Transcript The Balkan Countries / 1

World History
Notes
The Balkan Countries / 1
Europe’s Balkan Peninsula lies between
the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea.
The Balkan Region include the countries
of Romania, Bulgaria, the former
Yugoslav Republics, and Albania.
World History
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The Balkan Countries / 2
Romania sits on the northeastern edge of
the Balkan Peninsula. The Carpathian
Mountains take up about one-third of
the country’s land area. A vast plateau
covers central Romania.
World History
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The Balkan Countries / 3
Romania’s economic activities include
farming, manufacturing, and mining.
The forested mountains and central
plateau contain deposits of coal,
petroleum, and natural gas.
World History
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About 56 percent of Romania’s 21.6
million people live in towns and cities.
Bucharest, the capital and largest city,
has more than 2 million people.
Many Romanians are Eastern Orthodox
Christians.
World History
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Bulgaria is located south of Romania
with a population of 7.5 million.
Their economy lies on both agriculture
and manufacturing. Roses are grown
in their fertile central valley for use in
perfume manufacturing.
World History
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The city of Sofia, with over 1 million
people, is the capital and largest in
Bulgaria. Bulgarians join vacationers
from other countries at resorts on the
Black Sea coast.
World History
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The former Yugoslav republics used to
be one large country called
Yugoslavia. By the 1990s, five
countries eventually emerged called
Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, and
Montenegro.
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Slovenia is the most peaceful and
prosperous of the old Yugoslavia. It
has the region’s highest standard of
living. About 52 percent of the 2
million people live in towns and cities.
Most are Roman Catholic.
World History
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If you ask the people in the Balkans how
they feel about the recent changes in
their countries. The answers will vary,
but should suggest that people’s
feelings will depend on the situation in
their particular country.