Along with Macedonia, the southern Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija is the only remaining flashpoint in the Balkans.
The current political situation in Kosovo is characterized by separatist aspirations of Kosovo Albanians, a large number of expelled non-Albanians, mostly Serbs, almost 5,000 unsolved cases of missing persons on both sides, interethnic war crimes accusations, the absence of dialogue between ethnic Albanian and Serbian authorities, and a general atmosphere of insecurity for Serbs and other non-Albanians. All these difficulties strain the relations and living conditions in this part of Serbia.
Neither the armed KFOR contingent, nor the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo has managed a solution to the Serbian-Albanian conflict which has dogged the province for centuries. During the former, non-democratic regime in the late 90s, the conflict culminated in a bloody war which ended with the bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and deployment of NATO troops (according to the Military Technical Agreement in Kumanovo).
The UN Security Council subsequently adopted Resolution 1244, regulating the interim status of Kosovo and defining the means for restoring a lasting peace in the province, which is an integral part of the Republic of Serbia, i.e. The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.
We are providing extensive information on the province in hopes that UNMIK, the international community, the leading ethnic Albanian parties in Kosovo and Serbian and Yugoslav authorities will succeed in finding a joint solution to the Kosovo problem in accord with Resolution 1244. The responsible parties need to provide a peaceful and secure life for all of Kosovo's inhabitants, unhindered return of some 200,000 expelled persons and refugees, and wider and substantial autonomy for Kosovo within The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.
This province of Serbia occupies the area of 10,849 square kilometers of the territory in
the South-West of the Republic. Pristina is its administrative, economic and cultural
seat.
Territorial organization
Kosovo and Metohija consists of 29 municipalities and 5 districts. The seats of the
districts are Pristina, Pec, Prizren, Kosovska Mitrovica and Gnjilane.
Kosovo and Metohija is separated from neighboring Albania by the mountain massif of
Prokletije and is separated from Macedonia by Sar Planina mountain with two highest
mountain peaks in Serbia: Deravica and Crni vrh. The province is made up of two
regions which differ from each other in the soil content and climate and are divided by
Cicavica and Crnoljevo mountains. The characteristic of the province is rapid economic
and cultural development, high population density and demographic variety with a
pronounced domination of Albanian population.
Relief
This Southern Serbian province has a varied relief: it is edged with mountainous wreaths
which are intersected by canyons and very wide valleys of the rivers Binacka Morava,
Lab and Beli Drim.
Kosovo is placed in the South-Eastern and Eastern part of the province, near the
Morava-Vardar valley. It is primarily hilly land so that wealth in ores is the main natural
potential of this region. On the other hand, Metohija is placed in the West and
North-West of the province and consists of fertile arable land.
The geographic division between Metohija and Kosovo caused the difference of their
flora and fauna. Metohija has the characteristic influence of the Mediterranean thus
being the region with the highest number of Mediterranean species of flora and fauna in
the whole Serbia, while Kosovo does not differ from the rest of Serbia.
Traffic importance
Kosovo and Metohija is the watershed of rivers which belong to Black Sea, Adriatic or
Aegean basins that make this province an important traffic route. Its Eastern edge
touches the Morava-Vardar direction where one branch of the highway goes, while
another important Serbian traffic route, the Ibar highway, passes through the
North-Western part of the province. There is a plan for the construction of a new
highway which would take the western route from Nis through Kosovo, Metohija and
Montenegro to the Adriatic coast.
Population
According to the census from 1991, Kosovo and Metohija have 1,956,196 inhabitants
which is slightly less than 20% of the total population of Serbia. There are many
nationalities with pronounced domination of Albanians - 1,596,072 or 82.2% of the
population of the province, or 17% of the total population of Serbia. Then come the
Serbs - 194,190, Muslims - 66,189, Romanies - 45,745, Montenegrins - 20,356, Turks -
10,446, Croats - 8,062 and other smaller national and ethnic groups, 24 in all.
The Statute of Kosovo and Metohija which is the basic legal act of the province,
permits, besides the Serbian language, the official use of the Albanian language.
Except for the language, the population differs in religion so that Serbs and
Montenegrins are Orthodox, Croats Catholics, while Albanians are mostly Muslims as
are the Turks and most of Romanies.
Education
The educational system in Kosovo and Metohija consists of the following:
- Pre-school institutions;
- Primary schools (983), where lectures are also held in the languages of the minorities;
- Secondary schools (57), where lectures are also held in the languages of the minorities;
- Pristina University consisting of 14 faculties where lectures are held in the languages of the minorities as well.