Facts
Official name: Kosova Local long form: Kosova
Area: 10,887 sq km
Capital: Pristina
Independence Day: February 17th, 2008
Population: 2.2 million
Suffrage: 18 years old
Ethnicity: Albanian 92%, Serb 5.3%, other 2.7%
Languages: Albanian, Serbian, English
Religions: Muslim, Serbian Orthodox
Geography
Location: Southeastern Europe
Geographic co-ordinates: 42° 40' 0" N21° 10' 0" E (Pristina)
Area:
land: 10,887 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area comparative: one third the size of Belgium
Land boundaries:
total: 2,044km
border countries: Albania , Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia
Coastline: 0km
Maritime claims: NA
Climate: Continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid summers)
Terrain: Mountainous
Elevation extremes: 2,600m above sea level
lowest point: NA
highest point: Daravica
Natural resources: coal, lead, zinc, lignite, bauxite, nickel.
Political System
Constitution
Kosovo's new constitution was ratified on April 9th, 2008 and went into effect on June 15th of the same year. It defines Kosovo as a multethnic society based on rule of law; stipulates separation of powers, upholds the new state's territorial integrity, defines Albanian and Serbian as the official languages, provides for participation in international organizations, and rules out any union with another state.
Executive
The president of Kosovo is elected by the Kosovo Assembly. The prime minister is nominated by the president and elected by the assembly. The cabinet consists of 16 ministries: Education, Science and Technology; Justice; Energy and Mining; Finance and Economy; Environment and spatial Planning; Local Government Adminitration; Internal Affiars; Foreign Affairs; Labour and Social Welfare; Commerce and Returns; Health; Public Service; Culture, Youth and Sports; Transport and Telecommunications; Agriculture, Forest and Rural Development; and Trade and Industry.
President of Kosovo:
Kosovo Prime Minister: Hashim Thaci
International administration
Kosovo declared independence on February 17th, 2008 and its sovereignty has been recognized by a number of countries, including the United States and some EU members. Serbia, Russia and other countries dispute the legitimacy of its declaration and continue to regard it as a province of Serbia.
UN Resolution 1244 placed Kosovo under the civilian control of theUnited Nations Administrative Mission in Kosovo, sel. A NATO-led international peace-keeping force,KFOR, is responsible for security in the province. On February 18th, the EU approved a mission to Kosovo that will assist with police and judicial functions as well as institution building. In August 2008, following the adoption of the Kosovo constitution, the UN mission underwent a reconfiguration, with up to 70% of its staff cut and many of its competencies tranferred to the Kosovo government or the EU mission, known as EULEX.
Kosovo government portal: http://www.ks-gov.net/
Legislative
The Kosovo Assembly is a unicameral legislative 120-seat body. It includes twenty reserved seats: ten for Kosovo Serbs and ten for non-Serb minorities (Bosniaks, Roma, etc.). The Kosovo Assembly is responsible for electing a President and Prime Minister of Kosovo
