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