|
WEBMAIL >>
|
|
|
ABOUT KOSOVO
| Kosovo is a small and landlocked territory in
the center of the Balkan Peninsula presently under the
administration of United Nations. The majority of the
population is Albanian (88%), while the most numerous among the
other ethnic groups are the Serbs, Bosnians, Turks and RAE
(Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian). |
Christianity in Dardania IV Century |
The most prominent religions are Muslim, Catholic,
Protestant and Orthodox. According to a World Bank Living Standard
Measurement Survey taken in the autumn of 2000, at least 12 percent of
the population is extremely poor and another 40 percent is poor. Thus,
more than half of the people in Kosovo are still struggling to survive
|
Skenderbeg (XIV Century) Mother Teresa (XX C) |
Kosovo was at war against the Ottoman Empire
for more than five hundred years (XIII - XVIII AD). The Ottoman
occupation was one of the darkest times for the Albanians since,
as the only Catholics in the region, the Ottoman Empire did not
accept them as a nation. One of the Albanian heroes that fought
against the Ottoman Empire was Gjergj Kastrioti-Skenderbeg (XIV
AD). |
He is still celebrated today as one of the greatest
leaders for freedom and peace in the region.
Since the Turkish aggression,
violence in the Kosovo Region has not stopped. During the World War I
and World War II, the communist period, and recent conflicts, more than
600,000 Albanians were killed or expelled from Kosovo. Since the NATO
intervention in 1999, however, Kosovo currently faces a unique and
unprecedented opportunity for peace and equality in the territory. The
YMCA seeks to make this opportunity a reality.
Kosovo has been always been considered part of Dardania.
In the time of the Romans, it was one of the most developed regions of
the Iliricum and a key strategic location for trade and industry. Its
citizens, the Iliri or Albanians, were very sophisticated and
prosperous. They served as apostles for Christianity and accepted and
spread Christianity in the Third Century AD.
Click the map to see larger
Balkan
History,
Kosova
History,
Kosova Map
Kosova Spot Movie
|
General
Information
Area: 10.887 km 2
Population: 2.000 000
Capital: Prishtina
Alphabet: Latin
Religions: Muslim, Catholic, Orthodox
Political structure: Parliamentary democracy
Currency: Euro
Time: GMT
GMT + 1
(from March to September) |
| Ethnic groups |
|
|
Kosovo Albanians |
88% |
|
Kosovo Serbs |
7% |
| |
|
|
Other ethnic groups |
5% |
| |
|
|
Age distribution, total |
|
|
0-14 years |
33% |
|
15-64 years |
61% |
|
65 an older |
8% |
| |
|
|
UNDER 26 years |
60% |
|
Ethnic
groups |
|
Kosovo
Albanians |
88% |
|
Kosovo
Serbs
|
7% |
|
Other
ethnic groups
|
5%
|
|
Age
distribution, total |
|
0-14
years |
33% |
|
15-64
years |
61% |
|
65 and
older |
6% |
|
Ethnic
groups |
|
Kosovo
Albanians |
88% |
|
Kosovo
Serbs
|
7% |
|
Other
ethnic groups
|
5%
|
|
Age
distribution, total |
|
0-14
years |
33% |
|
15-64
years |
61% |
|
65 and
older |
6% |
|
|
