Population of the Balkan Peninsula. Balkan Peninsula holiday map

List of Balkan countries. Tourism: capitals, cities and resorts. Maps of foreign countries in the Balkans region.

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The southeast of Europe, washed by the waters of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, the Balkans is a kind of corner for soulful neighborly gatherings in a friendly way. In the mountainous expanses of the Balkan Peninsula, everything, of course, is European... but still completely native: taverns, potatoes and sweet peppers, Orthodox churches, cross-stitch on linen napkins, related languages and friendship strengthened in Soviet times and still not weakening. Balkan nepotism is special: a brotherhood of Slavic peoples bound by a socialist past, united in the face of an external formidable “enemy” in the surroundings of their native landscapes - the same valleys and picturesque mountains, birch trees bending in the wind and fat herds wandering through the meadows with the indispensable shepherd, equipped with a pipe and rubbish and bast shoes. So there is nothing surprising in the fact that we are drawn to the Balkans again and again - both abroad, it seems, and our native expanses at the same time, plus a real kinship of souls.

Let's look at the hard facts for a second. In a geographical sense, the Balkan Peninsula consists entirely of Bulgaria, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Montenegro and Macedonia, as well as most of Serbia, half of Croatia, a third of Slovenia and just a little bit of Romania, Turkey and even Italy (province of Trieste). In a general cultural sense, the Balkans are all of the above without taking into account Turkey and Italy: the first is usually attributed to Asia, the second to Southern Europe. As for the coasts and the various waves washing them, the Balkans can boast of truly biblical diversity: only a convinced skeptic would say that there are only two seas here. In fact, not only the Mediterranean and Black Seas were noted here, but also the Adriatic, Ionian, Marmara and Aegean - six in total! - choose to suit any water transparency, sand graininess and pebble hardness.

Balkan happiness

From a tourist point of view, the Balkans are an ideally balanced region in terms of types of recreation. Here, perhaps, there is nothing with the prefix “super”, but what is available is quite enough to satisfy vacationers with a wide variety of needs. In short, a holiday in the Balkans means quite nice beaches surrounded by almost native nature (sand or pebbles plus coniferous forests, deciduous groves and low mountains on the horizon), ample opportunities for treatment at thermal springs, not an outstanding, but quite interesting “excursion” ( what are the macabre castles alone worth!) - and all this at divine prices, often without a language barrier, with Slavic hospitality and all sorts of “avec plaisirs”. In addition, the Balkan countries are a real center of recreational childhood: there are a lot of children’s and youth camps and a whole bunch of schools teaching foreign languages. So if you are wondering where to take an anxious grandmother with a restless grandson for the mutual benefit of both, do not hesitate: you won’t find a better place in Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro!

and others...

The Dinaric Highlands begins north of the Istrian peninsula, where it meets the South-Eastern Alps. It then extends from northwest to southeast, along the Adriatic coast to the northern border of Albania. Recent subsidence has caused the western marginal zone of the Dinaric Highlands to fragment and sink below sea level. This led to the formation of a highly dissected Dalmatian coast, accompanied by hundreds of large and small islands. Islands, peninsulas and bays are stretched along the coastline according to the strike of the mountain ranges ().

Most of the highlands are composed of Mesozoic limestones and Paleogene flysch. Limestones form ridges and vast plateaus, and loose flysch deposits fill the synclinal depressions between them. The predominance of limestone and heavy rainfall caused the development of karst processes in the western part of the highlands, which was also facilitated by the destruction of forest vegetation. In this area, the patterns of karst formation and the shape of karst relief were studied for the first time (the name of the phenomenon itself comes from the name of the Karst plateau in the north-west of the Balkan Peninsula). In the Dinaric Highlands you can find all forms of the so-called “bare” or Mediterranean karst. Large areas have been turned into completely barren and impassable carr fields, where there is neither soil nor vegetation (). The underground forms of karst relief are varied - wells up to several hundred meters deep, branched caves reaching many kilometers in length. Of the caves, Postojnska, east of Trieste, is especially famous.

The karst zone of the Dinaric Highlands is almost devoid of surface watercourses, but there are many karst rivers that disappear and reappear on the surface. The population in this part of the region is sparse and concentrated mainly in the fields, due to the existence of springs and the formation of a cover of red-colored weathering crust.

Continuing south under the name Pindus, the mountains occupy almost all of Albania and the western part of Northern Greece, the Peloponnese peninsula and the island of Crete. Almost everywhere they approach directly to the coast, and only within Albania there is a strip of coastal hilly plain up to several tens of kilometers wide between the mountains and the sea. The Pinda ridges are composed of limestones, and the valleys are composed of flysch. The highest parts of the mountains are characterized by sharp forms and widespread karst. The slopes of the ridges are usually steep and devoid of vegetation. The highest peak of Pindus is Mount Zmolikas in Greece (2637 m). The entire Pinda system experienced severe fragmentation, which is reflected in the relief features and the nature of the coastline. The coast is indented by large bays and small bays, and the transverse type of dissection predominates. A continuation of the mountain ranges of the western part of the Pindus are the Ionian Islands, recently separated from the mainland, deeply dissected and surrounded by shallow waters. The Gulf of Corinth, a significant area, separates the Peloponnese peninsula from the rest of the land, with which it is connected only by the Isthmus of Corinth, about 6 km wide. A canal dug at the narrowest point of the isthmus separated the Peloponnese from the Balkan Peninsula (). The Peloponnese itself is dissected by large bays-grabens and forms four lobed peninsulas in the south.

The interior of the Balkan Peninsula is occupied by the ancient Thracian-Macedonian massif. In the Neogene, the massif was fragmented into mountain uplifts separated by depressions. Initially, these depressions were occupied by the sea, which later broke up into a number of lakes. By the beginning of the Quaternary period, the lakes gradually dried up, and terrace steps appeared on the slopes of the basins, indicating a consistent decrease in their level. The bottoms of the basins are flat or slightly hilly and are at different heights. The population is concentrated in the basins. In the center of each basin there is usually a city or a large village, the name of which is the basin (for example, the Skopje basin in Macedonia, Samokovskaya in Bulgaria). The most extensive basins on the Balkan Peninsula are located along the Maritsa River: Upper Thracian - in Bulgaria, Lower Thracian - on the border between Greece and Turkey. In the middle part of Greece there is the vast Thessalian Basin, the center of an ancient agricultural culture.

Between the basins, areas of mountain crystalline massifs rise. Later processes, especially glaciation, dissected the relief of some massifs and created a complex of high-mountain forms. The highest massifs of this part of the Balkan Peninsula are Rila, Pirin () and the Rhodope Mountains () in Bulgaria, and the isolated Olympus massif in Greece. The highest massif of the Balkan Peninsula is the Rila Mountains (up to 2925 m). The calm outlines of the relief of the lower part of the mountains are replaced by sharp mountain-glacial forms on the peaks (). Snow lingers there most of the summer and gives rise to avalanches.

Relief. Thus, the relief of the entire Balkan Peninsula as a whole is characterized by dissection, which is the result of vertical movements of the end of the Neogene and the beginning of the Quaternary period, which covered folded structures of various ages. Recent tectonics have led to the creation of the mountain-basin relief that is so characteristic of this region. Tectonic activity has not ended at the present time, as evidenced by frequent earthquakes in different areas. The last catastrophic occurrence was the 1963 earthquake, which destroyed large parts of the city of Skopje in Macedonia.

Useful fossils. The bowels of the Balkan Peninsula are especially rich in ores of various metals. In Serbia, in the area of the city of Bor, there are significant reserves of copper ores in young volcanic rocks; In the ancient crystalline massifs of Greece and Bulgaria, deposits of chromites, iron ores, manganese and lead-zinc ores are common. There are large reserves of chrome and copper ores in the mountains of Albania. Along the entire Adriatic coast and on the islands, bauxite occurs in the thickness of the Cretaceous sediments.

In the Paleogene deposits of intramountain basins there are deposits of brown coal. There is oil in the sediments of foothill troughs in Albania and Bulgaria. Albania has the world's largest deposits of natural asphalt. Many rocks on the Balkan Peninsula are valuable building materials (marble, limestone, etc.).

Climatic conditions. A typically Mediterranean climate is characteristic only of a relatively narrow strip of the western and southern coasts of the Balkan Peninsula. In the north and in its inland parts the climate is temperate with a touch of continentality. These features are due to the fact that the Balkan Peninsula occupies the extreme eastern position within the European Mediterranean and is closely connected with the mainland. In the north, between the peninsula and the rest of Europe, there are no significant orographic boundaries, and the continental air of temperate latitudes freely penetrates the peninsula during all periods of the year. Coastal areas occupy a more southern position and are protected by mountain ranges from the penetration of continental air masses.

Mountainous terrain plays a major role in shaping the climate of the Balkan Peninsula. The difference in the climate of basins and mountain ranges is manifested primarily in the annual amount of precipitation: plains and basins usually receive no more than 500-700 mm, while more than 1000 mm falls on mountain slopes, especially on the western slopes. The climate of the Bulgarian Plateau is characterized by the greatest continentality, where winter frosts can reach -25 °C; maximum precipitation occurs in the first half of summer. This part of Bulgaria suffers from droughts quite often. In winter there is stable snow cover, with snow appearing around the second half of November. The most severe frosts in this area are associated with breakthroughs of relatively cold continental air masses coming from the northeast. In the mountain basins of the peninsula, due to their more southern position, the climate is warmer, but also with a distinct continental tint. The average winter temperature is negative, although only slightly below 0 °C. Almost every winter there are significant temperature inversions, when on the mountain slopes it is relatively warm, and in the depressions frosts reach -8...-10 °C.

The climate of the mountain ranges of the northern and central parts of the Balkan Peninsula is more humid and cooler. Winter temperatures differ little from the temperatures in the basins, but summers in the mountains are much cooler and winter comes much earlier than in lowland areas. In November, when it still rains in the Sofia Basin, located at a high altitude above sea level, there is already snow in the Balkans or Rila and most of the passes are closed due to snow drifts.

On the Dalmatian coast and islands, summers are dry and hot with predominantly cloudless weather; winters are mild and rainy, although in the northern part of the coast the maximum precipitation occurs not in winter, but in autumn. The annual rainfall on the coast is very high - the wettest areas of Europe are located there. On the shores of the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro, in some years more than 5000 mm of precipitation falls. In closed fields and on mountain slopes protected from westerly winds, the amount of precipitation does not exceed 500-600 mm per year. The average winter temperature along the entire coast is positive, but in its northern part every winter there are strong and very sharp drops in temperature due to the breakthrough of relatively cold masses of continental air. These air masses fall from the Danube plains in the place where the Dinaric Highlands have the smallest width and smallest height. The air does not have time to warm up and spreads to the coast in the form of a cold hurricane wind, causing the temperature to drop below 0 ° C, icing of buildings, trees, and the surface of the earth. This phenomenon, very close in nature to the Black Sea nor'easter, is known as bora.

As you move south, the features of the Mediterranean climate appear more and more clearly. The average temperature of the winter and summer months increases, the maximum precipitation shifts to winter and its amount decreases. On the Aegean coast, in South-Eastern Greece, the Mediterranean climate acquires some continental features, which is expressed mainly in decreased precipitation. For example, in Athens the average annual number of them is no more than 400 mm, the temperature of the hottest month is 27...28 °C, the coolest is 7...8 °C, there are temperature drops below 0 °C, sometimes snow falls (Fig. 39 ).

Rice. 39. Annual variation of temperatures, precipitation and relative humidity in Southern Greece

The islands of the Aegean Sea also have a relatively dry climate. There it is probably the warmest compared to all other parts of the region.

Natural water. The water network of the Balkan Peninsula is not dense. There are almost no large navigable rivers; all rivers are characterized by sharp fluctuations in level and inconsistent regime. A significant part of the peninsula belongs to the middle Danube basin. The largest rivers are the Danube and its tributary the Sava, flowing along the northern edge of the peninsula. Significant tributaries of the Danube are the Morava and Iskar rivers; Sava - Drina River. The large rivers Maritsa, Strimon (Struma), Vardar, Aliakmon and Pinyos flow into the Aegean Sea. The watershed between the Danube basin and the Aegean Sea is the Stara Planina, the Rhodope Mountains and Rila. There are especially many watercourses in the Rila Mountains, which give rise to large and small rivers; Iskar and Maritsa start from there. The basins of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas have short rivers, since the main watershed of the Balkan Peninsula runs along the Dinaric Mountains and is close to its western edge. On most rivers of the Balkan Peninsula, high water occurs in winter or autumn; then they represent turbulent streams carrying masses of muddy water. In summer, many rivers become very shallow, and small rivers in the southeast dry up. In some rivers the ratio of levels during low water and high water is 1:100 and even 1:200. Usually the nature of the river flow in the upper reaches is mountainous; in the lower reaches they go out onto the plains and are slow-flowing watercourses that do not have clearly defined valleys. In the past, during floods, these rivers overflowed and flooded large areas. This was the case, for example, in the northern plain of Bulgaria and the coastal plain of Albania. In the lower reaches of the rivers, wetlands formed, which were the center of the spread of malaria and were almost not populated. Currently, extensive work is being carried out to prevent river floods, drain wetlands and transform them into land suitable for arable land.

Along with excessively wet areas, there are many areas on the Balkan Peninsula where agriculture systematically suffers from droughts. For the rational use of these areas, for example, the lowlands of the upper and lower Maritsa and most of the closed intermountain basins, artificial irrigation is necessary. A network of irrigation canals cuts through the Maritsa Lowland in Bulgaria; irrigation systems are being created on the Bulgarian Plateau, in the Sofia Basin and other areas.

Power plants have been and are being built on many rivers of the Balkan Peninsula. Very large works have been carried out at Iskar in Bulgaria. In the upper reaches of the river, reservoirs (yazovirs) were built, power plants were built and the irrigation system of the Sofia Basin was created.

The lakes of the Balkan Peninsula belong to different geological stages of development of the territory. The largest of them are of tectonic or karst-tectonic origin: Shkoder in the north of Albania, Ohrid and Prespa on the border of Albania, Macedonia and Greece. On the Dinaric Highlands and in the Pindus Mountains, lakes are usually small in area, but deep (). In some karst lakes, the water disappears during the dry season.

Vegetation. The predominance of mountainous terrain, diversity of climatic conditions and heterogeneity of runoff create a great diversity of soil and vegetation cover. The climatic conditions of most of the region are favorable for forest growth, but the natural forest vegetation there has been severely destroyed. Along with this, there are areas that were originally treeless. The floristic composition of the vegetation of the Balkan Peninsula is richer than in other parts of the Mediterranean, since during the glaciation the heat-loving Neogene flora found shelter there. On the other hand, the Balkan Peninsula was the center of ancient civilizations in Europe; vegetation has changed significantly under human influence.

The vegetation and soil cover of the northern and central parts of the region is characterized by a combination of forest and steppe types. Forests and their corresponding soils are common in mountainous regions; plains and intramountain basins are treeless, and steppe soils predominate within them.

Modern landscapes of the Bulgarian Plateau, Maritsa Lowland and inland basins do not give an idea of the original vegetation cover, since these land and climatic resources are intensively used. On the Bulgarian Plateau, among the flat, cultivated surface, covered with chernozem-like soils, only isolated trees have been preserved. The Maritsa lowland has been even more developed. It is a mosaic of fields of rice, cotton, tobacco, vineyards and gardens, lined with irrigation canals. Many fields are planted with sparsely planted fruit trees, making better use of the fertile lowland soils. In the natural vegetation cover of the Thracian lowlands and the Black Sea coast, elements of the Mediterranean flora appear. There you can find some evergreen shrubs, as well as ivy covering the tree trunks.

The lower parts of the slopes of the mountain ranges of the Balkan Peninsula are most often covered with thickets of bushes, in which both deciduous and some evergreen species (the so-called shiblyak) are found (). They usually appear on the site of cleared forests. Deciduous forests of various types of oak with an admixture of beech, hornbeam and other broad-leaved species () rise into the mountains up to a height of 1000-1200 m. On some mountain ranges they give way to tall coniferous forests of Balkan and Central European species of pine, spruce and fir. Such valuable and relatively little destroyed forests occupy the slopes of the Rila, Pirin and Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria (). At an altitude of about 1500-1800 m, the forests turn into subalpine bush thickets of rhododendron, juniper and heather. The highest mountain ranges are covered with alpine meadows, which are used as pastures.

In mountainous regions, human impact on nature is felt at high altitudes. Wheat fields in some places rise to an altitude of 1100-1300 m, the upper border of orchards is slightly lower, and the lowest parts of the southern-facing slopes are occupied by vineyards.

Areas with a Mediterranean climate also have corresponding soil and vegetation cover. The soils of the coastal lowlands of Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and Greece under evergreen vegetation are red earth (on limestone) or brown. The upper limit of the distribution of subtropical soils and vegetation increases as one moves from north to south. In the northern part of the Adriatic coast it does not rise above 300-400 m above sea level, in southern Greece it passes at an altitude of about 1000 m or more.

The vegetation of the western part of the peninsula, which receives large amounts of precipitation, is richer than that of the dry southeast. The natural and cultural vegetation of the Ionian Islands is particularly diverse and lush, while some islands of the Aegean Sea are almost completely deserted and scorched by the sun.

In the western regions, maquis is widespread, which covers the coast and the lower parts of the mountain slopes; in the southeast, the more xerophytic phrygana predominates; higher in the mountains they are replaced by shiblyak. In some places, small areas of Mediterranean forests of evergreen oaks, maritime pine and laurel remain. On the coast and lower mountain slopes, natural vegetation is in most cases replaced by cultivated vegetation. A significant area is occupied by olive groves, which, as they move south, rise higher into the mountains, citrus orchards, which appear in the southern part of Croatia and are widespread in Albania and Greece (especially in the Peloponnese). In Serbia and Montenegro, large areas are occupied by various fruit trees: apple trees, pears, plums, apricots. There are many vineyards on the mountain slopes in areas with a warm Mediterranean climate. They rise especially high on terraced slopes in southern Greece.

Above the belt of Mediterranean vegetation, deciduous forests of oak, maple, linden and other broad-leaved species are common. There are many evergreens in the understory. Broad-leaved forests on the coastal mountain ranges have undergone significant destruction. In many places, forests have suffered from overgrazing by livestock (goats and sheep) and logging for fuel. Especially many forests have been cleared on the limestone plateaus in the area of the so-called Dinaric karst, as well as in the Pinda Mountains in Greece. Some sections of these plateaus have been turned into a real desert, devoid of soil, covered with rubble and large blocks of limestone (). Arable lands are confined to fields where the products of limestone destruction accumulate in the form of the so-called terra rossa. Along with the fields, there are meadows used as pastures, and even rare forest vegetation - the remnants of former broad-leaved forests.

Animal world. The fauna of the Balkan Peninsula contains elements of both Central European and typically Mediterranean fauna. In some sparsely populated areas, the fauna is well preserved, but some large animals have long since disappeared without a trace. For example, it is known that in ancient times lions lived in the south of the peninsula.

In the riverine and swampy thickets of some areas of the peninsula, wild boar is found; deer and chamois are still preserved in mountain forests; On the islands of the Aegean Sea there is a wild goat - the ancestor of the domestic goat. In the most remote mountain areas you can sometimes see a brown bear. There are many rodents, among which hares occupy the first place in number.

The bird fauna is diverse. Predators include the vulture, falcon and serpent eagle. Passerines and woodpeckers are very widely represented; pheasants used to be found. Among the typically Mediterranean animals there are numerous reptiles, especially lizards, and there are vipers and small boa constrictors. In the south there is an endemic Greek tortoise.

The rivers and lakes of the Danube and Adriatic Sea basins are rich in fish. The southern part of the peninsula, which belongs to the Aegean Sea basin, is relatively poor in freshwater fauna.

see also nature photographs of the Balkan Peninsula(with geographical and biological captions for photographs) from the section

The Balkan region is often called the “powder keg” of Europe. And not by chance. In the 20th century, wars and conflicts of various scales broke out here every now and then. And the First World War began right here, after the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was killed in Sarajevo. In the early 90s, the Balkan countries experienced another serious shock - the collapse of Yugoslavia. This event significantly redrew the political map of the European region.

Balkan region and its geography

All the Balkan countries are located on a relatively small area of 505 thousand square kilometers. The geography of the peninsula is very diverse. Its coastline is heavily dissected and washed by the waters of six seas. The territory of the Balkans is predominantly mountainous and heavily indented by deep canyons. However, the highest point of the peninsula - Mount Musala - does not even reach 3000 meters in height.

Two more natural features are characteristic of this region: the presence of a huge number of small islands off the coastline (mainly in Croatia), as well as the widespread occurrence of karst processes (it is in Slovenia that the famous Karst plateau is located, which served as the donor of the name for a separate group of landforms).

The name of the peninsula comes from the Turkish word balkan, which means “large and wooded mountain range.” The northern border of the Balkans is usually drawn along the line and Sava.

Balkan countries: list

Today, there are ten state entities in the Balkans (of which 9 are sovereign states and one is partially recognized). Below is a list of them, including the capitals of the Balkan countries:

Slovenia (capital - Ljubljana).
Greece (Athens).
Romania (Bucharest).
Macedonia (Skopje).
Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo).
Serbia (Belgrade).
Montenegro (Podgorica).
Croatia (Zagreb).
Republic of Kosovo (a partially recognized state with its capital in Pristina).

It should be noted that in some regional classifications Moldova is also classified as a Balkan country.

In the second half of the 19th century, all the Balkan peoples were under the yoke of Turkey, as well as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which could not contribute to their national and cultural development. In the 60-70s of the century before last, national liberation aspirations intensified in the Balkans. The Balkan countries, one after another, are trying to take the path of independent development.

The first of them was Bulgaria. In 1876, an uprising began here, which, however, was brutally suppressed by the Turks. Outraged by such bloody actions, which resulted in the death of about 30 thousand Orthodox Bulgarians, Russia declared war on the Turks. Ultimately, Türkiye was forced to recognize Bulgaria's independence.

In 1912, following the example of the Bulgarians, Albania also achieved independence. At the same time, Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece created the so-called “Balkan Union” in order to finally free themselves from Turkish oppression. Soon the Turks were driven out of the peninsula. Only a small piece of land with the city of Constantinople remained under their rule.

However, after the victory over their common enemy, the Balkan countries begin to fight among themselves. Thus, Bulgaria, with the support of Austria-Hungary, attacks Serbia and Greece. The latter, in turn, received military support from Romania.

The Balkans finally turned into a big “powder keg” on June 28, 1914, when the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Prince Ferdinand, was assassinated in Sarajevo by the Serbian Princip. Thus began the First World War, which involved almost all of Europe, as well as some countries in Asia, Africa and even Central America.

Collapse of Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia was created back in 1918, immediately after the liquidation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The process of its collapse, which began in 1991, significantly redrew the then existing political map of Europe.

Slovenia was the first to leave Yugoslavia as a result of the so-called 10-day war. Croatia followed, but the military conflict between Croats and Serbs lasted 4.5 years and claimed at least 20 thousand lives. At the same time, the process continued and resulted in the recognition of the new state formation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

One of the last stages of the collapse of Yugoslavia was the referendum on the independence of Montenegro, which took place in 2006. According to its results, 55.5% of Montenegrins voted for secession from Serbia.

Kosovo's shaky independence

On February 17, 2008, it unilaterally declared its independence. The international community's reaction to this event was extremely mixed. Today, Kosovo, as an independent state, is recognized by only 108 countries (out of 193 UN members). Among them are the USA and Canada, Japan, Australia, most and some countries in Africa and Latin America.

However, the independence of the republic has not yet been recognized by Russia and China (which are part of it, which does not allow Kosovo to become a full member of the main international organization on the planet.

Finally...

Modern Balkan countries began their path to independence at the end of the 19th century. However, the process of border formation in the Balkans has not yet been completed.

Today, there are ten countries within the Balkan region. These are Slovenia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, as well as the partially recognized state of Kosovo.

Peninsula in Southern Europe. The area is about 505 thousand km2. The greatest extent from west to east is about 1260 km, from north to south 950 km. It is washed with the W. Adriatic and Ionian seas, with the E. Black, Marmara, Bosphorus and Dardanelles, Aegean... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Balkan Peninsula- Balkan Peninsula. Rhodes Island. View of the ancient acropolis. BALKAN PENINSULA, in southern Europe (Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Yugoslavia, most of Greece, part of Romania, Slovenia, Turkey, Croatia). Area 505 thousand... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

In South Europe. The name comes from the oronym Balkan Mountains or Balkans, which was used in the past (from Turkic, balkan, a chain of steep mountains); Nowadays the mountains are called Stara Planina, but the name of the peninsula has been preserved. Geographical names of the world: Toponymic dictionary.... ... Geographical encyclopedia

In the south of Europe. 505 thousand km². It juts out into the sea for 950 km. It is washed by the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Ionian, Marmara, Aegean and Black seas. The northern border runs from the Trieste Hall. to the river Sava and further along the Danube to the mouth. The shores are strong... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

In the south of Europe. 505 thousand km2. It juts out into the sea for 950 km. It is washed by the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Ionian, Marmara, Aegean and Black seas. The northern border runs from the Gulf of Trieste to the river. Sava and further along the Danube to the mouth. The shores are strong... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

The southeastern tip of Europe, on which the European possessions of Turkey, the Principality of Bulgaria, the kingdoms of Serbia and Greece and the regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina occupied by Austria under the Berlin Treaty are located. See these articles. MAP OF THE BALKAN... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Balkan Peninsula- Balkan half island... Russian spelling dictionary

Balkan Peninsula- in South Europe. The name comes from the oronym Balkan Mountains or Balkans, which was used in the past (from Turkic, balkan, a chain of steep mountains); Nowadays the mountains are called Stara Planina, but the name of the island has been preserved... Toponymic dictionary

Balkan Theater of Operations World War I ... Wikipedia

Books

Slavic sword
Slavic sword, F. Finjgar. The novel by the Slovenian writer Franz Saleška Finjgar refers to that critical moment in the history of the Slavic tribes, when they, having crossed the Danube, poured into the Balkan Peninsula to...

The Balkan Peninsula, or Balkans, is located in the southeastern part of Europe. It is washed by seven seas, the coastline is strongly dissected. The northern border of the peninsula is considered to be the line from the Danube, Kupa, and Sava rivers to the Kvarner Bay. There are countries here that are partially located on the peninsula. And there are those that are completely located on its territory. But they are all somewhat similar, although each has its own flavor.

Countries of the Balkan Peninsula

Albania - located in the west, located entirely on a peninsula.
Bulgaria - located in the east, completely located on a peninsula.
Bosnia and Herzegovina - located in the center, located entirely on a peninsula.
Greece - located on the peninsula and nearby islands;.
Macedonia - located in the center, located entirely on a peninsula.
Montenegro - located in the west, completely located on a peninsula.
Serbia - located in the center, partly located on a peninsula, partly in the Pannonian Lowland.
Croatia - located in the west, partly located on a peninsula.
Slovenia - located in the north, completely located on a peninsula.
Romania - located in the east, completely located on a peninsula.
Turkey is partly located on a peninsula.
Italy occupies only a small - northern - part of the peninsula.

Geography of the area

As mentioned above, the coastline is very indented and there are bays. There are many small islands near the peninsula, a large part of which is occupied by Greece. The most dissected shores of the Aegean and Adriatic seas. For the most part, mountainous terrain prevails here.

A little history

The Balkan Peninsula was the first region in Europe where agriculture appeared. In ancient times, Macedonians, Greeks, Thracians and others lived on its territory. The Roman Empire managed to conquer most of the lands and bring its customs and traditions to them, but some of the nationalities did not abandon Greek culture. In the sixth century, the first Slavic peoples came here.

During the Middle Ages, the Balkan Peninsula was often attacked by various states, since it was an important region and transport artery. By the end of the Middle Ages, most of the territories were under the rule of the Ottoman Empire.

Conquest of the Balkan Peninsula by the Ottoman Turks

Starting in 1320, the Turks began to regularly try to conquer certain territories; in 1357 they managed to completely subjugate the island of Gallipoli - it came under the control of the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish conquest of the Balkan Peninsula continued for many decades. In 1365 Thrace was captured, in 1396 the Ottoman Empire managed to conquer the entire Vidin kingdom and lands up to the Balkan Mountains. In 1371 the Turks switched to Serbian lands; in 1389, after a long confrontation, the Serbs had to surrender.

Gradually, the border of the Ottoman Empire moved towards Hungary. The Hungarian king Sigismund decided that he would not give up and invited other European monarchs to gather to fight against the invaders. The Pope, the French troops and many other powerful people agreed with this proposal. It was decided to declare a crusade against the Turkish invaders, but this did not bring much success; the Turks absolutely defeated all the crusaders.

The power of the Turks weakened. It seemed that the Balkan Peninsula was returning to normal life. Tamerlane's power frightened the Ottoman Empire. The Serbian prince decided to regain control of the captured territories, and he succeeded. Belgrade became the capital of Serbia, but in the middle of the fifteenth century the Ottoman Empire decided to regain its position. Already at the beginning of the twentieth century. The countries of the Balkan Peninsula decided to completely get rid of the influence of the Turks. In 1912, the War of Independence began, which ended successfully for the Balkans, but the First World War soon began. In the 90s of the last century, Yugoslavia broke up into a number of states that exist to this day (one of them, Kosovo, is partially recognized).

The color beckons

All states of the Balkan Peninsula are diverse. They have come a long way of development. They were conquered, many battles took place here, they suffered from invasions. For many centuries these countries were not free, but now, being here, one cannot help but notice the spirit of freedom. Beautiful landscapes, miraculously preserved attractions and an excellent climate - all this attracts many tourists to these places, where everyone manages to find something special: someone goes to the beach, and someone to the mountains, but everyone remains fascinated by these countries.