Balkan Vital Graphics

14

BALKAN VITAL GRAPHICS

BACKGROUND

MINING

WATER

NATURE

15

Population density

Pécs

Subotica

ZAGREB

Timisoara

Vojvodina

CROATIA

Sisak

Osijek

Novi Sad

Zrenjanin

ROMANIA

Republic of Srpska

BELGRADE

Bihac

Brcko

Banja Luka

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Zadar

SERBIA

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina SARAJEVO

Sibenik

BULGARIA

Kraljevo

Split

Nis

Mostar

Fighting may have ended but migration continues. De- spite increasingly strict EU policies on immigration, the “western dream” still exerts a powerful force of attrac- tion on the people of the Balkans. This is particularly noticeable in Kosovo where half the population is un- der 20 and unemployment affects 60 per cent of peo- ple of working age. The brain drain, primarily among young graduates, is compromising the future of coun- tries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania. In recent years there has been an increase in the number of migrants being forcibly repatriated, under readmis- sion agreements signed by all the west Balkan coun- tries with the EU. In the meantime, the rural exodus is continuing all over the region, particularly in Albania where people are deserting mountain areas and the population of Tirana has risen from 200 000 at the end of the com- munist era to almost a million. The newcomers cram into the city outskirts lacking any proper infrastructure. A similar pattern may be seen in Belgrade, Sarajevo and Skopje.

MONTENEGRO

SOFIA

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Pristina

Niksic

Pec

A D R

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PODGORICA

Kosovo

I A T

I C

Shkodër

S E A

SKOPJE

ITALY

MACEDONIA

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Durrës

International boundary Autonomous boundary Inter-entity boundary line

TIRANA

Ohrid

Bitola

Elbasan

Thessaloniki

Fier

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ALBANIA

GREECE

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The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. Map by UNEP/DEWA/GRID-Europe. Sources: ORNL Landscan 2002; ESRI Data & Maps 2003; UN Cartographic Section.

Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area Projection

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30

60

90

120

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Kilometres