian]] and [[Yugoslavia|Yugoslav]] security forces, resulting in early stages of the [[Kosovo War]].<ref name="rogel"/><ref>Rama, Shinasi A. [http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?newsid985323600,53297, The Serb-Albanian War, and the International Community’s Miscalculations]. ''The International Journal of Albanian Studies'', 1 (1998), pp. 15-19.</ref> By 1998, as the violence had worsened and displaced scores of Albanians, Western interest had increased. The Serbian authorities were compelled to sign a ceasefire and partial retreat, monitored by [[OSCE]] observers according to an agreement negotiated by [[Richard Holbrooke]]. However, the ceasefire did not hold and fighting resumed in December 1998. The [[Račak massacre]] in January 1999 in particular brought new international attention to the conflict.<ref name="rogel"/> Within weeks, a multilateral international conference was convened and by March had prepared a draft agreement known as the [[Rambouillet Accords]], calling for restoration of Kosovo's autonomy and deployment of [[NATO]] peacekeeping forces. The Serbian party found the terms unacceptable and refused to sign the draft.
[[1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|NATO intervention]] between [[March 24]] and [[June 10]], [[1999]],<ref>{{citeweb|url=http://www.nato.int/kosovo/all-frce.htm|title=Operation Allied Force|publisher=[[NATO]]}}</ref> aimed to force Milošević to withdraw his forces from Kosovo, combined with continued skirmishes between Albanian guerrillas and Yugoslav forces resulted in a further massive displacement of population in Kosovo.<ref>{{citeweb|url=http://www.unhcr.org/partners/PARTNERS/3bb051c54.pdf|title=NATO and Humanitarian Action in the Kosovo Crisis|author=Larry Minear, Ted van Baarda, Marc Sommers|year=2000|publisher=[[Brown University]]|format=PDF}}</ref>
During the conflict, roughly a million ethnic Albanians fled or were forcefully driven from Kosovo. Altogether, more than 11,000 deaths have been reported to [[Carla Del Ponte]] by her prosecutors.<ref name="BBC">{{citeweb|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/514828.stm |title=World: Europe UN gives figure for Kosovo dead }}</ref> Some 3,000 people are still missing, of which 2,500 are Albanian, 400 Serbs and 100 [[Roma people|Roma]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/781310.stm |title=3,000 missing in Kosovo |author=KiM Info-Service |date=07/06/00}}</ref> Ultimately by June Milošević had agreed to a foreign military presence within Kosovo and withdrawal of his troops.
===The UN administration period===
{{main|Kosovo (UNMIK)|Kosovo status process}}
[[Image:White Drini 05 01.jpg|thumb|The [[White Drin]] river]]
[[Image:Bibloteka Kombëtare e Kosovës.jpg|thumb|National Public Library in Pristina]]
On [[June 10]], [[1999]], the UN Security Council passed [[UN Security Council Resolution 1244]], which placed Kosovo under transitional UN administration ([[UNMIK]]) and authorised [[Kosovo Force|KFOR]], a NATO-led peacekeeping force. Resolution 1244 provided that Kosovo would have autonomy within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and affirmed the territorial integrity of Yugoslavia, which has been legally succeeded by the Republic of Serbia.<ref>{{cite news |title=RESOLUTION 1244 (1999) |date=[[1999-06-17]] |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/371562.stm |accessdate=2008-02-19 |language=}}</ref>
Some 200,000-280,000, representing the majority of the Serb population, left when the Serbian forces left. There was also some looting of Serb properties and even violence against some of those Serbs and Roma who remained.<ref>"[http://www.reliefweb.int/library/documents/2002/coe-kos-16oct.pdf Kosovo: The Human Rights Situation and the Fate of Persons Displaced from Their Homes (.pdf)] ", report by [[Alvaro Gil-Robles]], [[Council of Europe]] Commissioner for Human Rights, Strasbourg, [[October 16]], [[2002]], p. 30.</ref> The current number of [[internally displaced person]]s is disputed,<ref>[[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|UNHCR]], Critical Appraisal of Responsee Mechanisms Operating in Kosovo for Minority Returns, Pristina, February 2004, p. 14.</ref><ref>U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR), April 2000, Reversal of Fortune: Yugoslavia's Refugees Crisis Since the Ethnic Albanian Return to Kosovo, p. 2–3.</ref><ref>"[http://www.reliefweb.int/library/documents/2002/coe-kos-16oct.pdf Kosovo: The human rights situation and the fate of persons displaced from their homes (.pdf)] ", report by [[Alvaro Gil-Robles]], [[Council of Europe]] Commissioner for Human Rights, Strasbourg, [[October 16]], [[2002]].</ref><ref>International Relations and Security Network (ISN): [http://www.esiweb.org/pdf/esi_lausanne_reactions_id_1.pdf Serbians return to Kosovo not impossible, says report (.pdf)] , by Tim Judah, [[June 7]], [[2004]].</ref> with estimates ranging from 65,000<ref>European Stability Initiative (ESI): [http://www.esiweb.org/pdf/esi_document_id_53.pdf The Lausanne Principle: Multiethnicity, Territory and the Future of Kosovo's Serbs (.pdf)] , [[June 7]], [[2004]].</ref> to 250,000.<ref>Coordinating Centre of Serbia for Kosovo-Metohija: [http://www.kc.gov.yu/D-ENGLISH/dokumenti-eng/program-povratka-eng.html Principles of the program for return of internally displaced persons from Kosovo and Metohija] .</ref><ref>[[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|UNHCR]]: 2002 Annual Statistical Report: Serbia and Montenegro, pg. 9</ref><ref>[[U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants]] (USCRI): [http://www.refugees.org/countryreports.aspx?id=1624 Country report: Serbia and Montenegro 2006].</ref> Many displaced Serbs are afraid to return to their homes, even with [[UNMIK]] protection. Around 120,000-150,000 Serbs remain in Kosovo, but are subject to ongoing harassment and discrimination.
Kosovo's political borders don't coincide with ethnic boundaries, and in 2001 [[2001 insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia|an ethnic insurgency]] surfaced in the neighbouring areas with ethnic Albanian majority, [[Preševo Valley]] in [[Central Serbia]] and the [[Polog Valley]] in the [[Republic of Macedonia]], but eased within several months.
In 2001, UNMIK promulgated a Constitutional Framework for Kosovo that established the [[Provisional Institutions of Self-Government]] (PISG), including an elected Kosovo Assembly, Presidency and office of Prime Minister. Kosovo held its first free, Kosovo-wide elections in late 2001 (municipal elections had been held the previous year).
In March 2004, Kosovo experienced its worst inter-ethnic violence since the Kosovo War. The [[2004 unrest in Kosovo|unrest in 2004]] was sparked by a series of minor events that soon cascaded into large-scale riots.<ref>U.S State Department Report, published in 2007.</ref>
International negotiations began in 2006 to determine the final status of Kosovo, as envisaged under [[UN Security Council Resolution 1244]]. The [[UN]]-backed talks, lead by UN Special Envoy [[Martti Ahtisaari]], began in February 2006. Whilst progress was made on technical matters, both parties remained diametrically opposed on the question of status itself.<ref>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6034567.stm UN frustrated by Kosovo deadlock] ", ''BBC News'', [[October 9]], [[2006]].</ref>
In February 2007, Ahtisaari delivered a draft status settlement proposal to leaders in Belgrade and Pristina, the basis for a draft UN Security Council Resolution which proposes 'supervised independence' for the province. A draft resolution, backed by the [[United States]], the [[United Kingdom]] and other European members of the [[Security Council]], was presented and rewritten four times to try to accommodate Russian concerns that such a resolution would undermine the principle of state sovereignty.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/setimes/newsbriefs/2007/06/29/nb-07 |title=Russia reportedly rejects fourth draft resolution on Kosovo status |author=Southeast European Times |date=2007-06-29}}</ref> Russia, which holds a veto in the Security Council as one of five permanent members, had stated that it would not support any resolution which was not acceptable to both Belgrade and Kosovo Albanians.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/setimes/newsbriefs/2007/07/10/nb-02 |title=UN Security Council remains divided on Kosovo |author=Southeast European Times |date=09/07/07}}</ref> Whilst most observers had, at the beginning of the talks, anticipated independence as the most likely outcome, others have suggested that a rapid resolution might not be preferable.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/985caa90-de5a-11db-afa7-000b5df10621.html?nclick_check=1 |title=A long reconciliation process is required |author=James Dancer |date=2007-03-30 |publisher=Financial Times}}</ref>
After many weeks of discussions at the UN, the [[United States]], [[United Kingdom]] and other European members of the Security Council formally 'discarded' a draft resolution backing Ahtisaari's proposal on [[20 July]] [[2007]], having failed to secure Russian backing. Beginning in August, a "[[Troika (triumvirate)|Troika]]" consisting of negotiators from the [[European Union]] ([[Wolfgang Ischinger]]), the [[United States]] (Frank Wisner) and [[Russia]] (Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko) launched a new effort to reach a status outcome acceptable to both Belgrade and Pristina. Despite Russian disapproval, the [[United States|U.S.]], the [[United Kingdom]], and [[France]] appeared likely to recognise Kosovar independence.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2209907,00.html |title=Bosnian nightmare returns to haunt EU |author=Simon Tisdall |date=2007-11-13 |publisher=The Guardian}}</ref> A declaration of independence by Kosovar Albanian leaders was postponed until the end of the [[Serbian presidential election, 2008|Serbian presidential elections]] ([[4 February]] [[2008]]). Most EU members and the US had feared that a premature declaration could boost support in Serbia for the ultra-nationalist candidate, [[Tomislav Nikolić]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6386467.stm BBC NEWS Europe | Q&A: Kosovo's future<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
====2008 declaration of independence====
[[Image:CountriesRecognizingKosovo.png|thumb|States (green) that have recognised Kosovo]]
{{main|2008 Kosovo declaration of independence|International reaction to the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence|2008 Post declaration of independence unrest in Kosovo}}
The [[Assembly of Kosovo]] approved a declaration of independence on [[17 February]] [[2008]].<ref name="bbc_proclaim">"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7249034.stm Kosovo MPs proclaim independence]", BBC News Online, [[17 February]] [[2008]]</ref> Over the following days, several [[state]]s (the [[United States]], [[Turkey]], [[Albania]], [[Austria]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]], [[France]], the [[United Kingdom]], [[Republic of China|Republic of China (Taiwan)]],<ref>{{citenews|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/02/20/2003402059|title=Taiwan officially recognizes Kosovo|publisher=[[Taipei Times]]|author=Hsu, Jenny W|date=2008-02-20|accessdate=2008-05-13}}</ref> [[Australia]] and others) announced their recognition, despite protests by [[Russia]] and others in the [[UN]].<ref name="bbc=recog1">"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7251359.stm Recognition for new Kosovo grows]", BBC News Online, [[18 February]] [[2008]]</ref>
The UN Security Council remains divided on the question (as of [[4 July]] [[2008]]). Of the five members with [[United Nations Security Council veto power|veto power]], USA, UK, and France [[International reaction to the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence|recognized]] the declaration of independence, and [[Russia]] and the [[People's Republic of China]] consider it [[International reaction to the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence|illegal]]. As of [[28 March]] [[2008]], no member-country of [[Commonwealth of Independent States|CIS]], [[Collective Security Treaty Organization|CSTO]] or [[Shanghai Cooperation Organization|SCO]] has recognized Kosovo as independent. Also, Kosovo has no prospects for [[UN|United Nations]] recognition due to Russian veto in Security Council.
The [[European Union]] has no official position towards Kosovo's status, but has decided to deploy the [[European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo]] to ensure a continuation of international civil presence in Kosovo. As of today, most of member-countries of [[NATO]], [[EU]], [[Western European Union|WEU]] and [[OECD]] have recognized Kosovo as independent.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}
Of Kosovo's immediate neighbour states, only [[Albania]] recognizes the declaration of independence. [[Croatia]], [[Bulgaria]] and [[Hungary]], all neighbors of Serbia, announced in a joint statement that they recognise the declaration.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7304488.stm BBC News, ''Serbia's neighbors accept Kosovo ''], accessed 12:41 [[19 March]] [[2008]].</ref>
The Serb minority of Kosovo, which largely opposes the declaration of independence, has formed the [[Community Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija]] in response. The creation of the assembly is condemned by Kosovo's president Fatmir Sejdiu, while UNMIK has said the creations is not a serious issue because it will not have an operative role.<ref>http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2008/06/30/feature-01</ref>
==Geography==
{{contradict-other|Pristina}}
{{main|Geography of Kosovo}}
[[Image:Bjeshket Junikut.JPG|thumb|[[Junik Mountains]]]]
Kosovo has an area of 10,908 [[square kilometers]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ks-gov.net/ESK/|title=Statistical Office of Kosovo}}</ref> and a population of about 2.2 million. The largest cities are [[Pristina]], the capital, with an estimated 170,000{{Fact|date=June 2008}} inhabitants, [[Prizren]] in the south west with a population of 110,000, [[Peć|Pec/Peja]] in the west with 70,000, and [[Mitrovica]] in the north with 70,000. The climate is [[continental climate|continental]], with warm summers and cold and snowy winters. Most of Kosovo's terrain in mountainous, the highest peak is [[Đeravica|Đeravica/Gjeravica]] (2656 m). There are two main plain regions, the [[Metohija| Metohija/ Dukagjin]] basin is located in the western part of the Kosovo, and the [[Plain of Kosovo]] occupies the eastern part. The main rivers of the region are the [[White Drin]], running towards the [[Adriatic Sea]], with the [[Erenik]] among its [[Tributary|tributaries]]), the [[Sitnica]], the [[South Morava]] in the Goljak area, and [[Ibar River|Ibar]] in the north. The biggest lakes are [[Gazivoda]], [[Radonjić]], [[Batlava]] and [[Badovac]].
[[Phytogeography|Phytogeographically]], Kosovo belongs to the Illyrian province of the [[Circumboreal Region]] within the [[Boreal Kingdom]]. According to the [[World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF]] and Digital Map of European Ecological Regions by the [[European Environment Agency]], the territory of Kosovo belongs to the ecoregion of [[Balkan mixed forests]].
39.1% of Kosovo is forested, about 52% is classified as agricultural land, 31% of which is covered by pastures and 69% is arable.<ref>[http://www.rec.org/REC/Publications/CountryReports/Kosovo.PDF Strategic Environmental Analysis of Kosovo]. The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe, Prishtina, July 2000.</ref>
Currently the 39,000 ha Sharr Mountain National Park, established in 1986 in the [[Šar Mountains]] along the border with the Republic of Macedonia, is the only [[national park]] in Kosovo, although the [[Bjeshkët e Nemuna National Park]] in the [[Albanian Alps]] along the border with Montenegro has been proposed as another one.<ref name="biodiv">[http://www.ks-gov.net/akmm/dokumente/Kosovo-Biodiversity%20Assessment.pdf Kosovo: Biodiversity assessment]. Final Report submitted to the [[USAID]], ARD-BIOFOR IQC Consortium, May 2003.</ref>
==Constitutional status==
{{main|Constitutional status of Kosovo|Kosovo status process}}
[[Image:Prizren kossovo.jpg|thumb|The city of [[Prizren]]]]
[[Image:Patriarchat de Peć église de la Vierge Hogeditria.jpg|thumb|Orthodox Church of the Virgin Hodegetria, [[Patriarchate of Peć]]]]
Kosovo is under ''de facto'' governance of the Republic of Kosovo
except for [[North Kosovo]], which remains under ''de facto'' governance of Serbia.
The Republic of Kosovo continues to operate
with the [[Provisional Institutions of Self-Government]] elected [[Kosovan parliamentary election, 2007|in 2007]], and the [[United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo]] which operates police, justice and civil administration.
===Autonomous Province under UN administration===
{{main|United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo|Provisional Institutions of Self-Government|}}
In 1999, [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244|UN Security Council Resolution 1244]] placed Kosovo under transitional UN administration pending a determination of Kosovo's future status. This Resolution entrusted the [[United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo]] (UNMIK) with sweeping powers to govern Kosovo, but also directed UNMIK to establish interim institutions of self-governance. Resolution 1244 permits Serbia no official role in governing Kosovo and since 1999 Serbian laws and institutions have not been valid in Kosovo. NATO has a separate mandate to provide for a safe and secure environment.
In May 2001, UNMIK promulgated the Constitutional Framework, which established Kosovo's [[Provisional Institutions of Self-Government]] (PISG). The PISG replaced the [[Joint Interim Administrative Structure]] (JIAS) established a year earlier. Since 2001, UNMIK has been gradually transferring increased governing competencies to the PISG, while reserving some powers that are normally carried out by sovereign states, such as foreign affairs. Kosovo has also established municipal government and an internationally-supervised Kosovo Police Service.
According to the Constitutional Framework, Kosovo shall have a 120-member Kosovo Assembly. The Assembly includes twenty reserved seats: ten for Kosovo Serbs and ten for non-Serb minorities (Bosniaks, Roma, etc). The Kosovo Assembly is responsible for electing a President and Prime Minister of Kosovo.
However, since 1999, the Serb-inhabited areas of Kosovo, such as [[North Kosovo]] have remained ''de facto'' independent from the Albanian-dominated government in [[Priština]]. They continue to uses Serbian national symbols and participate in Serbian national elections, which are boycotted in the rest of Kosovo. Serb-inhabited regions also boycott Kosovo elections. The municipalities of [[Leposavić]], [[Zvečan]] and [[Zubin Potok]] are run by local Serbs, while the [[Kosovska Mitrovica]] municipality had rival Serb and Albanian governments until a compromise was agreed in November 2002.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}
In February 2003, the Serb areas united to form the Union of Serbian Districts and District Units of Kosovo and Metohija in a meeting in Kosovska Mitrovica, which has since served as the ''de facto'' "capital." The Union's President is [[Dragan Velić]]. There is also a central governing body, the Serbian National Council for Kosovo and Metohija (SNV). The President of SNV in North Kosovo is Dr [[Milan Ivanović (politician)|Milan Ivanović]], while the head of its Executive Council is [[Rada Trajković]].
Local politics in the Serb areas are dominated by the [[Serbian List for Kosovo and Metohija]]. The Serbian List is led by [[Oliver Ivanović]], an engineer from Kosovska Mitrovica.
In February of 2007 the Union of Serbian Districts and District Units of Kosovo and Metohija transformed into the Serbian Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija, presided by [[Marko Jakšić]], a hardline nationalist residing in the northern part of the divided city of Mitrovica.<ref>http://www.kansascity.com/659/story/684058.html</ref><ref>http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L28603646.htm</ref> The Assembly has strongly criticised what it calls "the secessionist movements of the Albanian-dominated PISG Assembly of Kosovo"{{Fact|date=July 2008}}. It has demanded unity of the Serb people in Kosovo, boycotted [[EULEX]], and announced massive protests in support of Serbia's sovereignty over Kosovo. On [[18 February]] [[2008]], day after Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, the Assembly declared it "null and void".
Within Serbia, Kosovo is the concern of the Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija, currently led by [[Slobodan Samardzic]].
==Government and politics==
{{main|Politics of Kosovo}}
===Parties===
The largest [[political parties in Kosovo]] are the centre-right [[Democratic League of Kosovo]] (LDK), which has its origins in the 1990s non-violent resistance movement to Miloševic's rule and was led by [[Ibrahim Rugova]] until his death in 2006,<ref name="ku">"[http://www.europeanforum.net/country.php/kosovo_update#4: Kosovo Update: Main Political Parties] ", European Forum, [[18 March]] [[2008]]</ref> and two parties have their roots in the [[Kosovo Liberation Army]] (KLA): the centre-left [[Democratic Party of Kosovo]] (PDK) led by former KLA leader [[Hashim Thaçi]] and the centre-right [[Alliance for the Future of Kosovo]] (AAK) led by former KLA commander [[Ramush Haradinaj]].<ref name="ku"/> Kosovo publisher [[Veton Surroi]] in 2004 formed the centre-left [[Reformist Party ORA]]. Kosovo Serbs formed the [[Serbian List for Kosovo and Metohija]] (SLKM) in 2004 and won several seats, but have boycotted Kosovo's institutions and never taken their seats in the Kosovo Assembly.<ref name="ku"/>
===Provisional Institutions of Self-Government===
In November 2001, the [[OSCE]] supervised the first elections for the Kosovo Assembly.<ref>"[http://www.osce.org/kosovo/13208.html: OSCE Mission in Kosovo - Elections] ", Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe</ref> After that election, Kosovo's political parties formed an all-party unity coalition and elected [[Ibrahim Rugova]] as President and [[Bajram Rexhepi]] (PDK) as Prime Minister.<ref>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1846264.stm: Power-sharing deal reached in Kosovo] ", BBC News, [[21 February]] [[2002]]</ref> After Kosovo-wide elections in October 2004, the LDK and AAK formed a new governing coalition that did not include PDK and Ora. This coalition agreement resulted in [[Ramush Haradinaj]] (AAK) becoming Prime Minister, while Ibrahim Rugova retained the position of President. PDK and Ora were critical of the coalition agreement and have since frequently accused the current government of corruption.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}
Ramush Haradinaj resigned the post of Prime Minister after he was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in March 2005. Haradinaj was acquitted in April 2008. He was replaced by [[Bajram Kosumi]] (AAK).<ref>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/3550401.stm: Timeline: Kosovo] ", BBC News, [[11 April]] [[2008]]</ref> But in a political shake-up after the death of President Rugova in January 2006, Kosumi himself was replaced by former Kosovo Protection Corps commander [[Agim Çeku]].<ref>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4768680.stm: Former Rebel set to lead Kosovo] ", BBC News, [[2 March]] [[2006]]</ref> Çeku has won recognition for his outreach to minorities, but Serbia has been critical of his wartime past as military leader of the KLA and claims he is still not doing enough for Kosovo Serbs. The Kosovo Assembly elected [[Fatmir Sejdiu]], a former LDK parliamentarian, president after Rugova's death. Slaviša Petkovic, Minister for Communities and Returns, was previously the only ethnic Serb in the government, but resigned in November 2006 amid allegations that he misused ministry funds.<ref>"[http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Politics&loid=8.0.363650179&par=0 Kosovo: Serb minister resigns over misuse of funds] ", Adnkronos international (AKI), [[November 27]], [[2006]]</ref><ref>"[http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LZEG-6VUQUS?OpenDocument Sole Kosovo Serb cabinet minister resigns: PM] ", Agence France-Presse (AFP), [[November 24]], [[2006]].</ref> Currently the Minister of Community and Return and the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare are ethnic Serbs, while the Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning is from Kosovo’s small Turkish minority.<ref>http://www.ks-gov.net/pm/Ministritë/tabid/83/language/en-US/Default.aspx</ref>
[[Kosovan parliamentary election, 2007|Parliamentary elections]] were held on [[17 November]] [[2007]]. After early results, [[Hashim Thaçi]] who was on course to gain 35 per cent of the vote, claimed victory for PDK, the [[Democratic Party of Kosovo]], and stated his intention to declare independence. Thaçi formed a coalition with current President [[Fatmir Sejdiu]]'s [[Democratic League of Kosovo|Democratic League]] which was in second place with 22 percent of the vote.<ref>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7179850.stm: Kosovo gets pro-independence PM] ", BBC News, [[9 January]] [[2008]]</ref> The turnout at the election was particularly low. Most members of the Serb minority refused to vote.<ref>[http://www.euronews.net/index.php?page=info&article=454473&lng=1 EuroNews: Ex-guerrilla chief claims victory in Kosovo election]. Retrieved [[18 November]] [[2007]].</ref>
===Republic of Kosovo===
{{see|Constitution of Kosovo}}
The Republic of Kosovo is a [[parliamentary system|parliamentary]] [[representative democracy]]. The executive power is exercised by the [[Government of Kosovo]] led by the [[Prime Minister of Kosovo]]. Two or three of the ministers, depending on the size of the government, are required to be from the minorities. The [[President of the Republic of Kosovo]] is the head of state. The judiciary is independent. The legislative power is exercised by the single-chamber [[Assembly of Kosovo]] consisting of 120 members, 100 of them directly elected by the people for a four-year term and twenty seats reserved for representatives of the ethnic minorities only. The assembly elects the president for five years and approves the government.
A new constitution for the Republic of Kosovo was approved by the Parliament of the Republic of Kosovo, coming to force on June 15th, 2008.<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/06/15/kosovo.constitution.ap/ CNN]</ref><ref>[http://www.kushtetutakosoves.info/?cid=2,1 Constitution of Kosovo - Official Website]</ref><ref>[http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i-eG5b77lXRmme6EL1zWnRK5mdEQ AFP]; [http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=12779731&PageNum=0 ITAR-TASS]</ref>
====Foreign relations====
{{main|Foreign relations of the Republic of Kosovo|}}
There are currently eight countries maintaining embassies to the Republic of Kosovo: [[Albania]],<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.al/english/lajm.asp?id=4962 Ministry of Foreign Affairs<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[Austria]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bmeia.gv.at/en/foreign-ministry/service/austrian-representations-in-german.html?no_cache=1|title=Austrian representations - Kosovo|publisher=Austrian Foreign Ministry|accessdate=2008-04-17}}</ref> [[Germany]],<ref>[http://www.pristina.diplo.de/Vertretung/pristina/de/Startseite.html Deutsche Botschaft Pristina - Startseite<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> the [[United Kingdom]],<ref>[http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1163672154378 British Office Pristina, Kosovo<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> the [[United States]],<ref>[http://pristina.usembassy.gov/ Website of the US Embassy, Pristina] [[9 March]] [[2008]]</ref> [[Switzerland]] (also representing [[Liechtenstein]]),<ref>[http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/front/Swiss_embassy_opens_in_Kosovo.html?siteSect=105&sid=8907818&rss=true&ty=st swissinfo.ch] [[28 March]] [[2008]]</ref> and [[Italy]].<ref>[http://qn.quotidiano.net/esteri/2008/03/19/73660-italia_apre_ambasciata_pristina.shtml "Italian Embassy in Pristina"], ''qn.quotidiano.net'', [[19 March]] [[2008]]. Link accessed 2008-04-26. {{it icon}}</ref> As of June 2008, [[International reaction to the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence|43 countries recognise]] Kosovo as independent. [[Skënder Hyseni]] is Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kosovo.<ref>http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/8228</ref>
====Military====
{{main|Military of Kosovo}}
The [[military of Kosovo]] is still in the process of being organised following the [[International reaction to the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence|partially recognised]] declaration of independence of [[February 17]], [[2008]]. Following the [[Kosovo War]] in 1999, [[United Nations]] [[United Nations Security Council|Security Council]] [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244|Resolution 1244]] placed Kosovo under the authority of the [[United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo]] (UNMIK), with security provided by the [[NATO]]-led [[Kosovo Force]] (KFOR).
===Rule of law===
Following the [[Kosovo War]], due to the many weapons in the hands of civilians, law enforcement inefficiencies, and widespread devastation, both [[gjakmarrja|revenge killings]] and ethnic violence surged tremendously. The number of reported murders rose 80% from 136 in 2000 to 245 in 2001. The number of reported arsons rose 140% from 218 to 523 over the same period. UNMIK points out that the rise in reported incidents might simply correspond to an increased confidence in the police force (i.e., more reports) rather than more actual crime.
Although the number of noted serious crimes increased between 1999 and 2000, since then it has been "starting to resemble the same patterns of other European cities".<ref>[http://www.unmikonline.org/civpol/statistics.htm UNMIK statistics]</ref><ref>[http://iwpr.net/?p=bcr&s=f&o=249549&apc_state=henibcr2001 Kosovo Crime Wave], [[17 January]] [[2001]]</ref> According to [[Amnesty International]], the aftermath of the war resulted in an increase in the [[trafficking of women]] for sexual exploitation.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3686173.stm Kosovo UN troops 'fuel sex trade'], [[BBC]].</ref><ref>[http://web.amnesty.org/actforwomen/stories-9-eng Kosovo: Trafficked women and girls have human rights], Amnesty International.</ref><ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1211214,00.html Nato force 'feeds Kosovo sex trade'], [[Guardian Unlimited]].</ref>
[[Organized crime]] continues to be a significant problem. Police action, however, has improved tremendously, and by 2008, "murder rates in Kosovo have been in steady decline, dropping by 75 percent since 2003 with the current recorded rate today under three per 100,000 people", a [[List of countries by homicide rate|rate comparable]] to that of Switzerland, Ireland, or Finland.<ref>Retrieved from http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/10585/</ref><ref>Retrieved from http://www.benbest.com/lifeext/murder.html</ref>
The [[landmine]]s laid by both the Serbs and KLA during the Kosovo War, as well as unexploded NATO ordnance, remain a problem.<ref>[http://www.icbl.org/lm/2004/kosovo Landmine Monitor: Kosovo. 2004.]</ref>
==Economy==
{{main|Economy of Kosovo}}
[[Image:Bill Clinton Boulevard.jpg|thumb|[[Bill Clinton Boulevard]] in Pristina]]
[[Image:BoroRamizi.jpg|thumb|The "Palace of Youth"]]
Kosovo has one of the most under-developed economies in Europe, with a per capita income estimated at [[Euro|€]]1,565 (2004).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/ECAEXT/KOSOVOEXTN/0,,contentMDK:20629286~menuPK:297777~pagePK:1497618~piPK:217854~theSitePK:297770,00.html |title=Kosovo Brief 2006 |author=The World Bank |date=2006}}</ref> Kosovo was the poorest province of Yugoslavia and received substantial development subsidies from all Yugoslav republics.<ref>Christian Science Monitor 1982-01-15, "Why Turbulent Kosovo has Marble Sidewalks but Troubled Industries"</ref> Additionally, over the course of the 1990s a blend of poor economic policies, international sanctions, poor external commerce and ethnic conflict severely damaged the economy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/ECAEXT/KOSOVOEXTN/0,,menuPK:297775~pagePK:141159~piPK:141110~theSitePK:297770,00.html |title=World Bank Mission in Kosovo |author=The World Bank |date=2006/2007}}</ref>
Kosovo's economy remains weak. After a jump in 2000 and 2001, growth in [[Gross Domestic Product]] (GDP) was negative in 2002 and 2003 and is expected to be around 3 percent 2004-2005, with domestic sources of growth unable to compensate for the declining foreign assistance. [[Inflation]] is low, while the budget posted a deficit for the first time in 2004. Kosovo has high external deficits. In 2004, the deficit of the balance of goods and services was close to 70 percent of GDP. Remittances from Kosovars living abroad accounts for an estimated 13 percent of GDP, and foreign assistance for around 34 percent of GDP.
Most economic development since 1999 has taken place in the trade, retail and the construction sectors. The private sector that has emerged since 1999 is mainly small-scale. The industrial sector remains weak and the electric power supply remains unreliable, acting as a key constraint. Unemployment remains pervasive, at around 40-50% of the labour force.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eciks.org/english/lajme.php?action=total_news&main_id=386 |title=May finds Kosovo with 50% unemployed |author=eciks |date=04/05/06}}</ref>
UNMIK introduced an external trade regime and customs administration on [[September 3]], [[1999]] when it set customs border controls in Kosovo. All goods imported in Kosovo face a flat 10% customs duty fee.<ref name="BuyUSA">{{cite web |url=http://www.buyusa.gov/kosovo/en/doingbusinessinkosovo.html |title=Doing Business in Kosovo |author=U.S. Commercial Service}}</ref> These taxes are collected from all Tax Collection Points installed at the borders of Kosovo, including those between Kosovo and Serbia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seerecon.org/kosovo/documents/wb_econ_report/wb-kosovo-econreport-2-2.pdf |format=PDF |title=External Trade and Customs |author=Economic Reconstruction and Development in South East Europe}}</ref> UNMIK and Kosovo institutions have signed Free Trade Agreements with [[Croatia]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.b92.net/eng/news/globe-article.php?yyyy=2006&mm=10&dd=02&nav_category=123&nav_id=37090 |title=Croatia, Kosovo sign Interim Free Trade Agreement |author=B92 |authorlink=B92 |date=02/10/06 |publisher=mrt.com}}</ref> [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.euinkosovo.org/upload_press/4.06%20-%20UNMIK%20and%20Bosnia%20and%20Herzegovina%20Initial%20Free%20Trade%20Agreement%2017.2.06.pdf |format=PDF |title=UNMIK and Bosnia and Herzegovina Initial Free Trade Agreement |author=EU in Kosovo |date=17/02/06 |publisher=UNMIK}}</ref> [[Albania]] and [[Republic of Macedonia]].<ref name="BuyUSA"/>
The [[euro]] is the official currency of Kosovo and used by UNMIK and the government bodies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.euinkosovo.org/uk/invest/invest.php |title=Invest in Kosovo |author=EU in Kosovo}}</ref> Initially, Kosovo adopted the [[German mark]] in 1999 to replace the [[Serbian dinar]],<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/437844.stm BBC News, Kosovo adopts Deutschmark</ref> and consequently switched to the euro when the German mark was replaced by it. Although, the Serbian dinar is still used in the Serbian-populated parts.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}<!-- {{Fact date=April 2008}}-->
The chief means of entry to this landlocked country, apart form the main highway leading to the south to [[Skopje]], [[Republic of Macedonia]], is [[Priština International Airport|Pristina International Airport]].
Car manufacturer [[Porsche]] has opened a branch in Kosovo. Besides Porsche automobiles, other brands such as [[Volkswagen]], [[Audi]] and [[Seat]] will be sold in Kosovo by the same distributor, due to recognition by [[Austria]].<ref>[http://www.newkosovareport.com/20080623988/Business-and-Economy/Porsche-opens-retail-branch-in-Kosovo.html "Porsche opens retail branch in Kosovo"] ''newkosovareport.com'' [[24 June]] Link accessed 26/06/08</ref>
===Trade and investment===
Kosovo's 2006 trade balance was total exports(FOB) $154mil and total imports(CIF) $1,612mil.
The [[Republic of Macedonia]] is Kosovo's largest import and export market (averaging €220 million and €9 million, respectively or 20% of whole Kosovo's trade), followed by Serbia (€111 million and €5 million app 12%), Germany (app 10% of total trade), China (app from 5-9% depending on season) and Turkey (app 6% of total imports). In total [[EU]]'s 27 countries are Kosovo's biggest trade partner, 35% of all Kosovo's imports are coming from EU and app 50-60% of Kosovo's $150 million exports are going in EU27.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTKOSOVO/147270-1121700806276/20953280/Kosovo_Economic_Briefing_april.pdf |format=PDF |title=Kosovo Monthly Economic Briefing: Preparing for next winter |author=The World Bank |date=April 2006}}</ref>
The economy is hindered by Kosovo's still-unresolved international status, which has made it difficult to attract investment and loans.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4509781.stm |title=Brussels offers first Kosovo loan |author=BBC News |date=03/05/05}}</ref>
The province's economic weakness has produced a thriving black economy in which smuggled petrol, cigarettes and cement are major commodities. The prevalence of official corruption and the pervasive influence of organised crime gangs has caused serious concern internationally. The United Nations has made the fight against corruption and organised crime a high priority, pledging a "zero tolerance" approach.
Kosovo has a reported foreign debt of 1,264 billion USD that is currently serviced by Serbia.
According to [http://www.eciks.org/english/invest.php?action=total_invest&main_id=13 ECIKS] from 2001 to 2004 Kosovo received $3,2 billion of foreign aid. International donor conference is to be held in Switzerland in June or July 2008. Until now EU pledged 2 billion €, $350 mil by USA. Serbia also pledged 120 million € to Serb's enclaves in Kosovo.
===Energy sector===
At 14,700 Mt, Kosovo has the world’s fifth-largest proven reserves of [[lignite]], a type of [[coal]]. The lignite is distributed across the Kosovo, Dukagjin and Drenica basins, although mining has so far been restricted to the Kosovo basin. Coal reserves are found in two main basins and are currently being mined in the coal mines of [[Bardh open-cast coal mine]] and [[Mirash open-cast coal mine]].
Energy sector presents a major potential for development of Kosovo's economy. There are two large coal-fired electrical power plants named "Kosovo A" and "Kosovo B" and the project to build a larger 2100-MW coal-fired power plant is underway with expected completion in 2012.
===Mining===
Kosovo has [[lead]]-[[zinc]]-[[silver]] mines of Artana (Novo Brdo), Belo Brdo, Stan Terg and Hajvalia mines, and the Crnac mine. During the lead-zinc-silver exploitation at Farbani Potok (Artana-Novo Brdo), about 3 Mt of high-grade [[halloysite]] was discovered. Halloysite is an aluminosilicate clay mineral used as a raw material for [[porcelain]] and [[bone china]]. This is only one of five known exploitable deposits of this very high-value (US$140-450/t) clay, the other four being in New Zealand, Turkey, China and Utah, US. Current world production is estimated at 150,000 t/y. There is also [[nickel]] to be found in Kosovo and the largest working mine is in Çikatova (Dushkaja and Suke) and Gllavica (District of Uroševac). There are significant deposits of [[chromium]], [[bauxite]] and [[magnesite]], but mining has been stalled since 1999.
===Unemployment===
A major issue in Kosovo that is undermining Kosovo's development is unemployment. Official unemployment rate stands at 40%. [[The World Bank]] states that even with 6 per cent annual growth (twice what Kosovo manages at the moment), it would take ten years to cut unemployment by half, from 40 to 20 per cent. {{Fact|04/28/08|date=April 2008}} Persistent unemployment, in particular among the young, will fuel frustration, which would be bad for political peace.[http://centreforeuropeanreform.blogspot.com/2008/02/kosovo-economic-dilemma.html] The unemployment rate among people under age 25, who account for approximately 50% of Kosovo's population, is much higher, approximately 60%.<ref name="kpa">"[http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTKOSOVO/Country%20Home/21541686/KosovoPAvol1.pdf: Kosovo Poverty Assessment] ", World Bank, [[3 October]] [[2007]]</ref> As such, a system of Kosovars going abroad as migrant workers has emerged. Approximately one out of five Kosovar households report having had a family member search for work abroad.<ref name="kpa"/> Kosovo has the youngest population in Europe {{Fact|04/28/08|date=April 2008}}, so, in coming years, with significant development of the Kosovo educational sector, the current unemployment situation could be improved. {{Fact|04/28/08|date=April 2008}}
==Administrative regions==
Kosovo, for administrative reasons, is considered as consisting of seven districts.
[[North Kosovo]] maintains its own government, infrastructure and institutions by its dominant ethnic [[Serb]] population in the [[District of Kosovska Mitrovica]], viz. in the [[Leposavić]], [[Zvečan]] and [[Zubin Potok]] municipalities and the northern part of [[Kosovska Mitrovica]].
===Districts===
{{main|Subdivisions of Kosovo|Districts of Kosovo and Metohija}}
===Municipalities and cities===
{{main|Municipalities of Kosovo}}
Kosovo is also divided into 30 municipalities:
{{Municipalities of Kosovo}}
==Demographics==
[[Image:Kosovo ethnic 2005.png|thumb|Multi ethnic map of Kosovo]]
[[Image:ChildrensDayInKosovo2.JPG|thumb|Girls celebrate Children's Day]]
{{main|Demographics of Kosovo}}
According to the Kosovo in Figures 2005 Survey of the Statistical Office of Kosovo,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ks-gov.net/esk/esk/pdf/english/general/kosovo_figures_05.pdf |format=PDF |title=Kosovo in figures 2005 |author=UNMIK |publisher=Ministry of Public Services}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4385768.stm |title=Muslims in Europe: Country guide |author=BBC News |date=2005-12-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/3524092.stm |title=churchesRegions and territories: Kosovo |author=BBC News |date=2007-11-20}}</ref> Kosovo's total population is estimated between 1.9 and 2.2 million with the following ethnic composition: [[Albanians]] 92%, [[Serbs]] 4%, [[Bosniaks]] and [[Gorani (ethnic group)|Gorans]] 2%, [[Turkish people|Turks]] 1%, [[Roma people|Roma]] 1%.
Albanians, steadily increasing in number, have constituted a majority in Kosovo since the 19th century, the earlier ethnic composition being disputed. The native dialect of the Kosovar Albanian population is [[Gheg Albanian]], although Standard [[Albanian language|Albanian]] is now widely used as an official language.<ref>[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=aln Albanian, Gheg A language of Serbia and Montenegro]. Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), 2005. ''[[Ethnologue|Ethnologue: Languages of the World]]'', Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. Online version.</ref><ref>Sylvia Moosmüller & Theodor Granser. [http://journals.cambridge.org/production/action/cjoGetFulltext?fulltextid=425300 The spread of Standard Albanian: An illustration based on an analysis of vowels]. ''Language Variation and Change'' (2006), 18: 121-140.</ref> According to the draft [[Constitution of Kosovo]], [[Serbian language|Serbian]] is another official language.<ref>[http://www.kosovoconstitution.info/repository/docs/DraftConstitutionEnglish.pdf Draft Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo]</ref> Kosovo's political boundaries don't coincide with ethnic boundaries; Serbs form a local majority in [[North Kosovo]] and [[Kosovo Serb enclaves|several smaller enclaves]], while there are large areas with Albanian majority outside Kosovo in the neighbouring regions of former Yugoslavia, namely in the northwest of the [[Republic of Macedonia]] and in [[Preshevo Valley]] of Central Serbia.
[[Islam]] (mostly [[Sunni]], with a [[Bektashi]] minority<ref name="babuna"/>) is the predominant [[religion]] in Kosovo, brought into the region with the [[History of Ottoman Kosovo|Ottoman conquest]] in the 15th century and now nominally professed by most of the ethnic Albanians, by the Bosniak, Gorani, and Turkish communities, and by some of the [[Roma people|Roma]]/[[Ashkali]]-"[[Egyptians (Balkans)|Egyptian]]" community. Islam, however, hasn't saturated the Kosovar society, which remains largely secular.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23258488/ Kosovo touts 'Islam Lite']. The [[Associated Press]], [[February 21]], [[2008]].</ref> About three percent of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo remain [[Roman Catholic]] despite centuries of the Ottoman rule. The Serb population, estimated at 100,000 to 120,000 persons, is largely [[Serbian Orthodox]]. Kosovo is densely covered by numerous Serb Orthodox churches and monasteries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=1591&l=1 |title=Religion in Kosovo |author=International Crisis Group |date=2001-01-31}}</ref><ref>[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90198.htm#kosovo International Religious Freedom Report 2007 (U.S. Department of States) - Serbia (includes Kosovo)]</ref><ref>[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71405.htm#kosovo International Religious Freedom Report 2006 (U.S. Department of States) - Serbia and Montenegro (includes Kosovo)]</ref> Some 80% of the former 150,000 members of the Roma and Ashkali minority were driven out of the country.<ref>[http://www.gfbv.de/inhaltsDok.php?id=612 Society for Threatened Peoples]</ref>
At 1.3% per year, ethnic Albanians in Kosovo have the fastest rate of growth in population in Europe.<ref>[http://files.osa.ceu.hu/holdings/300/8/3/text/3-13-10.shtml Albanian Population Growth]</ref> Over an 82-year period (1921-2003) the population grew to 460% of its original size. If growth continues at such a pace, the population will reach 4.5 million by 2050.<ref>[http://kosovo-hotels.com/index.php?mod=kos_profile Kosovo-Hotels, Prishtina - Kosovo-Hotels, Prishtinë]</ref>
By contrast, from [[Demographics of Kosovo#World War II-1968|1948]] to [[Demographics of Kosovo#1989-1999: Centralized Yugoslav Control|1991]], the Serb population of Kosovo increased by but twelve percent (one third the growth of the population in Central Serbia). The population of Albanians in Kosovo increased by three hundred percent in the same period{{ndash}} a rate of growth twenty-five times that of the Serbs in Kosovo.
==Society==
[[Image:Sharr.JPG|thumb|Ski Resort in the [[Šar Mountains]].]]
===Cinema and media===
{{main|Music of Kosovo}}
Although in Kosovo the music is diverse, authentic Albanian music (see ''[[World Music]]'') and [[Serbian music]] do still exist. Albanian music is characterised by the use of the ''[[çiftelia]]'' (an authentic Albanian instrument), ''mandolin'', ''mandola'' and ''percussion''. [[European classical music|Classical music]] is also well-known in Kosovo and has been taught at several [[List of pre-college music schools|music schools]] and [[universities]] (at the [[University of Priština#Albanian university|University of Prishtina Faculty of Arts]] in [[Pristina]] and the [[Faculty of Arts of Priština|University of Priština Faculty of Arts]] at [[Kosovska Mitrovica]]).
===Sports===
{{main|Olympic Committee of Kosovo|Football Federation of Kosovo|Basketball Federation of Kosovo|Handball Federation of Kosovo|Table Tennis Federation of Kosovo}}
Several sports federations have been formed in Kosovo within the framework of Law No. 2003/24 "Law on Sport" passed by the Assembly of Kosovo in 2003. The law formally established a national [[Olympic Committee of Kosovo|Olympic Committee]], regulated the establishment of sports federations and established guidelines for sports clubs. At present only some of the sports federations established have gained international recognition.
==See also==
<div style="-moz-column-count:4; column-count:4;">
* [[Assembly of Kosovo]]
* [[Government of Kosovo]]
* [[Prime Minister of Kosovo]]
* [[President of Kosovo]]
* [[Serbs in Kosovo]]
* [[Albanians in Kosovo]]
* [[Post and Telecom of Kosovo]]
* [[Albanian nationalism and independence]]
* [[Demographic history of Kosovo]]
* [[Unrest in Kosovo|Unrest in Kosovo during March 2004]]
* [[Metohija]]
* [[North Kosovo]]
* [[Flag of Kosovo]]
* [[2008 Kosovo declaration of independence]]
</div>
==References==
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{{reflist|2}}
== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last=Malcolm |first=Noel |authorlink=Noel Malcolm |title=Kosovo: A Short History |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]] |year=1998 |isbn=0333666127}}
* {{cite book |last=Elsie |first=Robert |authorlink=Robert Elsie |title=Historical Dictionary of Kosova |publisher=Scarecrow Press |year=2004 |isbn=0810853094}}
== External links ==
{{portal|Kosovo|Kosovo blue map.png}}
{{sisterlinks}}
* {{wikiatlas|Kosovo}}
* [http://www.unmikonline.org/ United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo]
* [http://www.ks-gov.net/pm/Fillimi/tabid/36/menuid/+/subid/+/lingo/2/language/en-US/Default.aspx The Government of Kosovo and Prime minister's office]
* [http://www.assembly-kosova.org/ Assembly of Kosovo]
* [http://www.president-ksgov.net/?id=1,67,67,67,e/ President of Kosovo]
* [http://www.srbija.sr.gov.yu/kosovo-metohija/?change_lang=en Serbian Government for Kosovo and Metohija]
* {{CIA World Factbook link|kv|Kosovo}}
* [http://www.visitkosova.org/english/index.htm Visit Kosovo - Tourism Website]
* {{wikitravel}}
{{Template group
|title = [[Image:Nuvola filesystems www.png|23px]] Geographic national
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{{Districts of Kosovo}}
{{Kosovo municipalities}}
{{Autonomous provinces of Serbia}}
}}
{{Template group
|title = [[Image:Crystal Clear app browser.png|23px]] Geographic international
|list =
{{Countries of Europe}}
{{Non-sovereign territories of Europe}}
{{Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA)}}
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