Where is balkan peninsula located

At least the northern one. Most geographers agree that the border runs from the Black Sea along the river Danube to Belgrade in Serbia and from there along the river Sava to Slovenia. That is where things get tricky. Some agree that the border runs from Sava along the Kolpa River , which represent the natural border between Slovenia and Croatia ; meaning Slovenia is geographically completely cut off from the peninsula.

Other borders are not disputed and run along the coastline of the Adriatic to the west , Black to the east , Aegean and Ionian Sea to the south. Keep reading. Map source: www. This little nation on the border with Italy and Austria has been historically more connected to Central Europe since it was long part of the Habsburg Empire. However since the break-up in , Slovenia quickly re-reconnected with the West and became the first former Yugoslav state to enter the EU.

As you can read above, Slovenia might not even be part of the Balkan peninsula in geographical terms, at least not entirely. However, no one can deny its historical and cultural ties to this area.

Despite being one of the smallest countries in the world, Slovenia is incredibly diverse , as is lies right on a crossroads of four geographical terrains.

Like Slovenia, Croatia too has been trying to make it on its own since the collapse of the Yugoslavia in And — not surprisingly — is doing pretty well at it. That is quite an achievement for a nation of only four million people. In the past, Croatia hosted mostly summer holidaymakers from Central and Eastern Europe, but in recent years it became a prime tourist destination offering high-end services for more demanding visitors from all over the world.

It is no secret that Hollywood stars and first-class football players like to spend their summer vacation in Dubrovnik or Hvar.

But Croatia is more than just its islands and beaches. It has numerous charming historic towns and great nature protected by no less than eight national parks.

Bosnia and Herzegovina might be the vey first of the Balkan countries you think about. Unfortunately, even to this day its name still brings negative connotation to the foreground, as the country was the epicenter of the gory Yugoslav Wars which led to the break-up of Yugoslavia. One of the reasons for the terrible outcome lies in the incredible ethical diversity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its three main national and religious minorities lived in peace with one another since the establishment of the common country, but things got messy after the rise of nationalism.

Bosnia should definitely be on your travel wish-list if you are looking for authentic experiences. Just like Slovenia, Montenegro too is recognized for being small, but at the same time incredible diverse. Most people appreciate Montenegro for its Adriatic coast with spectacular beaches of white pebbles and azure waters, elegant Venetian towns of Kotor and Perast , extravagant places such is the ex-fishing-village-island-turned-into-a-luxurious-hotel at Sveti Stefan and of course the tourist mega-center of Budva.

But there is also another part of this Balkan country — the rugged mountains that scratch from the coast inland and provide amazing landscape full of hiking opportunities , crystal-clear lakes, divine rivers and incredible historical sites such are the Ostrog Monastery or the mausoleum of king Petar.

Those of you deciding to visit Montenegro , will quickly find out there is something for everyone in this tiny Balkan country just waiting to be discovered. Hurry up, before the secret gets out! The population of Athens, the capital city of the country, is 11,, by The Balkans name is taken from the mountain ranges Balkan Mountains extending from northwest to east about kilometers dividing Bulgaria into two. The Balkan Ranges are km long and are headed east and west on the northern edge of the Balkan Peninsula towards the planes of the Danube river.

The mountainous mountain constitutes the natural northern boundary of Thrace. With a rounded mountainous view, this mountain descends steeply to the south and has many passages.

There are many valleys, and the most magnificent of these valleys is the Iskar valley. The Western Balkans, rising to 2, meters in the West, form the natural border between Serbia and Bulgaria. It is known that people have lived in the region since BC. During the second century BC, until the Roman Empire was ruled by the Balkans, various tribes from outside came to dominate the local people and set up various parts of the region. Between BC, the Akhaids and then the Dorians in forced the Thracians to migrate to the east, the Illyrians to westward, and settled on the seashores in the south of the peninsula.

At the same time, nomadic Scythians began to settle on the banks of the Danube, and Epir, Macedonia and Thracian kingdoms were established in the north. In the 4th century BC the Celts declared their activities in the region and when Alexander the Great died in BC, they plundered many important settlements. In the 2nd century AD, the Germans and Goths destroyed the region and destroyed it. When the Roman Empire was divided in , the region remained under Byzantine rule.

In the first half of the 5th century AD, the area was again attacked by the Goths. Meanwhile, the Huns seized the northern part of the peninsula. The Lombardians, who settled in the same sect in the 6th century, were forced to migrate to Italy at the end of the intensive and effective Avar raids in The Avar were dominant until the second half of the 8th century. The Ottomans first stepped into the Balkans in After the passing of Suleiman the Magnificent to Rumeli in , the Ottoman conquests, which lasted for years uninterrupted until , began.

The Ottomans captured Edirne in and Plovdiv in Lajos, suffered a heavy defeat in the War of Serbian War in Visa and Kirklareli joined the Ottoman lands in At the same year, Edirne became the capital. In , the Ottomans started the conquest of Macedonia.

Niche in and a large part of Sofia and Bulgaria in were included in the Ottoman borders. In , the Bulgarian Kingdom was abolished by defeating Tirnova. Due to the rapid progress of the Ottomans through the Balkans towards Europe, the Hungarian King Sigismund, who had feared, created a Crusader Army against the Turks by asking for help from the Pope and other European countries. The Turks have progressed in Greece and Albania. In Thessaloniki joined the Ottoman lands.

In , George Castriot, with some Albanian commanders, went through resistance in the country against the Ottomans. Meanwhile, the Hungarian Commander achieved some small successes in Nis. The European states, believing that the Turks had fallen into a weak state, came back to the Ottomans with an army under the command of Hungarian King Ladislas I.

In , the Turkish Army broke down the Crusaders in Varna. In the 10 th century, the first Serbian kingdom was established. By the mid th century, the Ottoman Turks began their expansion into the Balkans. By the end of the 15 th century, nearly the entire Balkan Peninsula was controlled by the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman control of most of the Balkans would remain until the 19 th century, when the peoples of the Balkans began to rebel against their Turkish rulers. By the end of the 19 th century, the Greeks, Serbs, Romanians, and Montenegrins had all regained their independence.

Bulgaria regained its independence in For the most part, they succeeded, and by the eve of World War I, the Ottoman Turks were driven out of the entire Balkan Peninsula, except for the small area that is still part of Turkey today. But after the war, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was dissolved, and the Slovenes, Croats, and Bosnians were freed from its control. Shortly thereafter, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was created.

It would later change its name to Yugoslavia. Communist rule ended in the Balkans in the late s and early s. The early s was also when the violent breakup of Yugoslavia began. Slovenia and Croatia were the first to break away, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina. A peace deal in finally put an end to the Bosnian conflict. Four years later, the ethnic Albanian majority in the Serbian province of Kosovo rebelled against the Yugoslav government.

In , Montenegro voted in favor of independence, thus bringing an end to the country known as Yugoslavia. Some are also members of NATO.