Balkan Peninsula

The Balkan Peninsula (pronunciation: /ˈbɔːlkən/), also known as the Balkans, is a geographic region in southeastern Europe. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch from the Serbian-Bulgarian border to the Black Sea.

Etymology

The name Balkan comes from Ottoman Turkish, meaning "chain of wooded mountains". It was first applied to the mountain range in Bulgaria, and later extended to the entire peninsula.

Geography

The Balkan Peninsula is bounded by the Adriatic Sea to the west, the Mediterranean Sea (including the Ionian and Aegean seas) and the Marmara Sea to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. Its northern boundary is often given as the Danube, Sava, and Kupa Rivers.

The peninsula is rich in natural resources, including coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, gold, silver, marble, and limestone.

Countries

The Balkan Peninsula includes the countries of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia. Parts of Turkey and Italy are also located on the peninsula.

History

The Balkans have a rich history, with many civilizations and empires having ruled the region, including the Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian empires. The region was the site of the start of World War I, and has been the location of numerous conflicts in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Related Terms

Balkanization: A geopolitical term for the process of fragmentation or division of a region or state into smaller regions or states that are often hostile or uncooperative with one another.
Balkan Wars: Two wars that took place in the Balkan Peninsula in 1912 and 1913.
Balkan League: A quadruple alliance formed by a series of bilateral treaties concluded in 1912 between the Eastern Orthodox kingdoms of Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro, and directed against the Ottoman Empire.

External links

Medical encyclopedia article on Balkan Peninsula
Wikipedia's article - Balkan Peninsula

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Balkan Peninsula