Balkans

Balkans in Summary

The Balkans , also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographic area in southeastern Europe. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the whole of Bulgaria from the Serbian–Bulgarian border to the Black Sea coast. The Balkan Peninsula is bordered by the Adriatic Sea in the northwest, the Ionian Sea in the southwest, the Aegean Sea in the south, the Turkish Straits in the east, and the Black Sea in the northeast. The term has acquired a stigmatized and pejorative meaning related to the process of Balkanization, and hence the preferred alternative term used for the region is Southeast Europe.

Entirely within the Balkan Peninsula: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia.

Mostly or partially within the Balkan Peninsula: Croatia, Greece, Italy, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey.