Balkan countries and their way to independence

The Balkan region is often called the "powder keg" of Europe. And not by accident. In the twentieth century, wars and conflicts of different scale flared up here and there. And the First World War began here, after the heir of the Austro-Hungarian throne was killed in Sarajevo. In the early 1990s, the Balkan countries experienced another major upheaval - the disintegration of Yugoslavia. This event substantially redrawn the political map of the European region.

Balkan region and its geography

A relatively small area of 505,000 square kilometers accommodated all the Balkan countries. The geography of the peninsula is very diverse. Its shoreline is heavily dissected and washed by the waters of six seas. The territory of the Balkans is mostly mountainous and heavily indented by deep canyons. However, the highest point of the peninsula - Mount Musala - does not stretch to 3000 meters in height.

Two more natural features are typical for this region: the presence of a huge number of small islands near the coastline (mainly in Croatia), as well as the widespread occurrence of karst processes (it is in Slovenia that the famous Karst plateau is used, which served as a donor for a separate group of relief forms).

The name of the peninsula comes from the Turkish word balkan, which in translation means "a large and wooded mountain range." The northern border of the Balkans is usually carried along 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:

1. Slovenia (the capital - Ljubljana).
2. Greece (Athens).
3. Bulgaria (Sofia).
4. Romania (Bucharest).
5. Macedonia (Skopje).
6. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo).
7. Serbia (Belgrade).
8. Montenegro (Podgorica).
9. Croatia (Zagreb).
10. The Republic of Kosovo (a partially recognized state with its capital in Pristina).

It should be noted that in some regional classifications, Moldova is also ranked among the Balkan countries.

Balkan countries on the path of independent development

In the second half of the XIX century, all the Balkan peoples were under Turkish oppression, as well as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which could not contribute to their national and cultural development. In the 1960s and 1970s the national liberation aspirations intensified in the Balkans. Balkan countries, one after another, are trying to take the path of independent development.

The first of them was Bulgaria. In 1876 an insurrection began here, which, however, was brutally suppressed by the Turks. Outraged by such bloody acts, which killed about 30,000 Orthodox Bulgarians, 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 achieved independence. At the same time, Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece create the so-called "Balkan Union", in order finally to be freed from the Turkish oppression. Soon Turks were pushed out of the peninsula. Under their authority there was only a small patch of land with the city of Constantinople.

However, after the victory over their common enemy, the Balkan countries begin to fight among themselves. So, Bulgaria, having secured the support of Austria-Hungary, attacks Serbia and Greece. The latter, in turn, military support was rendered by Romania.

Finally, the Balkans turned into a large "powder keg" in June 28, 1914, when the Prince of Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was murdered in Sarajevo by the Serb Principle. Thus began the First World War, in which practically the whole of Europe was drawn in, as well as some countries in Asia, Africa and even Central America.

The break-up of Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia was established in 1918, immediately after the abolition of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The process of its disintegration, which began in 1991, substantially changed the existing political map of Europe at that time.

The first of Yugoslavia, as a result of the so-called 10-day war, came Slovenia. It was followed by Croatia, but the military conflict between Croats and Serbs lasted 4.5 years and claimed at least 20 thousand lives. At the same time, the Bosnian war continued , which resulted in the recognition of the new state formation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

One of the last stages of the break-up of Yugoslavia was the referendum on the independence of Montenegro, which was held in 2006. According to its results, 55.5% of the Montenegrins voted for secession from Serbia.

Shaky independence of Kosovo

On February 17, 2008, the Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence. The reaction of the international community to this event was extremely ambiguous. To date, Kosovo, as an independent state, has been recognized by only 108 countries (out of 193 UN members). Among them - the US and Canada, Japan, Australia, most of the EU countries, as well as some countries in Africa and Latin America.

However, the independence of the republic has not yet been recognized by Russia and China (which are part of the UN Security Council), which does not allow Kosovo to become a full member of the world's main international organization.

Finally...

Modern Balkan countries began their way to independence at the end of the XIX century. However, the process of forming borders in the Balkans has not yet been completed.

For today within the Balkan region ten countries are allocated. They are Slovenia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, as well as a partially recognized state of Kosovo.