Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia was a former federated nation from 1929 to 2003 in Europe.
It is situated on the Balkan Peninsula and the southeastern part of the continent.
The name means “land of the South Slavs.”
Most of its people were Slavs who spoke Slavic languages.
Its capital was Belgrade, which is now the capital of Serbia.
It shared borders with Italy, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Albania.

Interesting Facts About Yugoslavia

It was the only socialist state to have open borders.
- It also allowed people to move freely around the country.
It had the fourth largest army in Europe.
At one point in time, Its passport was the most powerful passport in the world.
It was the only country in Eastern Europe that refused Soviet influence.

In the 1800s, the Balkan region was ruled by the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary.
Those two empires were defeated in World War I (1914–18).
After the war, several Balkan lands formed a new country.
It was called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes.
In 1929, The kingdom changed its name to Yugoslavia.
It was created when several former kingdoms and territories joined together.
They became the six republics of the country.
Each republic had its own mixture of ethnic groups and religions.
Tensions sometimes flared up between the different groups.
It was ruled under the presidency of Josip Broz Tito until his death in 1980.
- He was also known as a partisan leader.
By the early 21st century, all the republics broke apart to become independent countries.
These countries are:
- Bosnia and Herzegovina,
- Croatia,
- Kosovo,
- Macedonia,
- Montenegro,
- Serbia, and
- Slovenia.