AlbaniansThe Albanians (ælˈbɛɪniənz; Shqiptarët ʃcipˈtaɾət) are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia as well as in Croatia, Greece, Italy and Turkey. They also constitute a large diaspora with several communities established across Europe, the Americas and Oceania. Albanians have Paleo-Balkanic origins.
SloveniaSlovenia (sloʊˈviːniə,_slə- ; Slovenija slɔˈʋèːnija), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: RS), is a country in southern Central Europe. Spread over 20,271 km2, it is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest. Slovenia is mostly mountainous and forested, covers , and has a population of 2.1 million (2,110,547 people). Slovenes constitute over 80% of the country's population.
BelgradeBelgrade (bEl"greId , 'bɛlɡɹeɪd ; Београд / Beograd, beǒɡrad; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. The population of the Belgrade metropolitan area is 1,681,405 according to the 2022 census. It is one of the major cities of Southeast Europe and the third most populous city on the Danube river. Belgrade is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe and the world.
BalkansThe Balkans (ˈbɔːlkənz ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the whole of Bulgaria. The Balkan Peninsula is bordered by the Adriatic Sea in the northwest, the Ionian Sea in the southwest, the Aegean Sea in the south, the Turkish straits in the east, and the Black Sea in the northeast. The northern border of the peninsula is variously defined.
PodgoricaPodgorica (, pǒdɡoritsa; under the hill) is the capital and largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Historically, it was Podgorica's position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and at the meeting-point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley that encouraged settlement. The surrounding landscape is predominantly mountainous terrain.
CroatsThe Croats (ˈkroʊæts; Hrvati xr̩ʋǎːti) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Serbia and MontenegroSerbia and Montenegro (Srbija i Crna Gora), known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Savezna Republika Jugoslavija), FR Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija), was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFR Yugoslavia). The country bordered Hungary to the north, Romania to the northeast, Bulgaria to the southeast, North Macedonia to the south, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the west, and Albania to the southwest.
DubrovnikDubrovnik (dǔbroːʋniːk), historically known as Ragusa (raˈɡuːza; see notes on naming), is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean, a seaport and the centre of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County. Its total population is 41,562 (2021 census). In 1979, the city of Dubrovnik was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in recognition of its outstanding medieval architecture and fortified old town.
Balkan WarsThe Balkan Wars were a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defeated it, in the process stripping the Ottomans of their European provinces, leaving only Eastern Thrace under the Ottoman Empire's control. In the Second Balkan War, Bulgaria fought against the other four original combatants of the first war. It also faced an attack from Romania from the north.
CetinjeCetinje (Цетиње, t͡sětiɲe) is a town in Montenegro. It is the former royal capital (prijestonica / приjестоница) of Montenegro and is the location of several national institutions, including the official residence of the president of Montenegro. According to the 2011 census, the town had a population of 14,093 while the Cetinje Municipality had 16,657 residents . Cetinje is the centre of Cetinje Municipality. The city rests on a small karst plain surrounded by limestone mountains, including Mount Lovćen, the legendary mountain in Montenegrin historiography.
