Until 2008, Kosovo was a part of Serbia. On 17 February 2008, Kosovo declared independence and said it was now a separate country. Since then, 104 UN member countries have recognised Kosovo as an independent state. Kosovo, tucked in Southeastern Europe and sandwiched between Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, and North Macedonia, is one of the partially recognized states in Europe. Serbia reacquired Kosovo during the First Balkan War of 1912–13, ending Ottoman rule, and the territory was subsequently partitioned between Serbia and Montenegro. After World War I, Kosovo was incorporated into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, later renamed Yugoslavia. Tags Bilateral Relations and Engagement Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Geopolitical and Regional Policy Kosovo Kosovo - Autonomy, Ethnicity, Politics: In 1971 amendments to the Yugoslav constitution granted Serbia’s two autonomous provinces, Kosovo and Vojvodina, nearly equal status with the six republics of Yugoslavia. Prepare for your trip to Kosovo by reviewing the State Department Travel Advisory, entry and exit requirements, local laws, and U.S. embassy tips. In the early 20th century Kosovo was incorporated into Serbia (later part of Yugoslavia). By the second half of the century, the largely Muslim ethnic Albanians outnumbered the predominantly Eastern Orthodox Serbs in Kosovo, and interethnic tensions frequently roiled the province. Kosovo, [e] officially the Republic of Kosovo, [f] is a landlocked country in Southeastern Europe with partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the north and east, and North Macedonia to the southeast. On 17 February 2008, representatives of the people of Kosovo [1] unilaterally declared Kosovo's independence and subsequently adopted the Constitution of Republic of Kosovo, which came into effect on 15 June 2008. El Imperio otomano conquistó Kosovo después de la Segunda Batalla de Kosovo, y gobernó durante casi cinco siglos hasta 1912. Kosovo fue el centro del Renacimiento albanés y experimentó las revueltas albanesas de 1910 y 1912. Después de las Guerras de los Balcanes, fue cedido a Serbia y Montenegro.