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Balkans: Quick Facts

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News •

North Macedonia leader snaps over Bulgaria's demands • Nov. 3, 2026, 7:26 AM ET (Euronews)
In the Balkans, another strongman is stirring fears of conflict again • Oct. 31, 2026, 5:00 AM ET (Globe and Mail)
Serbia's political veteran Vucic outplayed all opponents. Then came the students • Oct. 26, 2026, 10:32 AM ET (AP)

Photos and Videos

Map of Balkan states, with dark purple for countries usually included: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia, Romania, and Bulgaria. Light purple marks countries sometimes included: Moldova, Greece, and Turkey.
View of Dubrovnik, Croatia, showing the walled old town with orange-tiled roofs on a promontory, surrounded by the blue waters of the Adriatic Sea and small boats in the harbor.
Shipka Pass
Sava River
Map showing the gradual dissolution of the Ottoman Empire from 1807 to 1924, with shaded regions indicating the empire's boundaries in 1807 and successive territorial losses through 1924. The map covers southeastern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, labeling modern countries and major cities, and highlights the shrinking territory that became Turkey by 1924.
Skanderbeg
Alexander I
Balkan Wars
Franz Ferdinand, archduke of Austria-Este, and his wife Sophie ride in an open carriage in Sarajevo, both dressed formally, with a man standing beside the carriage.
Nicolae Ceausescu, wearing a light gray suit and striped tie, sits outdoors near a garden with red flowers at his villa near Bucharest, Romania.
Witness the juxtaposition of archaic and modern lifestyle practices in the Balkan countries
Explore the Balkans' natural resources and agriculture, mountainous interior, and rich cultural diversity
Explore Eastern Orthodox monasteries run by isolated monks in the Balkans' mountainous interior
Learn how war and political instability have wracked the Balkans from World War I to the fall of communism
Tour the Adriatic Coast's tourist paradise in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and learn about its subtropical vegetation
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