The peoples of the Balkans. Balkan Peninsula holiday map

Balkan Peninsula, or the 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, Sava rivers to the Kvarner Bay. There are countries that are partially located on the peninsula. And there are those who are completely on its territory. But they are all somewhat similar, although each has its own zest.

Countries of the Balkan Peninsula

• Albania - located in the west, completely located on the peninsula.
• Bulgaria - located in the east, completely located on the peninsula.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina - located in the center, completely located on the peninsula.
• Greece - located on a peninsula and nearby islands;
• Macedonia - located in the center, completely located on the peninsula.
• Montenegro - located in the west, completely located on the peninsula.
• Serbia - located in the center, partly located on the peninsula, partly in the Pannonian lowland.
• Croatia - located in the west, partly located on the peninsula.
• Slovenia - located in the north, completely located on the peninsula.
• Romania - located in the east, completely located on the peninsula.
• Turkey - 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, there are bays. Near the peninsula there are many small islands, Greece occupies a considerable part of them. The shores of the Aegean and Adriatic Seas are the most dissected. For the most part, mountainous terrain prevails here.

A bit of 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 their 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 different states, since it was an important region and a transport artery. By the end of the Middle Ages most of territories were under the rule of the Ottoman Empire.

The conquest of the Balkan Peninsula by the Ottoman Turks

Starting from 1320, the Turks began to regularly try to conquer certain territories, in 1357 they managed to completely subjugate the Gallipoli Island - it was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish conquest of the Balkan Peninsula lasted for many decades. In 1365 Thrace was captured, in 1396 the Ottoman Empire managed to conquer the entire Vidin kingdom and lands up to 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 surrender and invited other European monarchs to gather to fight against the invaders. The Pope, the French troops and many more agreed with this proposal. the mighty of the world this. 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. The power of Tamerlane frightened the Ottoman Empire. The Serbian prince decided to regain control over the occupied 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 for independence began, which ended successfully for the Balkans, but soon the First World War 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).

Coloring 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, it is impossible not to notice the spirit of freedom. beautiful scenery, miraculously preserved sights and 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.

The northern border of the Balkan Peninsula is drawn along the course of the Sava and the Danube, and in the east - from the latitudinal segment of the Danube, approximately along 44 ° N. sh., to the Black Sea. In the west, the region is washed by the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. In the east, ero is limited by the Black Sea, the Bosporus, the Dardanelles and the Marmara and Aegean Seas. The region also includes numerous islands of the Ionian and Aegean Seas and the island of Crete.

Massive and wide in the north, the Balkan Peninsula narrows to the south, and the dissection of its coasts increases. The surface of the Balkan Peninsula is mountainous. The name itself comes from Turkish word"Balkan", which means "mountain". Plains, lowlands and basins occupy a relatively small area.

The modern outlines and relief of the land were formed as a result of the movements of the end of the Neogene and the beginning of the Anthropogen. The Aegean Sea was formed on the site of the fragmented and sinking Land, which connected the Balkans with Asia Minor. Islands Aegean Sea represent the remnants of this land, and the Bosporus and Dardanelles arose as a result of the sinking and flooding of wide river valleys that existed in the Neogene. On the western and northeastern outskirts of the Balkan Peninsula, mountain systems of the Cenozoic age rise, its inner part is filled with a rigid median massif, which experienced splits in the Neogene.

In the north-east of the peninsula, in an arc, convex to the south, stretch the Balkan Mountains, or Stara Planina, as they are called in Bulgaria. In terms of folding age and structure, the Balkans are close to the Carpathians and obviously belong to that system of structures of the Alpine folded belt, which continues through Dobrudzha to the Crimean Peninsula.

The northern slope of the Balkans gradually passes into the foothills of the Bulgarian plateau, which, in turn, descends to the Lower Danube lowland. The Bulgarian plateau and the northern slope of the Stara Planina divide deep valleys, and the Iskar River cuts through the Balkans, forming the famous Iskar Gorge, through which Railway and the highway to Sofia. The highest, central part of the mountains is composed of crystalline rocks. Its maximum height is 2376 m (Mount Botev), the passes lie at altitudes significantly exceeding 1000 m. The Shipka Pass is dear to the memory of the Russian and Bulgarian peoples after the war of 1877-1878, when the Russian troops, together with the Bulgarian troops, liberated Bulgaria from Turkish rule.

At southern foot Stara Planina lies the Trans-Balkan basins - Sofia, Karlovskaya, Kazanlak and Slivenskaya. The most extensive Sophia basin has a height of 500 m, the rest are somewhat lower. The transition from mountains to basins is very pronounced in the relief. The bottom of the basins is flat, from each of their points the surrounding mountains are visible.

From the south, the Trans-Balkan basins are closed by a mountain range, called in Bulgaria Sredna Gora, and in Russian literature known as the Anti-Balkans. In terms of geological structure, the Anti-Balkans are close to the Balkans, but inferior to them in height. Steeply breaking off to the north, towards the basins, they descend more gently to the south.

Another one mountain system The Balkan Peninsula stretches along its western outskirts from north to south and passes to offshore islands. It is more extensive than the Balkans and more complex in construction. These are the Dinaric Highlands and Pindus.

The Dinaric Highlands begin north of the Istrian peninsula, where it merges with the Southeastern Alps. Further, it extends from the northwest to the southeast, along the Adriatic coast to northern border Albania. Recent subsidence has caused the fragmentation of the western marginal zone of the Dinaric Highlands and its subsidence below sea level. This led to the formation of a heavily dissected Dalmatian coast, accompanied by hundreds of large and small islands. Islands, peninsulas and bays stretch along the coast line, corresponding to the strike of mountain ranges.

Most of the highlands are composed of Mesozoic limestones and Paleogene flysch. Limestones compose ridges and vast plateaus, and loose flysch deposits fill the synclinal depressions between them. The predominance of limestone and abundant rainfall caused the development of karst processes in the western part of the highlands. This was also facilitated by the extermination of forest vegetation. In this area, the regularities of karst formation and the forms 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). All forms of the so-called "bare", or Mediterranean, karst can be found in the Dinaric Highlands. large areas turned into completely barren and impenetrable carr fields, where there is neither soil nor vegetation. Underground forms of karst relief are diverse - wells up to several hundreds of meters deep, branched caves reaching many kilometers in length. Of the caves, Postojna is especially famous. , east of Trieste.

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, where springs come out and a cover of red-colored weathering crust is formed.

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

The inner part of the Balkan Peninsula is occupied by the ancient Macedonian-Thracian 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 Anthropogen, the lakes gradually dried up, and terrace steps appeared on the slopes of the basins, indicating a gradual decrease in the level of the lakes. The bottoms of the basins are flat or slightly hilly and lie at different heights. The basins are densely populated. The center of each hollow is usually a city or a large village, the name of which is given to the hollow (for example, the Skop-le basin in Yugoslavia, Samokovskaya in Bulgaria). The most extensive basins on the Balkan Peninsula lie along the course of the Maritsa River: Upper Thracian - in Bulgaria, Lower Thracian - along the border between Greece and Turkey. In the middle part of Greece is the vast Thessalian Basin - the center of ancient agricultural culture.

Between the basins, sections 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 the Rila, Pirin and Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria, the isolated massif Olympus in Greece. The highest massif of the Balkan Peninsula is the Rila Mountains. Their highest peak reaches 2925 m. The calm contours of the relief of the lower part of the mountains are replaced by sharp mountain-glacial forms on the peaks. Snow accumulates there most of the summer and gives rise to avalanches.

Thus, for the relief of the entire Balkan Peninsula, as a whole, dissection is characteristic, which is the result of vertical movements of the end of the Neogene and the beginning of the Anthropogen, which engulfed folded structures of various ages. Thanks to this young tectonics, a mountain-hollow relief was created, which is so characteristic of this region. Tectonic activity has not ended even at the present time, as evidenced by frequent earthquakes in different areas.. Its latest manifestation was a catastrophic earthquake in 1963, which destroyed a significant part of the city of Skopje in Yugoslavia.

The bowels of the Balkan Peninsula are especially rich in ores of various metals. In Serbia, near the city of Bor, in young volcanic rocks there are significant reserves of copper ores; in the ancient crystalline massifs of Yugoslavia, Greece and Bulgaria, deposits of chromites, iron ores, manganese and lead-zinc ores are widespread. Large reserves of chromium and copper ores are found in the mountains of Albania. Along the entire Adriatic coast and on the islands, bauxites occur in the strata of the Cretaceous deposits.

In the Paleogene deposits of the 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.).

A typical Mediterranean climate is typical only for a relatively narrow strip of the western and southern coasts of the Balkan Peninsula. In the north and in its inner parts, the climate is temperate, with a hint 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 in 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.

The mountain relief plays an important role in shaping the climate of the Balkan Peninsula. The difference in the climate of the basins and mountain ranges is manifested primarily in the annual amount of precipitation: the plains and basins usually receive no more than 500-700 mm, while on the slopes of the mountains, especially on the western ones, more than 1000 mm falls. The climate of the Bolgar Plateau is the most continental, where winter frosts can reach -25 ° C; The maximum precipitation occurs in the first half of summer. This part of Bulgaria suffers quite often from droughts. In winter, there is a stable snow cover, and snow appears around the second half of November. Most very coldy in this area are associated with breakthroughs of relatively cold continental air masses coming from the northeast.

In the mountain basins of the peninsula, thanks to their more southern position the climate is warmer, but also with a distinct continental tinge. The average winter temperature is negative, although only slightly below 0 ° C. Significant temperature inversions are observed almost every winter, when it is relatively warm on the slopes of the mountains, and frosts reach -8, - 10 ° C in the basins.

The climate of the mountain ranges of northern and. the central parts of the Balkan Peninsula are more humid and cool. The winter temperature differs little from the temperature of the basins, but summer is much cooler in the mountains and winter comes much earlier than in the plains. In November, when it is still raining in the Sofia Basin, located at a high altitude above sea level, the Balkans or Rila already have a snow cover and most of the passes are closed due to snow drifts.

On the Dalmatian coast and islands, the summer is dry and hot, with a predominance of cloudless weather; winters are mild and rainy, although in the northern part of the coast the maximum precipitation falls not in winter, but in autumn. The annual amount of precipitation on the coast is very high - there are the most humid regions of Europe. On the banks Bay of Kotor in Yugoslavia, more than 5000 mm of precipitation falls in some years, but 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 on the entire coast is positive, but in its northern part every winter there are strong and very sharp declines temperature due to the breakthrough of relatively cold masses of continental air. These air masses come down from the Danubian plains in the place where the Dinaric mountains have the smallest width and a small height. The air does not have time to warm up and spreads to the coast in the form of cold hurricane wind, causing a decrease in temperature below 0 ° C, icing of buildings, trees, and the surface of the earth. This phenomenon, very close in nature to the Black Sea north-east, is known as pine forests.

The farther south, the features of the Mediterranean climate appear more and more clearly. The average temperature of the winter and summer months rises, the maximum precipitation shifts to winter, and their amount decreases. On the coast of the Aegean Sea, in Southeastern Greece, the Mediterranean climate acquires some features of continentality, which are primarily expressed in a decrease in 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 +7, +8 ° C, there are temperature drops below 0 ° C, sometimes it snows The relatively dry climate is also found in the Aegean islands, where it is probably the warmest compared to all other parts of the region.

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 inconstancy of the regime.

A significant part of the peninsula belongs to the basin of the middle Danube. Most major rivers- The Danube and its tributary Sava, flowing along the northern edge of the peninsula. Significant tributaries of the Danube are the Morava and the Iskar; Savy - the river Drina. The large rivers Maritsa, Struma (Strimon), Vardar, Vistritsa and Peney flow into the Aegean Sea. The basins of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas have short rivers, since the main watershed of the Balkan Peninsula passes through the Dinaric Mountains and is close to its western outskirts.

The watershed between the Danube basin and the Aegean Sea is the Balkans, the Rhodope Mountains and the Rila. In the Rila Mountains, there are especially many watercourses that give rise to large and small rivers; Iskar and Maritsa start from there.

On most of the rivers of the Balkan Peninsula, high water occurs in winter or autumn; then they are turbulent streams carrying masses of muddy water. In summer, many rivers become very shallow, small rivers in the southeast dry up.

Usually the nature of the flow of rivers in the upper reaches is mountainous, in the lower reaches they go to the plains and are slow-flowing watercourses that do not have distinct valleys. In the past, during floods, these rivers overflowed and flooded large areas. So it was, for example, on the northern plain of Bulgaria and on the coastal plain of Albania. In the lower reaches of the rivers, swampy areas formed, which were the center of the spread of malaria and were almost not populated. At present, in the socialist countries, great work to prevent river floods, to drain swampy areas and turn them into lands suitable for plowing.

Along with excessively humid areas on the Balkan Peninsula, there are many areas 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 Maritskaya lowland in Bulgaria, irrigation systems are being created on the Bolgar plateau, in the Sophia basin and other areas.

Power plants have been built and are being built on many rivers of the Balkan Peninsula. A lot of work has been carried out at Iskar in Bulgaria. IN upstream Iskar, reservoirs (yazovirs) were built, power stations were built and an irrigation system was created for the Sofia basin.

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

Within the karst territories of the Dinaric Highlands, there are also vast areas that are completely drainless or devoid of surface water. The population of these regions suffers especially strongly from the lack of drinking water.

predominance mountainous terrain, variety climatic conditions and differences in the distribution of runoff create a great variety of land cover. The climatic conditions of most of the region are favorable for the growth of forests, but the natural forest vegetation there has been severely exterminated. Along with this, there are areas that are primordially 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 seat of the ancient cultures of Europe, the vegetation has been exposed to human influence for thousands of years and has changed significantly.

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 widespread in mountainous regions, while plains and intramountain basins are treeless, and steppe soils predominate within them.

The modern landscapes of the Bolgar Plateau, the Maritskaya Lowland and the internal basins do not give an idea of ​​their original vegetation cover, since their land and climate resources are intensively used. On the Bolgar Plateau, among a flat, cultivated surface covered with chernozem-like soils, only individual trees have survived. The Maritsa lowland is even more developed. Its surface is a mosaic of rice fields, cotton, tobacco, vineyards and orchards, lined with irrigation canals. Many fields are planted with sparse fruit trees; this achieves a better use of the fertile soils of the lowlands.

In the natural vegetation cover of the Maritsa lowland and Black Sea coast elements of the Mediterranean flora appear. Some evergreen shrubs can be found there, as well as ivy that covers tree trunks.

The lower parts of the slopes of the mountains are most often covered with thickets of shrubs, in which both deciduous and some evergreen species are found. This is the so-called shilyak, especially characteristic of the Balkan Peninsula. It usually appears on the site of reduced forests. Up to a height of 1000-1200 m, deciduous forests from various kinds oak with an admixture of beech, hornbeam and other broad-leaved species. On some mountain ranges, they give way to tall coniferous forests from Balkan and Central European species of pine, spruce and fir. Such valuable and relatively little exterminated forests cover the slopes of the Rila, Pirin and Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria. At an altitude of about 1500-1800 m, the forests turn into subalpine shrub thickets of rhododendron, juniper and heather. The highest mountain ranges covered with alpine meadows, which are used as pastures.

IN mountainous areas to a great height, the impact of man on nature is affected. In many places, wheat fields rise to a height of 1100-1300 m, the upper limit of orchards lies a little lower, and the lowest parts of the slopes of the southern exposure are occupied by vineyards.

Districts with mediterranean climate they also have a corresponding soil and vegetation cover. The soils of the coastal low strip of Yugoslavia, Albania and Greece under evergreen vegetation are red earth (on limestones) or brown. The upper boundary of the distribution of subtropical soils and vegetation rises as you move 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 its height is about 1000 m or more.

The vegetation of the western part of the peninsula, receiving a large number of rainfall, richer than the vegetation of the dry southeast. The natural and cultural vegetation of the Ionian Islands is especially varied and luxuriant, while some islands of the Aegean Sea are almost completely deserted and scorched by the sun.

In the western regions, maquis is common, which covers the coast and the lower parts of the slopes of the mountains, in the southeast the more xerophytic frigana prevails, higher in the mountains they are replaced by shilyak. In some places, small patches of Mediterranean forests of evergreen oaks have been preserved. (Quercus ilex, Q. coccifera etc.), seaside pine and laurel. On the coast and the lower parts of the mountain slopes, natural vegetation has in most cases been supplanted by cultivated vegetation. A significant area is occupied by olive groves, which, moving south, rise higher and higher into the mountains, citrus orchards, which appear in the southern part of the Yugoslav coast and are widespread in Albania and Greece (especially in the Peloponnese). In Yugoslavia, large areas are occupied by various fruit trees: apple trees, pears, plums, apricots. In all areas with a warm Mediterranean climate, there are many vineyards on the slopes of the mountains. Especially high on the terraced slopes they rise in southern Greece.

Above the belt of Mediterranean vegetation and soils lies a belt of deciduous forests, consisting of oak, maple, linden and other broad-leaved species. In the undergrowth of these forests there are many evergreen plants. Broad-leaved forests on the coastal mountain ranges have undergone significant destruction. Deforestation was a sad consequence of a difficult period in history Balkan countries- domination of the Turkish Ottoman Empire.

In many places, forests have suffered from grazing (goats and sheep), cutting down for fuel. Especially a lot of forests are brought down on the limestone plateaus of Yugoslavia - in the area of ​​​​the so-called Dinaric karst, as well as in the mountains of Pinda on the territory of Greece. In places, these plateaus have been turned into a real desert, devoid of soil, covered with rubble and large blocks of limestone. Areas suitable for cultivation are usually found in fields where the products of limestone destruction accumulate in the form of the so-called terra rossa. There you can see small patches of plowed and sown lands. Along with them, there are meadows used as pastures, and even rare forest vegetation - the remains of the former broad-leaved forests.

In the animal world of the Balkan Peninsula there are elements of both Central European and typical Mediterranean fauna. In some sparsely populated areas, the fauna is well preserved, but some large animals have disappeared for a long time and completely without a trace. For example, it is known that lions lived in the south of the peninsula in historical times.

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

Diverse bird fauna. Of the predators, there are vultures, falcons and snake eagles. There are a lot of different passerines, woodpeckers, a pheasant used to be found.

Among the typical Mediterranean animals, reptiles are numerous. There are especially a lot of lizards, there are a viper and a small boa constrictor. The endemic Greek tortoise is found in the south.

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

The Dinaric Highlands begin north of the Istrian peninsula, where it merges with the Southeastern Alps. Further, it extends from the northwest to the southeast, along the Adriatic coast to the northern border of Albania. Recent subsidence has caused the western marginal zone of the Dinaric Highlands to be fragmented and plunged below sea level. This led to the formation of a heavily indented Dalmatian coast, accompanied by hundreds of large and small islands. Islands, peninsulas and bays are stretched along the coast line, respectively, with the strike of mountain ranges ().

Most of the highlands are composed of Mesozoic limestones and Paleogene flysch. Limestones form ridges and vast plateaus, while 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 extermination of forest vegetation. In this area, the regularities of karst formation and the forms 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). All forms of the so-called "bare", or Mediterranean, karst can be found in the Dinaric Highlands. Large areas have been turned into completely barren and impenetrable carr fields, where there is neither soil nor vegetation (). Underground forms of karst relief are diverse - wells up to several hundred meters deep, branched caves, reaching many kilometers in length. Of the caves, Postojna, 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, since there are springs and a cover of red-colored weathering crust is formed here.

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 come directly to the coast, and only within Albania between the mountains and the sea is there a strip of coastal hilly plain up to several tens of kilometers wide. The ridges of Pindus are composed of limestone, and the valleys are flysch. The highest parts of the mountains are characterized by sharp forms and a wide distribution of karst. The slopes of the ridges are usually steep and devoid of vegetation. The highest peak of Pinda is Mount Zmolikas in Greece (2637 m). The entire Pindus system has experienced severe fragmentation, which is reflected in the features of the relief and the nature of the coastline. The coast is indented by large bays and small bays, and the transverse type of dissection prevails. The continuation of the mountain ranges of the western part of Pindus are the Ionian Islands, recently separated from the mainland, deeply dissected and surrounded by shallow water. The Gulf of Corinth, which is significant in 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 gulfs-grabens and forms four lobed peninsulas in the south.

The inner part 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 subsequently 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 gradual 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 a vast Thessalian basin - the center of ancient agricultural culture.

Between the basins, sections 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, the isolated Olympus massif in Greece. The highest massif of the Balkan Peninsula is the Rila Mountains (up to 2925 m). The calm contours 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 is generally characterized by dissection, which is the result of vertical movements of the end of the Neogene and the beginning of the Quaternary, which engulfed folded structures of various ages. The latest tectonics has led to the creation of a mountain-hollow relief, so characteristic of this region. Tectonic activity has not ended even now, as evidenced by frequent earthquakes in different areas. The last catastrophic manifestation was the 1963 earthquake, which destroyed a large part 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, near the city of Bor, young volcanic rocks contain significant reserves of copper ores; in the ancient crystalline massifs of Greece and Bulgaria, deposits of chromites, iron ores, manganese and lead-zinc ores are widespread. There are large reserves of chromium and copper ores in the mountains of Albania. Along the entire Adriatic coast and on the islands, bauxites occur in the strata of the Cretaceous deposits.

In the Paleogene deposits of the 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 a valuable building material (marble, limestone, etc.).

climatic conditions. A typical Mediterranean climate is typical only for a relatively narrow strip of the western and southern coasts of the Balkan Peninsula. In the north and in its inner parts, the climate is temperate with a hint 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 in all periods of the year. Coastal regions occupy a more southern position and are protected by mountain ranges from the penetration of continental air masses.

A large role in shaping the climate of the Balkan Peninsula belongs to the mountainous terrain. The difference in the climate of the basins and mountain ranges is manifested, first of all, in the annual amount of precipitation: the plains and basins usually receive no more than 500-700 mm, while on the slopes of the mountains, especially on the western ones, more than 1000 mm falls. The climate of the Bolgar Plateau is the most continental, where winter frosts can reach -25 °С; The maximum precipitation occurs in the first half of summer. This part of Bulgaria suffers quite often from droughts. In winter, there is a stable snow cover, and snow appears 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 southerly position, the climate is warmer, but also with a distinct continental tinge. The average winter temperature is negative, although only slightly below 0 °C. Almost every winter, significant temperature inversions are observed, when it is relatively warm on the slopes of the mountains, and frosts reach -8 ... -10 °С in the hollows.

The climate of the mountain ranges of the northern and central parts of the Balkan Peninsula is more humid and cool. The winter temperature differs little from the temperature of the basins, but the summer in the mountains is much cooler and winter comes much earlier than in the plains. In November, when it is still raining 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 a predominance of 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 amount of precipitation on the coast is very high - there are the most humid regions of Europe. On the shores of the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro, more than 5000 mm of precipitation falls in some years. 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 come down from the Danubian plains in the place where the Dinaric highlands have the smallest width and a small 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 buildings, trees, and the surface of the earth. This phenomenon, very close in nature to the Black Sea northeast, is known as bora.

With the advancement to the south, the features of the Mediterranean climate appear more and more clearly. rises average temperature winter and summer months, the maximum precipitation shifts to winter and their amount decreases. On the coast of the Aegean Sea, in Southeastern Greece, the Mediterranean climate acquires some features of continentality, which is expressed mainly in a decrease in precipitation. For example, in Athens, their average annual number is no more than 400 mm, the temperature of the hottest month is 27 ... 28 ° C, the coolest 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

Relatively dry climate and on the islands of the Aegean Sea. It is probably warmest there 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 inconstancy of the regime. A significant part of the peninsula belongs to the middle Danube basin. The largest rivers are the Danube and its tributary Sava, which flow along the northern edge of the peninsula. Significant tributaries of the Danube are the Morava and Iskar rivers; Savy - the river Drina. The large rivers Maritsa, Strymon (Struma), Vardar, Alyakmon and Pinhos flow into the Aegean Sea. The watershed between the Danube basin and the Aegean Sea are the Stara Planina, the Rhodope Mountains and the Rila. In the Rila Mountains, there are especially many watercourses that 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 of the rivers of the Balkan Peninsula, high water occurs in winter or autumn; then they are turbulent streams carrying masses of muddy water. In summer, many rivers become very shallow, small rivers in the southeast dry up. In some rivers, the ratio of levels in low water and high water is 1:100 and even 1:200. Usually the nature of the flow of rivers in the upper reaches is mountainous, in the lower reaches they go to the plains and are slow-flowing watercourses that do not have distinct valleys. In the past, during floods, these rivers overflowed and flooded large areas. This was the case, for example, on the northern plain of Bulgaria and on the coastal plain of Albania. In the lower reaches of the rivers, swampy areas formed, which were the center of the spread of malaria and were almost not populated. At present, a lot of work is being done to prevent river floods, drain wetlands and turn them into lands suitable for plowing.

Along with excessively humid areas on the Balkan Peninsula, there are many areas 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 Maritskaya lowland in Bulgaria, and irrigation systems are being created on the Bolgar Plateau, in the Sophia Basin and other areas.

Power stations have been built and are being built on many rivers of the Balkan Peninsula. A lot of work has been carried out at Iskar in Bulgaria. In the upper reaches of the river, reservoirs (yazovirs) were built, power plants were built, and an irrigation system was created for the Sophia basin.

The lakes of the Balkan Peninsula belong to different geological stages in the 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 mountains of Pindus, lakes are usually small in area, but deep (). In some karst lakes, the water disappears during the dry season.

Vegetation. The predominance of the mountainous relief, the variety of climatic conditions and the heterogeneity of the runoff create a great diversity of the soil and vegetation cover. The climatic conditions of most of the region are favorable for the growth of forests, but the natural forest vegetation there has been severely exterminated. Along with this, there are areas that are primordially 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 the ancient civilizations of Europe, the vegetation has changed significantly under the influence of man.

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 soils corresponding to them are widespread in mountainous regions, plains and intramountain basins are treeless, and steppe soils predominate within them.

The modern landscapes of the Bolgar Plateau, the Maritskaya Lowland and the inner basins do not give an idea of ​​the original vegetation cover, since these land and climatic resources are intensively used. On the Bolgar Plateau, among a flat, cultivated surface covered with chernozem-like soils, only individual trees have survived. The Maritsa lowland is even more developed. It is a mosaic of rice fields, cotton, tobacco, vineyards and orchards, lined with irrigation canals. Many fields are planted with sparse fruit trees, which contributes to better use of the fertile soils of the lowlands. In the natural vegetation cover of the Thracian lowlands and the Black Sea coast, elements of the Mediterranean flora appear. Some evergreen shrubs can be found there, as well as ivy that covers tree trunks.

The lower parts of the slopes of the mountain ranges of the Balkan Peninsula are most often covered with thickets of shrubs, in which both deciduous and some evergreen species (the so-called shilyak) are found (). They usually appear on the site of reduced forests. Up to a height of 1000-1200 m, deciduous forests of various types of oak with an admixture of beech, hornbeam and other broad-leaved species () rise into the mountains (). 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 exterminated 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 shrubs of rhododendron, juniper and heather. The highest mountain ranges are covered with alpine meadows, which are used as pastures.

In mountainous regions, up to a great height, the impact of man on nature is affected. Wheat fields in some places rise to a height of 1100-1300 m, the upper border of orchards is a little lower, and the lowest parts of the slopes of the southern exposure are occupied by vineyards.

Areas with a Mediterranean climate also have a corresponding soil and vegetation cover. The soils of the coastal low strip of Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and Greece under evergreen vegetation are red earth (on limestones) or brown. The upper boundary of the distribution of subtropical soils and vegetation rises as you move 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 a large amount of precipitation, is richer than the vegetation of the dry southeast. The natural and cultivated vegetation of the Ionian Islands is especially varied and luxuriant, while some of the islands of the Aegean are almost completely deserted and scorched by the sun.

In the western regions, maquis is common, which covers the coast and the lower parts of the slopes of the mountains, in the southeast the more xerophytic frigana prevails, higher in the mountains they are replaced by shilyak. In some places, small patches of Mediterranean forests of evergreen oaks, maritime pine and laurel have been preserved. On the coast and lower mountain slopes, natural vegetation has in most cases been supplanted by cultivated vegetation. A significant area is occupied by olive tree groves, which, moving south, rise higher and 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 slopes of the mountains in areas with a warm Mediterranean climate. They rise especially high on the terraced slopes in southern Greece.

Above the belt of Mediterranean vegetation, deciduous forests of oak, maple, linden and other broad-leaved species are widespread. There are many evergreens in the undergrowth. Broad-leaved forests on the coastal mountain ranges have undergone significant destruction. In many places, forests have suffered from overgrazing (goats and sheep), cutting down for fuel. Especially a lot of forests are brought down on limestone plateaus in the area of ​​​​the so-called Dinaric Karst, as well as in the mountains of Pinda in Greece. Separate 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 limestone destruction products 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 remains of former broad-leaved forests.

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

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

Diverse bird fauna. Of the predators, there are vultures, falcons and serpent eagles. Passerines, woodpeckers are very widely represented, pheasant used to be found. Among the typical Mediterranean animals, reptiles, especially lizards, are numerous, there are vipers and a small boa constrictor. The endemic Greek tortoise is found in the south.

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

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

Nature

coast

Minerals

Balkan Peninsula. origin of name

The modern name of the Balkan Peninsula comes from the name of the mountains of the same name, which in turn date back to the tour. Balkan "big, high Mountain chain, overgrown with forests", chag. Balkan"mountain range". In antiquity, the Balkan Mountains were called other Greek. Αἶμος , lat. Haemus.

Historical reference

In the 19th century a fight broke out Balkan peoples for the establishment of independence; c - as a result of the Balkan wars, the borders of Turkey on the territory of the peninsula moved to modern borders. On the territory of the Balkans, the First World War began, the direct casus belli of which was the assassination of the Austrian heir Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo.

In the 1990s, the region was agitated by conflicts in the republics of the former Yugoslavia, which ended with the breakup of the country into Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Macedonia, and, partially recognized, Kosovo.

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Notes

Literature

• // Military encyclopedia: [in 18 volumes] / ed. V. F. Novitsky [i dr.]. - St. Petersburg. ; [M .] : Typ. t-va I. V. Sytin, 1911-1915.
• Murzaev E. M. Dictionary of popular geographical terms. 1st ed. - M., Thought, 1984.
• Murzaev E. M. Turkic geographical names. - M., Vost. lit., 1996.

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An excerpt characterizing the Balkan Peninsula

Before the opening of the campaign, Rostov received a letter from his parents, in which, briefly informing him of Natasha's illness and the break with Prince Andrei (this break was explained to him by Natasha's refusal), they again asked him to retire and come home. Nikolai, having received this letter, did not try to ask for a vacation or resignation, but wrote to his parents that he was very sorry about Natasha's illness and break with her fiancé and that he would do everything possible to fulfill their desire. He wrote to Sonya separately.
“Adored friend of my soul,” he wrote. “Nothing but honor could keep me from returning to the village. But now, before the opening of the campaign, I would consider myself dishonorable not only before all my comrades, but also before myself, if I preferred my happiness to my duty and love for the fatherland. But this is the last parting. Believe that immediately after the war, if I am alive and loved by you, I will drop everything and fly to you to press you forever to my fiery chest.
Indeed, only the opening of the campaign delayed Rostov and prevented him from coming - as he promised - and marrying Sonya. Otradnensky autumn with hunting and winter with Christmas time and with Sonya's love opened up to him the prospect of quiet aristocratic joys and tranquility, which he had not known before and which now beckoned him to them. “A glorious wife, children, a good flock of hounds, dashing ten - twelve packs of greyhounds, household, neighbors, election service! he thought. But now there was a campaign, and it was necessary to remain in the regiment. And since this was necessary, Nikolai Rostov, by his nature, was also pleased with the life he led in the regiment, and managed to make this life pleasant for himself.
Arriving from vacation, joyfully greeted by his comrades, Nikolai sent for repairs and brought excellent horses from Little Russia, which pleased him and earned him praise from his superiors. In his absence, he was promoted to captain, and when the regiment was put on martial law with an increased kit, he again received his former squadron.
A campaign began, the regiment was moved to Poland, a double salary was issued, new officers arrived, new people, horses; and, most importantly, that excitedly cheerful mood that accompanies the outbreak of war has spread; and Rostov, conscious of his advantageous position in the regiment, devoted himself entirely to the pleasures and interests of military service, although he knew that sooner or later he would have to leave them.
The troops retreated from Vilna for various complex state, political and tactical reasons. Each step of the retreat was accompanied by a complex play of interests, conclusions and passions in the main headquarters. For the hussars of the Pavlograd regiment, this whole retreat, at the best time of summer, with sufficient food, was the simplest and most fun thing to do. They could lose heart, worry and intrigue in the main apartment, but in the deep army they did not ask themselves where, why they were going. If they regretted that they were retreating, it was only because they had to leave the habitable apartment, from the pretty lady. If it occurred to anyone that things were bad, then, as a good military man should, the one to whom it occurred to him tried to be cheerful and not think about the general course of affairs, but think about his immediate business. At first they cheerfully stood near Vilna, making acquaintances with the Polish landowners and waiting and serving reviews of the sovereign and other high commanders. Then the order came to retreat to the Sventsians and destroy the provisions that could not be taken away. The Sventsians were remembered by the hussars only because it was a drunken camp, as the whole army called the camp near Sventsians, and because in Sventsians there were many complaints against the troops because they, taking advantage of the order to take away provisions, took away horses among the provisions, and carriages, and carpets from the Polish pans. Rostov remembered Sventsyany because on the first day of entering this place he changed the sergeant-major and could not cope with all the people of the squadron who got drunk, who, without his knowledge, took away five barrels of old beer. From Sventsyan they retreated further and further to Drissa, and again retreated from Drissa, already approaching the Russian borders.

Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Meteora (Greece)

In the southeast of Europe, on the vast Balkan Peninsula, there are many countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro And Serbia fit there entirely, Croatia by half, and Slovenia by a third. On the same peninsula are small parts of the territories of such countries as Romania (9%) and Turkey (5%).

The mountains of the Balkan Peninsula are not very high. In the west, there is the vast Dinaric Highlands and the mountains of Pindus, in the south passing into the mountains of the Peloponnese peninsula. In the north, in the Rila massif, there is the highest point of the Balkan Peninsula - Mount Musala (2925 m), Stara Planina, or the Balkans, and the Rhodopes also extend there. There are few plains; they lie along the outskirts of the peninsula and in intermountain basins.

Once this mountainous peninsula was almost entirely covered with forests. But people cut them down to make room for fields, orchards and vineyards. And livestock, especially goats, destroyed the young growth of tree species. Now there are few forests left on the peninsula.

IN ancient times Greeks, Macedonians, Illyrians, Thracians and other ancient peoples lived on this territory. Slavs appeared here only in the VI century. By the end of the XVI century. almost the entire Balkan Peninsula was included in Ottoman Empire. Therefore, some of the South Slavic peoples and Albanians converted to Islam. But most of the southern Slavs remained Christians, however, the Slovenes and Croats who lived on the territory Austro-Hungarian Empire, predominantly Catholics, while Serbs, Montenegrins, most Macedonians, Bulgarians, as well as Greeks and Romanians are Orthodox.

The medieval museum city of Dubrovnik in Croatia is included in the list of objects world heritage UNESCO

The struggle of the Balkan peoples for independence from the Turokosmans was dramatic. Suffice it to say that such people as the great English poet Lord Byron (who died during the Greek War of Independence) took part in it. After the end of this war and the collapse of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires, part of the territories inhabited by the Slavs united into Yugoslavia. But at the end of the twentieth century. after bloody conflicts, it broke up into six republics.

In the northwest of the Balkan Peninsula, in Slovenia, there is the Karst (Dinaric Kras) plateau, after which amazing phenomena around the world are named: education in rocks caves and underground rivers, stalactites and stalagmites.

Miscellaneous

Which countries are included in the Balkans, the countries of the Balkan Peninsula

Countries that are among some of the Balkans: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Serbia

phrase on Western Balkans, primarily a political category, and indicates almost all countries of South-Eastern Europe that are not members of the European Union of the Western Balkans will be on the former Yugoslavia without Slovenia, but with Albania
Sometimes..

this term includes Croatia, and sometimes does not, then there is no clear definition of this term.
public opinion in Croatia is not satisfied with this approach of the European Union, because they are usually not considered as part of Croatia, in the Balkans, and the fear that the EU is in the process of rapprochement and entry. Membership in each country will be considered individually, based on progress in each country, t .e. Croatia will "wait" in any other country. appears and the fear that comes rounding from Croatian to the new Yugoslavia
Geomorphological.

Which countries are located on the Balkan Peninsula

", Western Balkans means the western part of the Balkan Mountains on the border between Bulgaria and Serbia, however, it has never been a fixed geographical term. Countries that are among some of the Balkans.. :
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Serbia

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Balkan countries

Balkan countries(Balkan countries), a state located on the Balkan Peninsula in the southwest.

Europe: Albania, mainland Greece, Bulgaria, Europe. part of Turkey, most of the former. Yugoslavia and the southeast. Romania. Despite the 500th anniversary of the Ottoman yoke, the people in these countries will have their own language and religion, although from time to time they persecuted the Turks.

In the 19th century. In Turkey, the influence of the region was weakened, and Russia and Austria entered into conflict in the Balkans. In 1912

Balkan Peninsula

for the opposite circle. The committee established a Balkan alliance which led to the Balkan wars. The victory of Serbia in these wars and the struggle of Austria against Pan-Slavism contributed to the outbreak of the First World War. In accordance with the Treaty of Versailles, they tried to create a democrat in the region. Governing body. However, they were not crowned with success, and during the World War, authoritarian regimes were created in most countries.

The Balkan Entente (Balkan Entente) (1934) provided for the unification of Bg. and securing their borders. After 1945 B.G. they are distinguished by their adherence to the Council or Zap. policy. In 1954, a second Balkan treaty was concluded between Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey, which provided for the army.

cooperation in case of aggression. But soon this alliance was interrupted by the Cyprus problem. In the nineties. The head of Yugoslavia became a source of tension in the Balkans. In 1991 Macedonia, Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence.

Croatia had to defend its statehood in the war with Serbia, in which both sides demonstrated a century. cruelty. The three-year armed conflict in Bosnia ended with the participation of the UN through the signing of the so-called Dayton Accords and the creation of the independent state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Serbia and Montenegro remained part of Yugoslavia. In 1999, he mediated the ethnic conflict in Kosovo, which is an integral part of Serbia. Indeed, Serbia has effectively lost control of Kosovo.

Since 1996, economic measures have been taken, UN sanctions against Yugoslavia.

and to this day)

Balkans or Balkan Peninsula— It is a peninsula located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Balkan Peninsula is surrounded by the Adriatic, Black and Mediterranean Seas.

Most of the peninsula is hills and mountains, but they are fertile plains.

Winters in the north are sometimes very cold, while summers can be very hot and dry.

The Balkan Peninsula narrows to the south and breaks into shrouded caps and island chains.

Balkan countries

Here is Greece, land of dark rocks, blue sea, whitewashed houses, ancient ruins and medieval churches. Cities like Athens are full of reminders of the ancient Greek civilization that greatly influenced the development of the whole world. Every year tourists come from all over the world. Farmers in the Balkans grow corn, sunflowers, melons, grapes, fruits, olives and tobacco. Greece has been a member of the European Union since 1981.

Living nationality of the Balkan Peninsula: Slavs (Slovaks, Slovenes, Croats, Serbs), Gypsies, Hungarians (Hungarians), Romanians, Bulgarians, Turks, Albanians and Greeks.

Balkan countries

On the Balkan Peninsula, the states are partially or completely located:

• Albania
• Bulgaria
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Greece
• Italy
• Kosovo
• Macedonia
• Romania
• Serbia
• Slovenia
• turkey
• Croatia
• Montenegro

Conflicts in Yugoslavia

In 1990-1991, the former Yugoslavia invaded five countries - Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia and Macedonia. New borders emerged in 1990 in a bloody war, and Albania and Romania also suffered political unrest.

Where is it and how to get there

address: Europe, Balkan Peninsula

Balkan Peninsula or Balkans on the map

GPS coordinates: 41.859106, 21.083043

The Balkan Peninsula is located in the southeastern part of Europe.

Countries of the Balkan Peninsula

From the southwest, south and east, it is found in the Mediterranean Sea, Adriatic Sea, Ionian Sea, Marmara, Aegean Sea and Black Sea.

The northern borders of the peninsula are considered a nominal line to the Danube, Sava and Kolpa rivers, and the latter - from the source to the Kvarner Bay (see Fig.

Map of the Balkan Peninsula

There are 12 countries in whole or in part on the territory of the Balkan Peninsula:

• Albania 100%
• Bulgaria 100%
• Bosnia and Herzegovina 100%
• Greece 100%
• Kosovo 100%
• Macedonia 100%
• Montenegro 100%
• Serbia 73%
• Croatia 49%
• Slovenia 27%
• Romania 9%
• Turkey 5%

All countries, with the exception of the Republic of Kosovo, are members of the United Nations.

The Republic of Kosovo has the status (in the UN) of partially recognized countries.

My friend:

Pattern: Peninsula

Balkan Peninsula(Slovene.Balkanski polotok, Croatian.Balkanski poluotok, Bosn.Balkansko poluostrvo, Template:Lang2, rum.Peninsula Balcanică, Template:Lang2, Alb.Gadishulli Ballkanik, Greek.Βαλκανική χερσόνησος, Tur.Balkanı.madası . Paeninsula Balcanica) is located in southeastern Europe. The area is about 505 thousand km².

Where is the Balkan Peninsula located? What countries are called the Balkans?

It is washed by the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Ionian, Marmara, Cretan, Aegean and Black Seas from the southwest, south and southeast. The coasts of the peninsula are strongly dissected. The relief is predominantly mountainous (Stara Planina, Rhodopes, Dinaric Highlands, Pindus).

The northern border of the peninsula is considered to be a conditional line drawn along the Danube, Sava and Kupa rivers, and from the source of the latter to the Kvarner Bay.

On the Balkan Peninsula, partially or completely located.