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The landscape of Mediterranean southeast europe is composed
of rugged mountains, rocky coasts, and isolated valleys. The region has
experienced many centuries of conflict and invasions from both europe
and asia. croatia, Bosnia and herzegovenia, and albania were once part
of the Turkish Ottoman empire. slovenia was annexed
by the habsburg and austria-hungarian
empires, and the cultural influences of these
two dynasties remains. after World War II,
most of southeast europe became
part of the communist bloc. In 1990,
slovenia elected a noncommunist
government, which led to civil
strife and the final breakup of the
Yugoslavian Federation. slovenia
joined the european Union in
2004 and croatia became
a member in 2013.dUBrOvnIk
The most picturesque city on the
adriatic coast, dubrovnik has
a history that dates back 1,000
years. With its steep and
twisting narrow streets,
ancient city walls, and
historic fortifications,
dubrovnik was once one
of croatia’s main tourist
attractions. In 1991, this
beautiful city came under
fire as a result of croatia’s
independence struggle. The
tourist industry has now recovered
from the effects of civil war.sarajevO
The capital of Bosnia and herzegovina, which
straddles the Miljacka river, has a strongly
Muslim character, with mosques, wooden
houses, and an ancient Turkish marketplace.
In 1992, when Bosnia declared independence
from Yugoslavia, sarajevo became the focus of
a civil war. Thousands of Muslims were driven
from the countryside by the fighting and fled
to sarajevo. The city suffered terrible damage
in 1993, when it was surrounded by serb
forces and bombarded.slOvenIan dancers
slovenia shares a long history with its
northern neighbor, austria. culturally,
slovenia has more in common with its
alpine neighbors, switzerland and austria,
than the countries to the south. cultural
traditions are kept alive through music and dance.
national costumes are distinctly alpine.Slovenian dancers wear
leather pants and
dirndl skirts.SoutheaSt europe
slOvenIan TOUrIsM
slovenia is an increasingly popular
tourist destination, especially for
people from the German-speaking
countries. More than 3.4 million
tourists visit each year to see the
adriatic coastal resorts, historic spa
towns, and the mountains, where they
can enjoy skiing, hiking, boating, and
fishing. lake Bled (above), at the foot
of the julian alps is a popular resort,
famous for bathing in the summer
and as a winter sports center.Mediterranean 488- Southeast Europe,
is largely mountainous. ranges
including the dinaric alps run
from the north to the south,
parallel to the western coast.
The western shores of the region
are washed by the adriatic sea,
an arm of the Mediterranean sea.zaGreB
The croatian capital is a major commercial
center. vegetables and fruits produced by
local farmers are sold in markets in the
town’s squares. Much of the city dates to
the 19th century, although there are some
medieval buildings dating from the
13th century. zagreb is croatia’s main
industrial center, specializing in
manufacturing, textiles, and chemicals.mediterranean
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