POV: date=December 2008

Kosovo ( ; ) is a disputed region in the Balkans. Its majority is governed by the partially-recognised Republic of Kosovo ( ). Serbia does not recognise the secession of Kosovo and considers it a United Nations-governed entity within its sovereign territory, the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija ( ), according to the Constitution of Serbia (2006).

Kosovo is landlocked and is bordered by Central Serbia to the north and east, the Republic of Macedonia to the south, Albania to the west, and Montenegro to the northwest. The largest city and the capital of Kosovo is Pristina (alternatively spelled Prishtina or Priština), while other cities include Peć (Peja), Prizren, Đakovica (Gjakova) and Kosovska Mitrovica (Mitrovica).

Kosovo was a part of the lands of Thraco-Illyrian tribes, then of the Roman, Byzantine, Bulgarian, Serbian, and Ottoman empires. In the 20th century it shared between Kingdom of Montenegro and Kingdom of Serbia, and their successor state, Kingdom of Yugoslavia. After the Kosovo War and 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia the territory came under the interim administration of the United Nations (UNMIK). In February 2008, the Assembly of Kosovo declared Kosovo's independence as the Republic of Kosovo. As of 20 April 2009, its independence is recognised and the Republic of China (Taiwan). On the other hand, the proclamation of independence is not recognised by the majority of UN countries who view Kosovo as a UN administrated province of Republic of Serbia. On October 8, 2008, upon request of the Republic of Serbia, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution asking the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on the issue of Kosovo's declaration of independence. Kosovo's two major ethnic groups, Albanians and Serbs have historically held and continue to hold strong hostility toward each other over the two groups' territory claims on Kosovo.