Albanians in Southern Serbia

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There is an Albanian minority living in Central Serbia. They mainly live in the municipalities of Preševo (Albanian: Preshevë), and Bujanovac (Albanian: Bujanoc), as well as in the part of the municipality of Medveđa (Albanian: Medvegjë).

1 Geography
2 History
3 Culture
4 Prominent individuals
5 See also

[edit] Geography

In the municipalities of Preševo and Bujanovac Albanians form the majority of population (89.85% in Preševo and 60.09% in Bujanovac according to the 1991 census). In the municipality of Medveđa, Albanians are second largest ethnic group (after Serbs), and their participation in this municipality was 28.67% in 1991 and 26.17% in 2002.

Some Albanians still referr to the region of those three municipalities as Eastern Kosovo (in Albanian: Kosova Lindore). But the region of Bujanovac and Preševo is widely known as the Preševo Valley (Albanian: Lugina e Preshevës, Serbian: Preševska Dolina).

[edit] History

In 1992, the Albananians of the area organized a referendum in which they voted that Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac should join Kosovo. Between 1999 and 2001, an ethnic Albanian guerilla organization, the "Liberation Army of Preševo In Albanian UÇK(Ushtria Çlirimtare e Kosovës) , Medveđa and Bujanovac ", was operational in this region with a goal to secede these three municipalities from Yugoslavia and join them to Kosovo. The activities attracted less international media interest than the related events of Kosovo and Macedonia.

[edit] Culture

Education in Albanian is provided for primary and secondary schools. There may be some university-level courses provided in Albanian, in the capital of Serbia, Belgrade, but students mainly do their university degree in University of Prishtina, Kosovo, in Macedonia, or in Albania's Universities. .

Culture-wise Albanians living in this region are closely related to Albanians in Kosovo. Interestengly, their language dialect is Tosk and not Gheg as of Albanians in Kosovo.

The main religion of Albanians in this region is Islam.