Official Name: Republic of Kosovo (English), Republika e Kosovës (Albanian),
Republika Kosovo (Serbian)
News Categories: Recognition, Partially Recognized States, Breakaway States
Full Story: See Kosovo Diplomatic Recognition Continues
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| Countries recognizing the Republic of Kosovo in green, with arrows marking the two most recent: São Tomé and Príncipe (left) and Brunei (right). Kosovo in magenta. Modified from public domain wiki map (source). |
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| Kosovo, claimed as a province of Serbia, is policed by U.N. and E.U. peacekeepers. The Republic of Kosovo also governs the region, except for the Serbian-loyalist north. Map is my own work, based on these two blank maps by Nord-NordWest. License: CC BY-SA |
Kosovo Recognition Update
Since our last report on the disputed Republic of Kosovo, news has broken on two more U.N. member countries recognizing Kosovan independence. The first, the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, recognized the self-declared European republic on March 13 (before our last article, but the news didn't trickle out in time to include it). São Tomé and Príncipe is a tiny, Portuguese-speaking island country located off the western coast of Africa. The second recognition came just one week ago, on April 25, from the state of Brunei Darussalam ("Brunei" for short), a small kingdom located on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Kosovo is now recognized by 90 U.N. member countries (46% of the total 193), as well as non-member Taiwan. The Republic of Kosovo has not been admitted as a member of the U.N.
Stay Updated: Check for more recent posts by viewing all Kosovo articles on Political Geography Now.
Sources:
2012-3-13. Resolution from the government of São Tomé and Príncipe (PDF) (Portuguese)
2012-4-25. "Brunei Darussalam recognizes Kosovo independence". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo.