News Excerpt:

Kosovo's government began its first nationwide census since 2011, which will include, for the first time, surveying the ethnic Serb minority in the north.

About Kosovo (Name meaning field of blackbirds)

• Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, after years of strained relations between its Serb and mainly Albanian inhabitants.
• Until 2008 the province was administered by the UN. Reconciliation between the majority Albanians, most of whom support independence, and the Serb minority remains elusive.
• A landlocked country, Kosovo is bordered by Serbia to the north and east, North Macedonia to the south, Albania to the west, and Montenegro to the northwest. Kosovo, about the same size as Jamaica or Lebanon, is the smallest country in the Balkans.

• Republic of Kosovo: Facts

• Capital: Pristina
• Area: 10,887 sq km
• Major languages: Albanian, Serbian
• Population: 1.8 million
• Life expectancy: 68 years (men) 73 years (women)