Ethnic Groups in the Former Yugoslavia
Many ethnic and religious groups lived within Yugoslavia, which was
a federation of six republics. The map shows how the ethnic groups
were distributed. Some of those groups held ancient grudges against
one another. The chart summarizes some of the cultural differences
among the groups.
Struggles for Democracy 1057
42 °N
46 °N
16
°E
20
°E
A
d
ri
at
ic
Se
a
Belgrade
Podgorica
Sarajevo
Zagreb
Ljubljana
Skopje
ROMANIA
HUNGARY
AUSTRIA
ALBANIA
ITALY
GREECE
BULGARIA
MACEDONIA
MONTENEGRO
SERBIA
BOSNIA
AND
HERZEGOVINA
CROATIA
SLOVENIA
Kosovo
Vojvodina
Albanian
Croat
Hungarian
Macedonian
Montenegrin
Muslim
Serb
Slovene
No majority present
Former Yugoslavia
Borders of 1992
Republic boundaries
Provincial boundaries
0
0
100 Miles
200 Kilometers
Ethnic Groups in the
Former Yugoslavia, 1992
Differences Among the Ethnic Groups
Group
Albanians
Croats
Hungarians
Macedonians
Montenegrins
Muslims
Serbs
Slovenes
Language
(slavic unless noted)
Albanian (not Slavic)
dialect of Serbo-Croatian*
Magyar (not Slavic)
Macedonian
dialect of Serbo-Croatian*
dialect of Serbo-Croatian*
dialect of Serbo-Croatian*
Slovenian
Religion
mostly Muslim
mostly Roman Catholic
many types of Christians
mostly Eastern Orthodox
mostly Eastern Orthodox
Muslim (converted
under Ottoman rule)
mostly Eastern Orthodox
mostly Roman Catholic
- Since Yugoslavia broke apart, many residents of the former republics have started to
refer to their dialects as separate languages: Croatian for Croats, Bosnian for
Muslims, Serbian for Serbs and Montenegrins.
SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting Visuals
1.Analyzing IssuesUse the chart to find out
information about the various groups that lived
in Bosnia and Herzegovina (as shown on the
map). What were some of the differences among
those groups?
2.ContrastingKosovo was a province within
Serbia. What group was in the majority there,
and how did it differ from Serbs?