40 Facts About Kosovo

1. In classical antiquity, the central tribe which emerged in the territory of Kosovo were Dardani, who formed an independent polity known as the Kingdom of Dardania in the 4th century BCE.

2. Kosovo is a member of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and has applied for membership in the Council of Europe, UNESCO, Interpol, and for observer status in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

3. Current borders of Kosovo were drawn while part of Yugoslavia in 1945, when the Autonomous Region of Kosovo and Metohija was created as an administrative division of the new People's Republic of Serbia.

4. The first archaeological expedition in Kosovo was organised by the Austro-Hungarian army during the World War I in the Illyrian tumuli burial grounds of Neperbishti within the district of Prizren.

5. The earliest documented traces in Kosovo are associated to the Stone Age, namely there are indications that cave dwellings might have existed, as for instance the Radivojce Cav close the spring of the Drin River, then there are some indications at Grncar Cave in the municipality of Viti and the Dema and Karamakaz Caves in municipality of Peja and others.

6. Konstantin Jirecek concluded, from the correspondence of archbishop Demetrios of Ohrid, that Dardania (modern Kosovo) was increasingly populated by Albanians and the expansion started from Gjakova and Prizren area, prior to the Slavic expansion.

7. Medieval Monuments in Kosovo is a combined UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of four Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries.

8. Kosovo was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1455 to 1912, at first as part of the eyalet of Rumelia, and from 1864 as a separate province.

9. Central Kosovo was mixed, but large parts of the Drenica Valley were ethnically Albanian.

10. The population of Kosovo was much bigger than that of northern and central Albania and its rate of growth lower.

11. Kosovo was split into four counties, three being a part of Serbia and one of Montenegro (northern Metohija).

12. In 1929, the country was transformed into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the territories of Kosovo were reorganised among the Banate of Zeta, the Banate of Morava and the Banate of Vardar.

13. Some historians and contemporary references emphasise that a large-scale migration of Albanians from Albania to Kosovo is not recorded in Axis documents.

14. Albanians felt that their status as a "minority" in Yugoslavia had made them second-class citizens in comparison with the "nations" of Yugoslavia and demanded that Kosovo be a constituent republic, alongside the other republics of Yugoslavia.

15. Estimates of the number of Serbs who left when Serbian forces left Kosovo vary from 65,000 to 250,000.

16. Foreign relations of Kosovo are conducted through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pristina.

17. Kosovo maintains 24 diplomatic missions and 28 consular missions abroad.

18. In December 2018, the parliament of Kosovo changed the mandate of the Kosovo Security Force by law and converted it to an army.

19. Many camps around Kosovo continue to house thousands of Internally Displaced People, all of whom are from minority groups and communities.

20. Kosovo is divided into seven districts, according to the Law of Kosovo and the Brussels Agreement of 2013, which stipulated the formation of new municipalities with Serb majority populations.

21. The largest and most populous district of Kosovo is the District of Pristina with the capital in Pristina, having a surface area of 2,470 square kilometres and a population of 477,312.

22. Municipalities of Kosovo are largely rural, with only eight municipalities having more than 40,000 inhabitants living in the urban areas.

23. Kosovo is a secular state with no state religion; freedom of belief, conscience and religion is explicitly guaranteed in the Constitution of Kosovo.

24. The majority of the Muslim population of Kosovo are ethnic Albanians, Turks, and Slavs such as Gorani and Bosniaks.

25. Kosovo is highly dependent on remittances from the diaspora, FDI and other capital inflows.

26. Kosovo serves as a link in the connection between Central and Southern Europe and the Adriatic Sea and Black Sea.

27. Kosovo is generally rich in various topographical features, including high mountains, lakes, canyons, steep rock formations and rivers.

28. Nowadays the situation has changed, and the health care system in Kosovo is organised into three sectors: primary, secondary and tertiary health care.

29. University Clinical Center of Kosovo provides its health care services in twelve clinics, where 642 doctors are employed.

30. Kosovo ranked 58th in the 2008 Press Freedom Index report compiled by the Reporters Without Borders, while in 2016, it ranked 90th.

31. Kosovo is home to many monasteries and churches from the 13th and 14th centuries that represent the Serbian Orthodox legacy.

32. Until 1990, artists from Kosovo presented their art in many prestigious worldwide renowned centers.

33. Coffee is another popular drink although Kosovo is steeped in culture and their coffee culture is a big part of the modern society.

34. The most prominent sports in Kosovo include football, basketball, judo, boxing, volleyball and handball.

35. The Olympic Committee of Kosovo became a full member of the International Olympic Committee in 2014.

36. The Basketball Federation of Kosovo was accepted as a full member of FIBA on 13 March 2015.

37. In 2014, Kosovo submitted their first film for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, with Three Windows and a Hanging directed by Isa Qosja.

38. Serb songs from Kosovo were an inspiration for 12th song wreath by composer Stevan Mokranjac.

39. In 1969, the parliament of Kosovo established Kosovafilm, a state institution for the production, distribution and showing of films.

40. International actors of Albanian origin from Kosovo include Arta Dobroshi, James Biberi, Faruk Begolli and Bekim Fehmiu.