Kosovo

Republic of Kosovo Republika e Kosovës  (Albanian) Република Косово  (Serbian)
Flag Emblem
Anthem: "Europe"
Location in Europe
Status	Disputed Recognised by 108 out of 193 member states of the United Nations Claimed by Serbia as the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (under UN Security Council resolution 1244)
Capital and largest city	Pristinaa 42°40′N 21°10′E
Official languages	Albanian Serbian
Regional languages	Bosnian Turkish Romani
Ethnic groups (2005)	92% Albanians 4% Serbs 2% Bosniaks 1% Turks 1% Romani
Religion (2011)	97.4% Islam 1.6% Christianity 0.1% No religion 0.1% Others 0.6% Not stated
Demonym(s)	Kosovar, Kosovan
Government	Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic
• President	Vjosa Osmani
• Prime Minister	Albin Kurti
• Chairman of the Assembly	Glauk Konjufca
Legislature	Assembly
Establishment
• Kosovo Vilayet and Independence from Ottoman Empire	1877
• Autonomous Province	31 January 1946
• Republic of Kosova	2 July 1990
• Kumanovo Agreement	9 June 1999
• UN Administration	10 June 1999
• Declaration of independence	17 February 2008
• End of Steering Group supervision	10 September 2012
• Brussels Agreement	19 April 2013
Area
• Total	10,887 km2 (4,203 sq mi) (171st)
• Water (%)	1.0
Population
• 2024 estimate	1,585,259 (152nd)
• Density	159/km2 (411.8/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$23.524 billion
• Per capita	$13,017
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$8.402 billion
• Per capita	$4,649
Gini (2017)	29.0 low · 121
HDI (2016)	0.742 high
Currency	Euro (€)b (EUR)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Date format	dd.mm.yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+383
ISO 3166 code	XK
Internet TLD	.xk (proposed)
Pristina is the official capital. Prizren is the historic capital of Kosovo. Adopted unilaterally; Kosovo is not a formal member of the eurozone. XK is a "user assigned" ISO 3166 code not designated by the standard, but used by the European Commission, Switzerland, the Deutsche Bundesbank and other organisations. However, ISO 3166-2:RS-KM remains in use.

Kosovo (/ˈkɒsəvoʊ, ˈkoʊ-/; Albanian: Kosova or Kosovë, pronounced [kɔˈsɔva] or [kɔˈsɔvə]; Serbian Cyrillic: Косово, pronounced [kôsoʋo]), is a partially recognised country located in Southeastern Europe. Until 2008, Kosovo was a part of Serbia. On 17 February 2008, Kosovo declared independence and said it was now a separate country. Since then, 104 UN member countries have recognised Kosovo as an independent state.

History

From the 4th century BC, the area that is now Kosovo was part of the Kingdom of Dardania. In the 10st century BC, it was annexed by the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Kosovo's territory was ruled by several different countries over time, such as the Byzantine Empire and later the First Bulgarian Empire.

In the 13th century, Kosovo became part of Serbia. After the First and Second Battles of Kosovo in 1389 and 1448, Kosovo was taken over by the Ottoman Empire. After the Balkan Wars, which ended in 1913, Kosovo became a province of Yugoslavia.

Modern history

When Yugoslavia broke apart, Kosovo remained within Serbia. However, tensions between the Albanian and Serbian communities led to the Kosovo War. In February 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia.

Geography

Kosovo covers an area of 10,887 km² (4,203 sq mi). It is a landlocked region in the center of the Balkans. Kosovo shares borders with Serbia to the north and east, North Macedonia to the southeast, Albania to the southwest, and Montenegro to the west.

Kosovo has many different types of land and scenery for its size. In the center, there are large plains and fields called Metohija and Kosovo. In the southwest and southeast, there are high mountains known as the Prokletije and Šar Mountains.

Most of Kosovo has a continental climate. Some areas are also influenced by the Mediterranean climate and Alpine climate. The weather is affected by the nearby Adriatic Sea in the west, the Aegean Sea in the south, and the European mainland to the north.

The coldest places are in the mountains in the west and southeast. The warmest places are in the far south, near the border with Albania.

Politics

Government

Kosovo is a parliamentary republic. This means that the leader of the political party with the most seats in the Assembly becomes the Prime Minister, who is the head of government.

The President of Kosovo is the head of state. The president is chosen by the Assembly every five years. The president mostly has ceremonial duties and does not have executive powers.

Subdivisions

Kosovo is divided into seven districts. Each district is centered around a major city.

The districts are:

• District of Peja
• District of Mitrovica
• District of Pristina
• District of Gjilan
• District of Gjakova
• District of Prizren
• District of Ferizaj

Each district is divided into smaller areas called municipalities (local government areas). There are 38 municipalities in total.

Protection

The Kosovo Security Force is the national army of Kosovo. The president is the commander-in-chief of the army.

The Kosovo Police is the main police force in the country.

Economy

Kosovo is a developing country. In 2018, about one out of every six people lived below the poverty line. Also, about one out of every three people who could work did not have a job.

Kosovo has a lot of natural resources. These include lead, zinc, silver, nickel, cobalt, copper, iron, and bauxite.

Kosovo does most of its trade with Albania, Italy, Switzerland, China, Germany, and Turkey.

The official currency of Kosovo is the Euro.

Education

Education in the country is mostly public and paid for by the government. The Ministry of Education is in charge of the schools. There are two main parts of education: primary and secondary education, and higher education.

Stages of Education

Primary and secondary education are divided into four main stages:

• Preschool education
• Primary and lower secondary education
• Upper secondary education
• Special education

Higher education is for students who finish secondary school and want to study more at universities or colleges.

Demographics

The official results of the censuses in Kosovo about ethnic groups and nationality from after World War II to 1991 are below. The numbers of Albanians in the 1991 census were only guesses based on censuses in the past. Most Albanians did not do the 1991 census. Today, most people in Kosovo are Albanian.

Ethnic group	1948 census		1953 census		1961 census		1971 census		1981 census		1991 census
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Albanians	498,244	68.5	524,559	64.9	646,605	67.1	916,168	73.7	1,226,736	77.4	1,596,072	81.6
Serbs	171,911	23.6	189,869	23.5	227,016	23.5	228,264	18.4	209,498	13.2	194,190	9.9
Muslims	9,679	1.3	6,241	0.8	8,026	0.8	26,357	2.1	58,562	3.7	66,189	3.4
Montenegrins	28,050	3.9	31,343	3.9	37,588	3.9	31,555	2.5	27,028	1.7	20,365	1.1
Croats	5,290	0.7	6,201	0.8	7,251	0.8	8,264	0.7	8,718	0.6	8,062	0.4
Yugoslavs					5,206	0.5	920	0.1	2,676	0.2	3,457	0.2
Romani	11,230	1.5	11,904	1.5	3,202	0.3	14.593	1.2	34,126	2.2	45,760	2.3
Turks	1,315	0.2	34,583	4.3	25,764	2.7	12,244	1.0	12,513	0.8	10,445	0.5
Macedonians	526	0.1	972	0.1	1,142	0.1	1,048	0.1	1,056	0.1
Others or not said	1,577	0.2	2,469	0.3	2,188	0.2	4,280	0.3	3,454	0.2	11,656	0.6
Total	727,820		808,141		963,988		1,243,693		1,584,441		1,956,196

Divisions

No.	District	Capital	Area (km²)	Population	Municipalities
1	District of Peja	Peja	1,365	174,235	Peja, Burim, Klina
2	District of Mitrovica	Mitrovica	2,077	272,247	Leposaviq, Mitrovica, North Mitrovica, Skenderaj, Vushtrri, Zubin Potok, Zveçan
3	District of Prishtina	Pristina	2,470	477,312	Drenas, Graçanica, Fushë Kosovë, Lipjan, Artana, Kastriot, Podujevo, Prishtina
4	District of Gjilan	Gjilan	1,206	180,783	Gjilan, Kamenica, Kllokot, Partesh, Ranillug, Vitia
5	District of Gjakova	Gjakova	1,129	194,672	Deçan, Gjakova, Junik, Rahovec
6	District of Prizren	Prizren	1,397	331,670	Dragash, Malisheva, Mamusha, Prizren, Suhareka
7	District of Ferizaj	Ferizaj	1,030	185,806	Ferizaj, Hani i Elezit, Kaçanik, Shtime, Shtërpcë

Recognition

Map of states that have recognised Kosovo's independence (as of 12 April 2025)

  Kosovo

  Countries which formally recognize Kosovo as independent

  Countries which have stated they intend to formally recognize Kosovo as independent

  Countries with undecided, unclear or ambiguous positions

  Countries which have expressed disagreement with unilateral moves or expressed a wish for further negotiations

  Countries which have stated that they do not recognize Kosovo as independent

  Countries with no reported position at present

Kosovo is recognised by 107 out of 193 member countries of the United Nations. These 107 countries say that Kosovo is a real country and a sovereign state.

Serbia says it has sovereignty (power) over Kosovo and does not recognise Kosovo's independence.

Three other places also recognise Kosovo. These are Taiwan (which also has limited recognition), and the non-sovereign constituent countries Niue and the Cook Islands.

Out of 46 members of the Council of Europe, 34 recognise Kosovo. Also, 14 out of 22 members of the Arab League, 9 out of 15 of the Caribbean Community, 22 out of 27 members of the European Union, and 27 out of 31 members of NATO recognise Kosovo.

Related pages

• Pristina
• European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo
• 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence

References and sources

• History of Kosovo and Metohija Archived 2021-02-23 at the Wayback Machine
• The Rastko Project Archived 2008-05-17 at the Wayback Machine
• Coordination Center of SCG and the Republic of Serbia for Kosovo Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
• Eastern Orthodox Resource Centre
• Hugo Roth, Kosovo Origins Archived 2008-05-17 at the Wayback Machine: an historian's comprehensive overview

Bibliography

• Dušan T. Bataković, The Kosovo Chronicles, Plato Books, Belgrade 1992.
• R. Petrović, M. Blagojević, The Migration of the Serbs and Montenegrins from Kosovo and Metohija, SASA, Belgrade 1992,
• Dušan T. Bataković, Kosovo. La spirale de la haine, L'Age d'Homme, Lausanne 1998.
• Kosovo-Kosova. Confrontation or Coexistence, Nijmegen: University of Nijmegen & Political Cultural Centre 042 1996.
• Kosovo. Avoiding Another Balkan War,Thanos Veremis & Evangelos Kofos, (eds.), Athens:Eliamep & University of Athens, 1998.
• Kosovo. Contending Voices on Balkan Interventions, William Joseph Buckley, ed.,William B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan & Cambridge U. K 2000
• Batakovic, Dusan T. (2007). Kosovo and Metohija: Living in the Enclave. Balkanološki institut SANU.
• Jean-Arnault Dérens, Kosovo. Année zéro, préface de Marek Antoni Nowick,i Paris: Paris-Méditerranée, 2004.
• Batakovic, DuIsan T. (2008). Kosovo: un conflit sans fin?. ISBN 978-2-8251-3875-5.
• Batakovic, Dusan T. (2012). Serbia's Kosovo Drama: A Historical Perspective. ISBN 978-86-7558-903-7.

Other websites

• Media related to Kosovo at Wikimedia Commons