|
( Balkan)
The Balkans is the historical name of a geographic region of southeastern Europe. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains, which run through the centre of Bulgaria into eastern Serbia. The region has a combined area of 550,000&_160;km2 (212,000&_160;sq&_160;mi) and a population of about 55 million people. The ancient Greek name for the Balkan Peninsula was the "Peninsula of Haemus” (?e?s???s?? t?? ??µ??, Chersónesos tou Haímou). The Balkans are adjoined by water on three sides the Black Sea to the east and branches of the Mediterranean Sea to the south and west (including the Adriatic, Ionian, Aegean, and Marmara seas). The identity of the Balkans is dominated by its geographical position; historically the area was known as a crossroads of various cultures. It has been a juncture between the Latin and Greek bodies of the Roman Empire, the destination of a massive influx of pagan Slavs, an area where Orthodox and Catholic Christianity met, as well as the meeting point between Islam and Christianity.
|
Balkan Subcategories
Balkan Articles
|
| 
