Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in all south Slavic languages) is a term used for three separate political entities that existed during most of the 20th century. Translated, the name means Land of the South Slavs (jug in Jugoslavija means south).

• The first was a kingdom formed in 1918 as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which was re-named the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929 and existed under that name until it was invaded in 1941 by the Axis powers.
• The second was a Communist state established immediately after World War II in 1945 as Democratic Federal Yugoslavia (DFY), which in 1946 became the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia (FPRY) and in April 7 1963 the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). This remained in place until 1992, by which time four of its six constituent republics - Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina - had seceded.
• The third was called Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and was formed in 1992 on the territory of the remaining republics of Serbia (which includes provinces of Vojvodina and Kosovo) and Montenegro. In 2003, the name Yugoslavia was officially abolished when the state was transformed into a loose commonwealth called Serbia and Montenegro.

See also: History of Yugoslavia

Legacy

The present-day countries created from the former parts of Yugoslavia are:

• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Croatia
• Republic of Macedonia
• Serbia and Montenegro
• Slovenia

The first former Yugoslav republic that joined the European Union was Slovenia which applied in 1996 and became a member in 2004. Croatia applied for membership in 2003, and could join before 2010. Macedonia applied in 2004, and will probably join by 2010-2015. The remaining three republics have yet to apply so their acceptance generally isn't expected before 2015.

See also: Enlargement of the European Union

Miscellaneous

Asteroid 1554 Yugoslavia is discovered by Milorad B. Protitch and named after first Yugoslavia.

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