Balkan Countries

Chapter 7 Section 3

Romania (1)

• Northeast edge of the Balkan Peninsula.• Winter are cold, snowy and foggy.• Summers are hot with a lot of rain.• The forested mountains and central plateau

contains deposits of coal, petroleum and natural gas.

The Economy

• Economy: Farming, manufacturing and mining.• Romania’s economy has been held back by the

communist policies of the past.• Aging factories need to be updated, for the

economy to grow.

Romanians

• History and culture were greatly influenced by the Romans.

• The language is closer to French, Italian and Spanish-all based on Latin-than it is to other eastern European languages.

Bulgaria

• Mountainous with fertile valleys.• The coast lies along the Black Sea.• Economy: Relies on Agriculture and

manufacturing.• Farmers grow wheat, corn, sugar, and beets.• Tourism is growing as visitors visit the scenic

Black Sea area.

Bulgaria’s Daily Life

• Most use the Cyrillic alphabet, created for the Slavic languages.

• Most are Eastern Orthodox Christians• About 13% are Muslims

Former Yugoslav Republics (1)

• Slovenia• Croatia• Bosnia• Herzegovina• Serbia• Montenegro• Macedonia

Former Yugoslav Republics (2)

• Wars erupted throughout the 1990s.• Tens of thousands died or were murdered.• Thousands became refugees.• Some of these countries practiced ethnic

cleansing.

Refugees

• People who flee to another country to escape danger.

Ethnic Cleansing.

• The policy of forcing people, of other ethnic groups, to leave their homes and move to another country.

Slovenia

• Rugged mountains and fertile, densely populated, valleys.

• Peaceful and prosperous• High Standard of Living• Most are Roman Catholic

Croatia

• Coast along the Adriatic Sea• Agriculture and Industry• War destroyed tourism industry• Latin alphabet• Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox

Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Very Mountainous• Poor• Sarajevo, the capitol, has look of an Asian city,

with such features as a market place and mosques( Muslim house of worship).

• The Dayton Peace Accords divide Bosnia into 2 regions

Serbia and Montenegro

• Agriculture and Industry• Regions largest city is Belgrade• Montenegrins practice Orthodox faith• Serbs practices the Muslim Faith.

Macedonia

• Mix of different ethnic groups

Albania

• Slightly smaller than the state of Maryland• Mountainous• Very poor nation• Farming: corn, grapes, olives, beets and

wheat.• 70% are Muslim