The 'Balkans' is the historic and geographic name used to describe a
region of southeastern
Europe. The region has a combined area of 550,000 km² and an approximate population of 55 million people. The archaic
Greek name for the ''Balkan Peninsula'' is the Peninsula of
Haemus (Χερσόνησος του Αίμου, ''Chersónisos tou Aímou''). The region takes its name from the
Balkan Mountains which run through the centre of
Bulgaria into eastern
Serbia.
Definitions and boundaries
Balkan Peninsula
Line stretching from the northernmost point of the Adriatic to the northernmost point of the Black Sea
The Balkans are adjoined by water on three sides: the
Black Sea to the east and branches of the
Mediterranean Sea to the south and west (including the
Adriatic,
Ionian,
Aegean and
Marmara seas).
''The'' Balkans
The identity of the Balkans is dominated by its geographical position; historically the area was known as a crossroads of various cultures. It has been a juncture between the
Latin and
Greek bodies of the
Roman Empire, the destination of a massive influx of pagan
Slavs, an area where
Orthodox and
Catholic Christianity met, as well as the meeting point between
Islam and
Christianity. It was also a destination for
Jewish refugees of
Inquisition.
The Balkans today is a very diverse ethno-linguistic region, being home to multiple
Slavic,
Romance, and
Turkic languages, as well as
Greek,
Albanian, and others. Through its history many other ethnic groups with own their languages lived in the area, among them
Celts,
Illyrians,
Romans,
Avars,
Vlachs,
Germans and various Germanic tribes.
As such, the Balkans have a rich history. Possibly the historical event that left the biggest mark on the collective memories of the peoples of the Balkans was the expansion and later fall of the
Ottoman Empire. There is not a people in the Balkans that doesn't place its greatest folk heroes in the era of either the onslaught or the retreat of the Ottoman Empire. For
Croats it is
Nikola Zrinski, for
Serbs Miloš Obilić, for
Albanians Skanderbeg, for
Bulgarians Vasil Levski, and for
ethnic Macedonians -
Gotse Delchev.
In the 20th century, the Balkan nations—except Greece and Yugoslavia—were made part of the
Warsaw pact (as a result of
Soviet hegemony after the ending of
World War II). Following the pact's collapse and the
breakup of Yugoslavia, the Balkan states have
acceded to the European Union, or are in the process of doing so.
In recent times, ''Balkan'' is believed to have negative connotations in the West (perhaps due to the emphatic and slanted use of the word '
balkanise' in English), and is often associated with fragmentation, violence, strife, and clannishness. Although such characterization of the Balkans is common today, it is also widely exaggerated, and misrepresents the totality of the history of the area.
Etymology and evolving meaning
The region takes its name from the "Balkan" mountain range in
Bulgaria (from the
Turkish ''balkan'' meaning "a chain of wooded mountains").
[1] The name is still preserved in
Central Asia where there exist the Balkhan Mountains
[2] and the
Balkan Province of
Turkmenistan.
The region, however, takes its name from the "Balkan" mountain range, a name brought into the area by the Turks. On a larger scale, one long continuous chain of mountains crosses the region in the form of a reversed letter S, from the
Carpathians south to the Balkan range proper, before it marches away east into
Anatolian Turkey. On the west coast, an offshoot of the
Dinaric Alps follows the coast south through
Dalmatia and
Albania, crosses Greece and continues into the sea in the form of various islands. The word was based on
Turkish ''balakan'' 'stone, cliff', which confirms the pure 'technical' meaning of the term. The mountain range that runs across Bulgaria from west to east (Stara Planina) is still commonly known as the
Balkan Mountains.
The first time the name "Balkan" was used in the West for the mountain range in Bulgaria was in a letter by Buonaccorsi Callimarco, an Italian humanist, writer and diplomat in 1490. An English traveler, John Morritt, introduced this term into the English literature at the end of the 18th century, and other authors started applying the name to the wider area between the Adriatic and the Black Sea. The concept of the “Balkan peninsula” was created by the German geographer August Zeune in 1808
[1]. As time passed, the term gradually obtained political connotations far from its initial geographic meaning, arising from political changes from the late 1800s to the creation of post-
World War I Yugoslavia (initially the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes). Zeune's goal was to have a geographical parallel term to the
Italic and
Iberian Peninsula, and seemingly nothing more. The gradually acquired political connotations are newer, and, to a large extent, due to oscillating political circumstances. The term Balkans includes areas that remained under Turkish rule after 1699., namely: Bulgaria, Serbia (except for Vojvodina), Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro (except for the Boka Bay and Budva), Kosovo, and continental Greece. Croatia, Vojvodina and Transilvania (in Romania) do not belong to Balkans. After the split of Yugoslavia beginning in June 1991, the term 'Balkans' again received a negative meaning, even in casual usage. Over the last decade, in the wake of the former Yugoslav split,
Croatians and especially
Slovenians have rejected their former label as 'Balkan nations'. This is in part due to the pejorative connotation of the term 'Balkans' in the 1990s, and continuation of this meaning until now. Today, the term 'Southeast Europe' is preferred or, in the case of Slovenia and sometimes Croatia, '
Central Europe'.
Southeastern Europe
Due to the aforementioned connotations of the term 'Balkan', many people prefer the term 'Southeastern Europe' instead. The use of this term is slowly growing; a
European Union initiative of
1999 is called the ''
Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe'', and the online newspaper ''Balkan Times'' renamed itself ''
Southeast European Times'' in
2003.
The use of this term to mean the Balkan peninsula (and only that) technically ignores the geographical presence of northern
Romania,
Moldova,
Ukraine, and
Ciscaucasus, which are also located in the southeastern part of the European continent.
Ambiguities and controversies
The northern border of the Balkan peninsula is usually considered to be the line formed by the
Danube,
Sava and
Kupa rivers and a segment connecting the spring of the Kupa with the
Kvarner Bay.
Some other definitions of the northern border of the Balkans have been proposed:
★ the line
Danube -
Sava -
Krka River -
Postojnska Vrata -
Vipava River -
Soča)
★ the line
Danube -
Sava -
Ljubljansko polje -
Idrijca -
Soča
★ the line
Dniester -
Timişoara -
Zagreb -
Triglav
★ the line
Trieste -
Odessa (
Trieste-Odessa line)
[2]
★ the line Bay of
Trieste -
Ljubljana -
Sava -
Danube (
[3])
Balkan peninsula (as defined by the Danube-Sava-Kupa line)
The most commonly used Danube-Sava-Kupa northern boundary is arbitrarily set as to the physiographical characteristics, however it can be easily recognized on the map. It has a historical and cultural substantiation. The region so defined (excluding
Montenegro, Dalmatia, and the
Ionian Islands) constituted most of the European territory of the
Ottoman Empire from the late
15th to the
19th century. Kupa forms a natural boundary between south-eastern Slovenia and Croatia and has been a political frontier since the
12th century, separating
Carniola (belonging to
Austria) from
Croatia (belonging to
Hungary).
The Danube-Sava-Krka-Postojnska Vrata-Vipava-Isonzo line ignores some historical and cultural characteristics, but can be seen as a rational delimitation of the Balkan peninsula from a geographical point of view. It assigns all the Karstic and Dinaric area to the Balkan region.
The Sava bisects Croatia and Serbia and the Danube, which is the second largest European river (after
Volga), forms a natural boundary between both Bulgaria and Serbia and Romania. North of that line lies the
Pannonian plain and (in the case of Romania) the
Carpathian mountains.
Although Romania (with the exception of
Dobrudja) is not geographically a part of the Balkans, it is often included in the Balkans in public discourse.
According to the most commonly used border, Slovenia lies to the north of the Balkans and is considered a part of
Central Europe. Historically and culturally, it is also more related to Central Europe, although the Slovenian culture also incorporates some elements of Balkan culture.
However, as already stated, the northern boundary of the Balkan peninsula can also be drawn otherwise, in which case at least a part of Slovenia and a small part of
Italy (
Province of Trieste) may be included in the Balkans.
Slovenia is also sometimes regarded as a Balkan country due to its association with the former
Yugoslavia. When the Balkans are described as a twentieth-century geopolitical region, the whole Yugoslavia is included (so, Slovenia,
Istria, islands of
Dalmatia, northern Croatia and
Vojvodina too).
The aforementioned historical justification for the Sava-Kupa northern boundary would exclude a big part of
Croatia (whose territories were by and large part of the
Habsburg Monarchy and
Venetian Republic during the Ottoman conquest). Other factors such as prior history and culture also bind Croatia to Central Europe and the Mediterranean region more than they bind it to the Balkans. Nevertheless, its peculiar geographic shape (as well as its recent history with Yugoslavia) inherently associates it with the region Bosnia and Herzegovina is part of.
Current common definition
Current political map of the Balkans. Countries firmly considered part of the region are in green; countries sometimes considered part of the region are in turquoise.
In most of the English-speaking, western world, the countries commonly included in the Balkan region are:
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
★ , but only the European section of it (traditionally called
Rumelia or Eastern
Thrace)
Some other countries are sometimes included in the list as well:
★
★
★
Related countries
Other countries not included in the Balkan region that are close to it and/or play or have played an important role in the region's geopolitics, culture and history:
★
Austria (see also
Austria-Hungary,
Assassination in Sarajevo)
★
Cyprus (see also
Cyprus dispute)
★
Hungary (see also
Austria-Hungary)
★
Italy (see
Triest and
History of the Venetian Republic)
★
Russia (see
History of Serbia)
Regional organizations
See also the
Black Sea Regional organizations
Nature and natural resources
Southeastern Europe seen from NASA's Terra Satellite
Most of the area is covered by mountain ranges running from north-west to south-east. The main ranges are the
Dinaric Alps in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia, the
Šar massif which spreads from Albania to Republic of Macedonia and the
Pindus range, spanning from southern Albania into central Greece. In Bulgaria there are ranges running from east to west: the
Balkan mountains and the
Rhodope mountains at the border with Greece. The highest mountain of the region is
Musala in
Bulgaria at 2925 m, with
Mount Olympus in Greece, the throne of Zeus, being second at 2919 m and Vihren in Bulgaria being the third at 2914.
On the coasts the climate is
Mediterranean, in the inland it is moderate
continental. In the northern part of the peninsula and on the mountains, winters are frosty and snowy, while summers are hot and dry. In the southern part winters are milder.
During the centuries many woods have been cut down and replaced with bush and brush. In the southern part and on the coast there is evergreen vegetation. In the inland there are woods typical of
Central Europe (
oak and
beech, and in the mountains,
spruce,
fir and
pine). The
tree line in the mountains lies at the height of 1800-2300 m.
The soils are generally poor, except on the plains where areas with natural grass, fertile soils and warm summers provide an opportunity for tillage. Elsewhere, land cultivation is mostly unsuccessful because of the mountains, hot summers and poor soils, although certain cultures such as
olives and
grapes flourish.
Resources of energy are scarce. There are some deposits of
coal, especially in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Bosnia.
Lignite deposits are widespread in Greece.
Petroleum is most notably present in Romania, although scarce reserves exist in Greece, Serbia, Albania and Croatia.
Natural gas deposits are scarce. Hydropower stations are largely used in energetics.
Metal ores are more usual than other raw materials. Iron ore is rare but in some countries there is a considerable amount of
copper,
zinc,
tin,
chromite,
manganese,
magnesite and
bauxite. Some metals are exported.
History and geopolitical significance
:''Main article:
History of the Balkans''
The Balkan region was the first area of Europe to experience the arrival of
farming cultures in the
Neolithic era. The practices of growing grain and raising livestock arrived in the Balkans from the
Fertile Crescent by way of
Anatolia, and spread west and north into
Pannonia and
Central Europe.
In pre-classical and
classical antiquity, this region was home to
Greek city-states,
Illyrians,
Paeonians,
Thracians,
Macedonians,
Epirotes,
Mollosians,
Thessalians,
Dacians and other ancient groups. Later the
Roman Empire conquered most of the region and spread Roman culture and the
Latin language but significant parts still remained under
classical Greek influence. During the
Middle Ages, the Balkans became the stage for a series of wars between the
Byzantine,
Bulgarian and
Serbian Empires.
By the end of the
16th century, the
Ottoman Empire became the controlling force in the region, although it was centered around
Anatolia. In the past 550 years, because of the frequent
Ottoman wars in Europe fought in and around the Balkans, and the comparative Ottoman isolation from the mainstream of economic advance (reflecting the shift of Europe's commercial and political centre of gravity towards the
Atlantic), the Balkans has been the least developed part of Europe.
The Balkan nations began to regain their independence in the
19th century (Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro), and in
1912-
1913 a
Balkan League reduced Turkey's territory to its present extent in the
Balkan Wars. The
First World War was sparked in
1914 by the
assassination in Sarajevo (the capital of
Bosnia and Herzegovina) of the
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria.
After the
Second World War, the
Soviet Union and
communism played a very important role in the Balkans. During the
Cold War, most of the countries in the Balkans were ruled by Soviet-supported communist governments.
However, despite being under communist governments,
Yugoslavia (
1948) and
Albania (
1961) fell out with the Soviet Union. Yugoslavia, led by marshal
Josip Broz Tito (
1892–
1980), first propped up then rejected the idea of merging with
Bulgaria, and instead sought closer relations with the
West, later even joining many
third world countries in the
Non-Aligned Movement. Albania on the other hand gravitated toward
Communist China, later adopting an
isolationist position.
The only non-communist countries were
Greece and
Turkey, which were (and still are) part of
NATO.
In the
1990s, the region was gravely affected by
armed conflict in the former Yugoslav republics, resulting in
intervention by
NATO forces in
Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Kosovo and the
Republic of Macedonia. The status of
Kosovo and
ethnic Albanians in general is still mostly unresolved.
Balkan countries control the direct
land routes between
Western Europe and South West
Asia (
Asia Minor and the
Middle East). Since
2000, all Balkan countries are friendly towards the
EU and the
USA.
Greece has been a member of the
European Union since
1981;
Slovenia and
Cyprus since
2004.
Bulgaria and
Romania became members in
2007. In
2005 the European Union decided to start accession negotiations with candidate countries
Croatia and
Turkey and the
Republic of Macedonia was accepted as a candidate for the European Union membership. As of 2004,
Bulgaria,
Romania and
Slovenia are also members of
NATO.
Bosnia and Herzegovina and what was then
Serbia and Montenegro started negotiations with the EU over the Stabilisation and Accession Agreements, although shortly after they started, negotiations with Serbia and Montenegro were suspended for lack of co-operation with the
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
All other countries have expressed a desire to join the EU but at some date in the future.
Population composition by nationality and religion
The region's principal nationalities include:
★
Romanians (22 million)
★
Greeks (10.5 million)
★
Turks (10 million)
★
Serbs (8.5 million)
★
Bulgarians (6.6 million)
★
Albanians (6 million)
★
Croats (4.5 million)
★
Bosniacs (2 million)
★
Slovenes (2 million)
★
Macedonians (1.3 million)
★
Montenegrins (0.3 million)
★ others (
Roma, ...)
The region's principal religions are (
Eastern Orthodox and
Catholic)
Christianity and
Islam. A variety of different traditions of each faith are practiced, with each of the Eastern Orthodox countries having its own national church.
Eastern Orthodoxy is the principal religion in the following countries:
★ Bulgaria (
Bulgarian Orthodox Church)
★ Greece (
Church of Greece)
★ Republic of Macedonia (
Serbian Orthodox Church and uncanonical
Macedonian Orthodox Church)
★ Montenegro (
Serbian Orthodox Church and uncanonical
Montenegrin Orthodox Church)
★ Romania (
Romanian Orthodox Church)
★ Serbia (
Serbian Orthodox Church)
Roman Catholicism is the principal religion in the following countries:
★ Croatia
★ Slovenia
Islam is the principal religion in the following countries:
★ Albania
★ Bosnia and Herzegovina
★ Turkey
The following countries have many religious groups which exceed 10% of the total population:
★ Albania: Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism.
★ Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosniacs are mostly Muslim, Serbs are mostly Serbian (Eastern) Orthodox and Croats are mostly Catholic.
★ Bulgaria: Islam.
★ Croatia: Serbs are Orthodox.
★ Republic of Macedonia: Albanian population is mostly Muslim.
★ Montenegro: Albanians and Bosniacs are Muslims.
★ Serbia: Albanians and Bosniacs are mostly Muslim, Hungarians, Slovaks and Croats are mostly Catholic.
For more detailed information and a precise ethnic breakdown see articles about particular states:
★
Albania,
Demographics of Albania
★
Croatia, (4 million Croats, 0.2 million Serbs)
★
Bosnia and Herzegovina (1.8 million Bosniacs, 1.5 million Serbs, 0.5 million Croats)
★
Bulgaria,
Demographics of Bulgaria
★
Greece,
Demographics of Greece
★
Montenegro, (0.3 million Montenegrins, 0.2 million Serbs)
★
Republic of Macedonia,
Demographics of the Republic of Macedonia
★
Serbia, (6.5 million Serbs, 2 million Albanians, 0.3 million Hungarians)
★
Turkey,
Demographics of Turkey
References
★ Banac, Ivo. ''Historiography of the Countries of Eastern Europe: Yugoslavia'', ''American Historical Review'', v 97 #4 (October 1992), 1084-1104.
★ Banac, Ivo. ''The National Question in Yugoslavia: Origins, History, Politics'' Cornell University Press, [1984].
★ Carter, Francis W., ed. ''An Historical Geography of the Balkans'' Academic Press, 1977.
★ Dvornik, Francis. ''The Slavs in European History and Civilization'' Rutgers University Press, 1962.
★ Fine, John V. A., Jr. ''The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century'' [1983]; ''The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest.'' Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, [1987].
★ John R. Lampe and Marvin R. Jackson; ''Balkan Economic History, 1550-1950: From Imperial Borderlands to Developing Nations'' Indiana University Press, 1982
★ Jelavich, Barbara. ''History of the Balkans'', 2 vols. Cambridge University Press, [1983].
★ Jelavich, Charles, and Jelavich, Barbara, eds. ''The Balkans in Transition: Essays on the Development of Balkan Life and Politics since the Eighteenth Century'' University of California Press, 1963.
★ Király, Béla K., ed. ''East Central European Society in the Era of Revolutions, 1775-1856.'' 1984
★ Komlos, John, ed. ''Economic Development in the Habsburg Monarchy and in the Successor States: Essays'' 1990.
★ Mazower, Mark, ''The Balkans: A Short History'', 2000
★ Traian Stoianovich; ''Balkan Worlds: The First and Last Europe'' 1994.
1. Encarta Online - Balkan entry
2. World Land Features Database - Balkhan Mountains
See also
★
History of the Balkans
★
★
Historical regions of the Balkan Peninsula
★
★
Balkan wars
★
Balkan languages
★
★
Balkan sprachbund
★
Balkanization
★
Orient Express
★
Music of Southeastern Europe
External links
★
South-East Europe Review
★
BalkanBaby travel writing, analysis and photos from the Balkans
★
Balkan History by Steven W. Sowards
★
SEEurope.net - news coverage on Southeastern Europe
★
Southeast European Times
★
The Centre for South East European Studies
★
Balkans region: Oil and Gas Fact Sheet -
United States Department of Energy Analysis Brief
★
Balkans urged to curb trafficking - BBC
★
News from Balkans
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