What Countries Made up the Former Yugoslavia?
Seven countries make up former Yugoslavian republics, including Bosnia and Herzegovnia, Montenegro, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia, and Kosovo. Most of these republics became independent nations after ethnic cleansing and civil war swept through the former Yugoslavia during the early 1990s. The Dayton Accords in 1995 settled the conflict, and six independent countries emerged. Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008.
Bosnia and Herzegovnia is slightly smaller than West Virginia with a population of more than 4.5 million. The country is overwhelmingly Bosniak, with minority Serbs and Croats. Croatia is slightly smaller than Bosnia and Herzegovina in both size and population. Croatia expunged most of the Serbs living in the country during its ethnic cleansing.
Macedonia is slightly larger than Vermont, with two-thirds of the population ethnic Macedonians and one-quarter ethnic Albanians. Montenegro, like Macedonia, borders Albania to the south. Montenegro is about the size of Connecticut with a population of more than 660,000. Montenegro joined the United Nations in 2006.
Serbia is slightly smaller than South Carolina. The country endured the dictatorship of Slobodan Milosevic, a time period in the early 1990s marked by brutal crackdowns on insurgencies. Slovenia is slightly smaller than New Jersey and has more than 2 million people. Slovenia has been politically stable since the breakup of Yugoslavia.
Kosovo is the newest country to be recognized after the split of Yugoslavia. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as a country since Serbia lost 15 percent of its land mass when Kosovo declared its independence.
