17th February: Kosovo Independence Day

Kosovo Independence Day. Kosovo is one of the world's newest countries, having declared independence from Serbia on February 17 2008.

1. The capital and largest city is Pristina.
2. Another of Kosovo's cities is Prizren. There is a legend which states that anyone who drinks from the water fountain there is guaranteed to return to the city.
3. The name Kosovo, roughly translated means "Field of Blackbirds".
4. Kosovo is landlocked, and is about the size of the US state of Connecticut.
5. There was an international competition to design the country's flag. The United Nations-backed Kosovo Unity Team organised the contest, and almost one thousand people entered. The winner was Muhamer Ibrahimi - a modified version of his design is in use today.
6. The flag consists of the outline of Kosovo in gold on a blue background, with six white stars in an arc above it. The stars represent the major ethnic groups of Kosovo: Albanians, Serbs, Turks, Gorani, Roma, and Bosniaks.
7. 50% of the 1,859,203 population live below the poverty line, making it one of the world's poorest countries. The conflicts in the 1990s and international sanctions seriously damaged the economy.
8. There are reserves of Lead, Zinc, Copper, Silver, Gold, brown coal, bauxite, lignite and nickel. Mining is a major industry, along with agriculture. Kosovo produces both red and white Wine which is exported to Germany and the USA.
9. Kosovo is a mountainous country and the highest peak is Đeravica (2,656 m or 8,714 ft).
10. Although it is not a member of The EU, Kosovo's currency is the Euro.