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| |+<big>'''Kosovo i Metohija'''<br>'''Косово и Метохија'''</big> | |||
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| <!--Albanian is official language in kosovo but not in the state Serbia (Bujanovc, Presheva ?) and Montenegro (Plave, Gusia, Ulcin ?)????--> | |||
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| | valign=top | ]<br> - Total (])<br> - ]<br> || <br>2.0 - 2.2 million (est.)<br>185/km² (approx) | |||
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| '''Kosovo and Metohia''' (]: ''Косово и Метохија'' / ''Kosovo i Metohija'', ]: ''Kosova''), in ] most called Kosovo and Metohija, is a province of ]. It is the subject of an ongoing territorial dispute between the Serbian government and the province's majority ethnic ] population. It is a part of Serbia, but since the ] it has been administered by the ] as a protectorate. Its Albanian population referred to the province as the '''Republic of Kosova''' between ] and ] and declared it an independent state, though this was recognized abroad only by ]. The province's final status has yet to be determined; talks on this issue are scheduled for later in ]. | |||
| == Geography == | |||
| With an area of ] ] and a population of almost 2 million on the eve of the 1999 crisis, Kosovo borders with ] to the northwest, the rest of ] (often called "]" in English) to the north and east, the ] to the south, and ] to the southwest. The largest cities are ], the capital, with estimated 500,000 inhabitants, and ] in the southwest with 120,000: five other towns have populations in excess of 50,000. | |||
| ===Geographical regions=== | |||
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| |] | |||
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| ], called '''Rrafshi i Dukagjinit''' ("Dukagjin plateau") by Albanians, is the large ] at the west of the province. The region includes the towns of <!-- following WD flow --> ], ], ], ], ], and ]. The second largest region is '''Kosovo''', a basin around the ] river containing the cities of ], ], ], and ]. '''Kosovo Polje''' (]) is just a small field which was the site of the ]; when the communist government changed the name of the province to Kosovo in ], they also started pushing "Kosovo Polje" as the name of entire region. Part of Kosovo along the river ] which contains the city of ] is called ] (literally "Little Kosovo"). Just between the Metohia and Kosovo is the ] with the cities of ] and ] and ]. Around the river ] is ]. At the southmost tip of the province, along the border with ] lie the ], ] and ]. | |||
| ==Name== | |||
| The province is best known as '''Kosovo''' - this name has been the most widely used by maps and gazetteers within Serbia and abroad. The alternative spelling ''Kossovo'' was frequently used until the early ] and before that, ''Cassovo'' or ''Cassua'', an ] of the name. | |||
| The name Kosovo (pronounced "KOS-so-vo" by ], "ko-SO-va" by ]) appears to have its roots in the ] word ''kos'' which means "]". The root word is widely used as a ] in Slavic countries and the historical ] name for ], ''Amselfeld'', does indeed mean "field of the blackbird". The name "Kosovo" is itself used in other Slavic countries, appearing in ], ], ], ], and ] (see ]). | |||
| <!-- Is this Proaganda or Enciklopedi ]--> | |||
| '''Kosova''' (pronounced "ko-SO-vah") is the ] spelling for the province. Albanians tend to use "Kosova" exclusively in preference to the Serbian name, which many of them reject as a symbol of Serbian dominance. It is also occasionally spelled as ''Kosovë''; this is due to the fact that in Albanian, adding the definite article to a noun changes the ending of the word. | |||
| Some Albanian researchers claim that the name is a Serbian form of an old ] placename meaning "high plain", but this is not a widely accepted theory and would not explain the widespread distribution of the name across the Slav countries. The Illyrian form is generally thought to be an Albanian version of an originally Slavic placename. | |||
| The Albanian-populated areas of the province and Albania itself tend to use "Kosova" exclusively. "Kosovo" is used, again almost exclusively, in the Serb-populated north of the province and in the rest of the former ]. The international community tries to steer a middle path by referring formally to "Kosovo/Kosova." In practice, however, the Serbian variant is still the most frequently used outside of Kosovo while the Albanian variant is widely used by "internationals" within the province. | |||
| The use of the two alternative names is a highly sensitive political issue for both Serbs and Kosovo Albanians, who regard the use of the other side's name as being a denial of their own side's territorial rights (in much the same way that ] and ] have disputed the name of the ]). During the ], ] President ] was criticised for frequently using "Kosova" and appearing to pronounce "Kosovo" the Albanian way, putting the emphasis on the middle syllable rather than on the first syllable as in the Serbian pronunciation. This may, however, have been a simple mispronunciation. | |||
| '''Metohia''' (alternatively spelled ''Metohija'') derives from the ] word ''μετόχια'' (''metochia''), a term which denotes ]-owned land. Historically, the estates of the ] were located principally in this region. The name does not indicate a modern administrative district. Albanians tend not to use the name, regarding it as a statement of Serbian territorial ownership (which they reject for political reasons), and instead prefer to call it ''Rrafsh i Dukagjinit'', the "Dukagjin plateau". | |||
| Some Kosovo Albanians refer to Kosovo as ], the name of the ancient Roman province which covered the territory of modern Kosovo and part of the Republic of Macedonia. Kosovo President ] has been an enthusiastic backer of a "Dardanian" identity and his flag and presidential seal refer to this notional identity. However, it is not recognised by any international power and the name "Kosova" remains more widely used among the Albanian population. | |||
| The province is occasionally referred to as '''Kosmet''', a contraction of ''Kosovo and Metohija'' which has tended to be used by the Serbian government. | |||
| ===Former official names=== | |||
| * Autonomous Kosovo-Metohijan Area (]-]) | |||
| * Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (]-]) | |||
| * Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo (]-]) | |||
| * Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohia (] - present) | |||
| * Kosovo was also called "republic of Kosovo" by the shadow Kosovo Albanian government between a ] declaration of independence and the Kosovo War in ]. | |||
| ===Adjective form=== | |||
| The question of what to call the inhabitants of Kosovo collectively has also aroused some debate. They have been called variously "Kosovars", "Kosovans" and "Kosovians". The two words accepted by the ] are "Kosovar" (borrowed from Albanian), the most widely used variant in English, by a long way, and "Kosovan" (using the English rules for ]s) much less used. "Kosovian" is considered a non-standard word and very little used at all. | |||
| As Kosovo has no formal statehood, current international usage is to refer to Kosovo Serbs and Kosovo Albanians. Most of the Albanian-descended community in Kosovo would prefer the use of Kosovar or Kosovan because of the attendant political overtones, whilst the Serb minority continue to think of themselves as Serb or Serbian (from Kosovo). | |||
| === Kosovo placenames === | |||
| Most localities in Kosovo have distinct Serbian and Albanian placenames, nearly all very similar, some differing radically, Like that of Ferizaj, for example. It went from Ferizaj to Ferizovic and eventually changed into Urosevac. During the Serbian administration of 1912-1999, Kosovo localities were known internationally almost exclusively by their Serbian names. | |||
| Since the United Nations took over administration of the province in June 1999, the administration and some international organisations have adopted a policy of treating both versions equally. For the sake of convenience, this article gives alternative placenames the first time a locality is mentioned, but will use the more familiar Serbian version thereafter. A useful list of Serbian and Albanian forms of Kosovo placenames is available at | |||
| ==Flag== | |||
| The province never had an official flag of its own. The ] is used by the Albanian-dominated administration and the vast majority of Kosovo Albanians. Kosovo's president, Ibrahim Rugova, has proposed an alternative flag of "Dardania" based on the design of the Albanian flag, but even within Kosovo it is little used. The Serb-inhabited area of north Kosovo uses only the ], which is formally the flag of the whole of Serbia including Kosovo, although this usage is rejected by virtually all Kosovo Albanians. The United Nations administration in Kosovo intends to establish a new flag for the province, which will undoubtedly be very different from the two national communities' existing flags. The current ] emerged from a similar process of national reconciliation. | |||
| == History == | |||
| ''See ].'' | |||
| == Politics and international status == | |||
| {{Politics of Kosovo}} | |||
| Kosovo's international status is anomalous in that although it is a province of the Republic of Serbia, actual administration is presently conducted by the ] with no involvement on the part of the Serbian governments (under Security Council resolution 1244 of ] ]; see ). The government of the province is the responsibility of the ] (UNMIK). Under the terms of the ] and subsequent UN ] ], which ended the ], security is provided by the Kosovo Force (KFOR), which is led by ] and is answerable to UNMIK. | |||
| UNMIK has so far established a provisional assembly, provisional government and the office of provisional president, which are legislative and executive bodies under UNMIK's control. Control of security, justice and external affairs are still under full UNMIK control. The ] was elected in November ] and ] was elected as president in March ]. The seat of the assembly, government and president is in ]. So far, the parliament has enacted and UNMIK approved a constitutional framework, customs code, and two criminal codes. | |||
| UNMIK is issuing travel documents which serve instead of ]s in countries which are accepting to recognise them as such; UNMIK is also issuing identity cards and car plates, which again are valid only in countries which are accepting them as such. Kosovo's postal system is also usable only in countries which are accepting to recognise it as such (letters addressed to Kosovo only, or to Serbia and Montenegro have a chance of not arriving; the Universal Postal Union advises correspondents to use "Kosovo (UNMIK)" as the address ). | |||
| UNMIK has also created a police force (the ]) with employees from all ethnic communities (Albanian, Serbian, Roma, Bosniac, Roma, etc), and manages the province's railways and airline (]). The airspace of the province is controlled by KFOR. UNMIK uses the United Nations flag. | |||
| The Constitutional Framework enacted by the Kosovo assembly (with UNMIK approval) has adopted a policy of ] in the assembly to ensure that the province's minorities are properly represented. Out of 120 seats, 10 are reserved for Serbs and another 10 for non-Albanian minorities, while the remaining 100 seats are elected through direct voting. | |||
| Kosovo is still recognised internationally as a part of Serbia. Its final status has not yet been resolved, though talks on the subject are planned for later in 2005, and considerable difficulties lie ahead in reconciling the apparently incompatible positions of the Serbian and Albanian sides. The Albanians reject Serbian sovereignty; although the fall of the Milosevic government has eased some of the political tensions between the two administrations, most Kosovo Albanians do not believe that the Serbian side will respect Albanian rights. On the other side, Serbia is adamantly opposed to the independence of Kosovo and for historical and religious reasons continues to see the province as the heartland of Serbian culture. The international community is reluctant to see Kosovo become independent, as its independence without Serbia's consent would violate ] (the principles of ] and ]). It could also potentially provide a precedent for the secession of the ] from ], which could re-ignite the war in that country. The most likely outcome is the indefinite continuation of the current situation (with EU institutions taking over the roles of UN and NATO, a process which can be observed in present-day ]) | |||
| == Administrative subdivisions == | |||
| ''Main article: ]'' | |||
| # Pristina, Podujevo, Glogovac, Obilic, Lipljan and Kosovo Polje - the Office of Municipal Government in Nis | |||
| # Kosovska Mitrovica, Srbica, Zubin Potok, Vucitm, Zvecan and Leposavic - the Office of Municipal Government in Kraljevo | |||
| #Pec, Istok and Klina - the Office of Municipal Government in Kragujevac | |||
| #Prizren, Orahovac, Suva Reka and Gora - the Office of Municipal Government in Krusevac | |||
| #Djakovica and Decant - the Office of Municipal Government in Jagodina | |||
| #Gnjilane,Vitina,KosovskaKamemcaandNovoBrdo- the Office of Municipal Government in Vranje | |||
| #Urosevac, Kacanik, Stimlje and Strpce - the Office of Municipal Government in Leskovac | |||
| == Currency == | |||
| ] declared the ] to be official currency of the province in ] in the course of implementing a currency reform. This was undertaken to replace the previous widespread use of the ], which had become ''de facto'' currency even before the 1999 war. However, the ] remains an official currency, though used principally by the ]; it is only used sporadically outside of them. Most trade is conducted using the euro, Kosovo's administration uses euros exclusively, and all commercial banks use the euro as the primary currency. Of other international currencies, the ] and ] are the most widespread. | |||
| == Demographics == | |||
| ''Main article: ]'' | |||
| ] comprise an almost 90% majority of the population of the province. Their percentage as a proportion of the province's population has increased steadily over time as a result of a high birth rate, immigration from ] and concentrion of Albanians from areas formerly under the Sandjak of Nish, southern Serbia. Most of the province's Albanian population became refugees during the war but quickly returned to their homes at its end. In the aftermath of the conflict, several hundred thousand non-Albanians (especially ] and ]) fled the province to escape renewed intercommunal violence. The non-Albanian population of Kosovo has continued to fall in recent years due to a combination of economic hardship and tension (and occasional violence) in ethnically mixed area. | |||
| According to the 2000 Living Standard Measurement Survey of the Statistical Office of Kosovo, Kosovo's total population is approximately 1,970,000 with the following ethnic proportions: | |||
| * 88% Albanians (1,733,600) | |||
| * 7% Serbs (137,900) | |||
| * 1.9% Muslim Slavs (37,400) | |||
| * 1.7% Roma (33,500) | |||
| * 1% Turks (19,700) | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] (about the March 2004 unrest) | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| *. | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| *: a historian's "objective" comprehensive overview | |||
| ===Provisional Institutions of Self-Government=== | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * - governmental agency of statistics | |||
| ===Pro-Albanian=== | |||
| * - A comprehensive blog in english with news from local, regional and international media | |||
| * - Independent news agency with some news in english | |||
| * - "...latest news, analysis and publications from the Kosovar economy" | |||
| * - Kosova's public television (news in albanian, serbian, turkish and roma) | |||
| * - LDK's news agency (albanian only) | |||
| * - general information | |||
| * - Serbian Massacres of Albanians | |||
| * (in german) | |||
| * (in albanian) | |||
| ===Pro-Serb=== | |||
| * Serbian Orthodox Church's official website on Kosovo | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| ** | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| {{Serbia and Montenegro}} | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 08:46, 15 July 2005
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