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Key facts about Kosovo, the Serbian province torn by fighting
LAND:
- Province of southwestern Serbia, the dominant republic left in Yugoslavia
- Size: 4,200 square miles -- about the size of Maryland
- Borders Albania and Macedonia
- Central area around the capital, Pristina, is lowlands, with mountains elsewhere
PEOPLE:
- About 2.2 million
- Nine out of ten Kosovo inhabitants are ethnic Albanians, most of whom want independence
- One out of ten Kosovo inhabitants are Serb
HISTORY:
- Serbs consider Kosovo the cradle of their history and culture, with numerous Orthodox monasteries.
- Serbs lost a decisive battle against the Turkish empire in Kosovo in 1389.
- Ethnic Albanians say they are descendants of the ancient Illyrians, who were Kosovo's first inhabitants.
POLITICS:
- Kosovo was part of Serbia in the Communist-run Yugoslav Federation.
- In 1974, the province won almost absolute autonomy.
- In 1989, then-Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic abolished that and introduced virtual martial law. Ethnic Albanians responded by establishing a parallel state that was driven underground.
POSITIONS ON INDEPENDENCE
- Most ethnic Albanians advocate independence for Kosovo
- Serbia rejects independence for Kosovo
- World powers oppose independence for fear a border change would trigger a wider Balkans war.
- A US-backed peace plan has proposed a wide autonomy for Kosovo, backed at first by NATO troops in the province.
VIOLENCE:
In February 1998, Slobodan Milosevic launched an offensive to crush the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army. Since then:
- More than 2,000 people are believed to have been killed (SOURCE: NATO)
- 443,000 have been driven from their homes (SOURCE: NATO)
NATO PRESENCE:
- More than 400 allied aircraft are on standby in the region
- Half a dozen US Navy ships are ready to launch cruise missiles
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