Thank you . That was very informative. Donald Marinkovich ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nenad" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2005 12:19 AM Subject: RE: [CROATIA-L] Balkans or southeastern Europe > Dear Mr. Robert > > One, it is what we will want to be and other are truth and facts what > Europeans see as what we are:) > > Br, Nenad > > The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe > southeastern Europe. > The region has a combined area of 550,000 km² and a population of around > 53 million. > > The region takes its name from the Balkan mountains which run through > the centre of Bulgaria into eastern Serbia. > > Definitions and boundaries > > The Balkans are generally considered to comprise the lands to the south > of the Kupa, Sava > and Danube rivers. The Kupa forms a natural boundary between > south-eastern Slovenia and > Croatia, the Sava bisects Croatia and Serbia and the Danube, which is > the 2nd largest > European river (after Volga), forms a natural boundary between both > Bulgaria and Serbia > and Romania. North of that line lies the Pannonian plain and (in the > case of Romania) > the Carpathian mountains. Although Romania (with the exception of > Dobrudja) is not > geographically part of the Balkans, it is conventionally included as a > successor state > to the old Ottoman Empire, which formerly ruled the whole region. > Slovenia is likewise > sometimes regarded as a Balkan country due to its association with the > former Yugoslavia, > although historically and culturally it is more connected to the other > Central European > countries. > > The Balkan land mass is sometimes referred to as the Balkan peninsula as > it is surrounded > by the Adriatic, Ionian, Aegean, Marmara and Black seas from the > southwest, south and > southeast. While it is not a model peninsula as it has no isthmus to > connect it to the mainland > of Europe, this definition is often used to denote the wider region. > > The distinct identity of the Balkans owes as much to its fragmented and > often violent common > history as to its mountainous geography. The region was perennially on > the edge of great > empires, its history dominated by wars, rebellions, invasions and > clashes between empires, > from the times of the Roman Empire to the latter-day Yugoslav wars. Its > fractiousness and > tendency to splinter into rival political entities led to the coining of > the term Balkanization > (or balkanizing). The term Balkan commonly connotes a connection with > violence, religious strife, > ethnic clannishness and a sense of hinterland. > > Due to the aforementioned connotations of the term "Balkan", many people > prefer the term > Southeastern Europe instead. The use of this term is slowly growing; a > European Union > initiative of 1999 is called the Stability Pact for South Eastern > Europe, and the online > newspaper Balkan Times renamed itself Southeast European Times in 2003. > The use of this > term to mean the Balkan peninsula (and only that) technically ignores > the geographical > presence of northern Romania and Ukraine, which are also located in the > southeastern > part of the European continent. > > The countries commonly included in the Balkan region are: > > Albania > Bosnia and Herzegovina > Bulgaria > Croatia > Greece > Republic of Macedonia > Serbia and Montenegro > Turkey, but only the European part of it around Istanbul (traditionally > called Rumelia or > Eastern Thrace) > Romania and Slovenia are sometimes included in the list as well. > > Many regions in the countries listed as Balkan states can be in many > respects rather distinct > from the remainder of the region, so countries that are borderline cases > (often far away from > the Balkan mountain itself) usually prefer not to be called Balkan > countries. Prime examples > of this are Romania and Slovenia, sometimes also Croatia and Greece. > > Other countries not included in the Balkan region that are close to it > and/or play or have > played an important role in the region's geopolitics, culture and > history: > > Cyprus (see also Cyprus dispute) > Hungary (see also Austria-Hungary) > Austria (see also Austria-Hungary, Assassination in Sarajevo) > Italy (see Croatia: Dalmatia, Zara, Fiume; History of Slovenia) > Russia (see History of Serbia) > > -----Original Message----- > From: Robert Jerin [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: 2. april 2005 17:58 > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [CROATIA-L] Lamb Roast > > Croatia and Slovenia are central European countries not Balkan > countries. A well known phrase used when someone is crude or rude in > Croatia is ti si Balkanac! > > Jerome Buza <[email protected]> wrote:We have several stores in Arizona > that carry canned and packaged goods from > Croatia and Slovenia and other Balkan countries and can get Bull's Blood > > wine from Egar at our Trader Joe's. > Margaret > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Lisa Kovach" > > To: > Sent: Saturday, April 02, 2005 8:50 AM > Subject: Re: [CROATIA-L] Lamb Roast > > >> http://www.swua.org/food&wine/ Here's a site of stores in the USA that > >> sell croation foods. Lisa >> From: Erika Curi >> To: [email protected] >> Sent: Saturday, April 02, 2005 9:35 AM >> Subject: Re: [CROATIA-L] Lamb Roast >> >> >> ANN SMETANA,CHARLES PINTAR ? >> >> >> >> >> > >> >Pray tell What Is "Smetana"? >> >Nick >> > >> > >> >----- Original Message ----- >> >From: "Robert Jerin" >> >To: >> >Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 9:24 PM >> >Subject: Re: [CROATIA-L] Lamb Roast >> > >> > >> > >> >> _________________________________________________________________ >> Charla con tus amigos en línea mediante MSN Messenger: >> http://messenger.latam.msn.com/ >> >> >> >> -- >> No virus found in this incoming message. >> Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. >> Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.9.1 - Release Date: 4/1/2005 >> >> > > > > > Interested in visting Croatia? Click on the link below to find out > about a wonderful tour of Croatia! > > http://www.kollander-travel.com/ > > >