Kosovo is a Balkan nation that unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and is recognized by over 100 UN members, though Serbia does not acknowledge it as a sovereign state. The official capital is Pristina, and the country has a predominantly Albanian population and a continental climate, with mountainous terrain and vast plains. Historically, Kosovo was part of the Serbian medieval state before Ottoman rule and later formed part of Yugoslavia, eventually leading to the 1998–1999 conflict and NATO intervention that paved the way for its 2008 independence.