After declaring independence from Serbia in 2008, Kosovo has been recognized as an official state by the United States and major European Union countries, but not by Serbia or Russia. A landlocked country in the Balkans, Kosovo’s terrain includes vast plains, fields and the Albanian Alps and Šar Mountains in the southwest and southeast respectively.
The mountainous west and southeast are a great habitat for several rare or endangered species including brown bears, lynxes, wild cats, wolves, foxes, wild goats, roebucks and deer. There are several bird species in the region as well, such as the golden eagle, eastern imperial eagle and lesser kestrel. The country’s population is estimated at around 2 million with the largest ethnic groups being Albanians and Serbs, followed by other groups such as Bosniak, Turkish and Gorani.