The Balkan region is often called the "powder keg" of Europe. And not by chance. In the 20th century, wars and conflicts of various sizes broke out here every now and then. Yes, and the First World War began here, after the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was killed in Sarajevo. In the early 1990s, the Balkan countries experienced another serious shock - the collapse of Yugoslavia. This event significantly redrawn the political map of the European Region.
The Balkan region and its geography
All the Balkan countries are located on a relatively small area of 505 thousand square kilometers. The geography of the peninsula is very diverse. Its coastline is strongly dissected and is washed by the waters of six seas. The territory of the Balkans is predominantly mountainous and heavily indented by deep canyons. However, the highest point of the peninsula - Mount Musala - falls short even up to 3000 meters in height.
Two more natural features are characteristic of this region: the presence of a huge number of smallislands off the coastline (mainly in Croatia), as well as the widespread karst processes (it is in Slovenia that the famous Karst plateau is located, which served as the donor of the name for a separate group of landforms).
The name of the peninsula comes from the Turkish word balkan, which means "large and wooded mountain range". The northern border of the Balkans is usually drawn along the line of the Danube and Sava rivers.
Balkan countries: list
Today, there are ten state entities in the Balkans (of which 9 are sovereign states and one is partially recognized). Below is a list of them, including the capitals of the Balkan countries:
- Slovenia (capital - Ljubljana).
- Greece (Athens).
- Bulgaria (Sofia).
- Romania (Bucharest).
- Macedonia (Skopje).
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo).
- Serbia (Belgrade).
- Montenegro (Podgorica).
- Croatia (Zagreb).
- Republic of Kosovo (partially recognized state with capital in Pristina).
It should be noted that in some regional classifications Moldova is also included in the Balkan countries.
The Balkan countries are on the path of independent development
In the second half of the 19th century, all the Balkan peoples were under the yoke of Turkey, as well as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which could not contribute to their national and cultural development. In the 60s and 70sthe century before last, national liberation aspirations intensified in the Balkans. The Balkan countries, one by one, are trying to embark on the path of independent development.
The first of them was Bulgaria. In 1876, an uprising began here, which, however, was brutally suppressed by the Turks. Outraged by such bloody actions, as a result of which about 30 thousand Orthodox Bulgarians died, Russia declared war on the Turks. In the end, Turkey was forced to recognize the independence of Bulgaria.
In 1912, following the example of the Bulgarians, Albania also achieved independence. At the same time, Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece create the so-called "Balkan Union" in order to finally free themselves from Turkish oppression. Soon the Turks were ousted from the peninsula. Only a small piece of land with the city of Constantinople remained under their rule.
However, after defeating their common enemy, the Balkan countries begin to fight among themselves. So, Bulgaria, with the support of Austria-Hungary, attacks Serbia and Greece. Romania was the last to provide military support.
The Balkans finally turned into a big "powder keg" on June 28, 1914, when Prince Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was killed in Sarajevo by Princip. Thus began the First World War, which involved almost all of Europe, as well as some countries in Asia, Africa and even Central America.
The collapse of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia was created back in 1918, immediately after the liquidation of the AustrianHungarian Empire. The process of its collapse, which began in 1991, significantly redrawn the then existing political map of Europe.
The first from Yugoslavia, as a result of the so-called 10-day war, was Slovenia. Croatia followed, but the military conflict between Croats and Serbs lasted 4.5 years and claimed at least 20,000 lives. At the same time, the Bosnian War continued, which resulted in the recognition of the new state entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
One of the last stages of the collapse of Yugoslavia was the referendum on the independence of Montenegro, which was held in 2006. According to its results, 55.5% of Montenegrins voted for secession from Serbia.
Shaky independence for Kosovo
On February 17, 2008, the Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence. The reaction of the international community to this event was extremely mixed. To date, Kosovo, as an independent state, is recognized by only 108 countries (out of 193 UN members). Among them are the USA and Canada, Japan, Australia, most EU countries, as well as some countries in Africa and Latin America.
However, the republic's independence has not yet been recognized by Russia and China (which are members of the UN Security Council), which prevents Kosovo from becoming a full member of the world's main international organization.
In conclusion…
Modern Balkan countries began their path to independence at the end of the 19th century. However, the process of border formationin the Balkans is still not over.
To date, ten countries stand out within the Balkan region. These are Slovenia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, and also the partially recognized state of Kosovo.
