Podujevo

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Podujevë
Podujeva
Besiana
Подујево
Podujevo
Coat of Arms
[[Image:{{{image_coatofarms}}}\|center\|Coat of Arms ]]
Location in Kosovo

General Information
Mayor	?
Land area	?
Altitude	?
Population (2006)	48,526
Population density (2006)	?
Coordinates	42.91°N 21.19°E
Postal code:	?
Area code	+381 38
Time zone	UTC+1
Website	KK Podujevë

Podujevë/Podujeva or Besiana (Albanian) or Podujevo/Подујево (Serbian) , is a town, and seat of a municipality, north-east Kosovo (under UN administration, formally part of Serbia). Podujevo is situated in a strategic position due to a regional motorway and railroad linking surrounding regions. Although there is no official data, the total population of the municipality is estimated at 130,000. Podujevo town population is estimated at 35,000.

The Albanian name of the town Besiana derives from the word "besa", and "ana" meaning region. Historically, people from region are know to resist foreign occupiers, and are known to keep their word, hence Besiana. The founding member of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Zahir Pajaziti, was from Podujevo region.

1 Recent history
2 Demographics
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Recent history

On March 28 1999, 14 Kosovo Albanian women and children were murdered in a back garden in Podujevo by Serbian paramilitary from the notorious interior ministry unit the Scorpions. Five children were the sole survivors of the atrocity and four years later went to the Belgrade district court to testify against Sasa Cvjetan, a Serbian paramilitary. The court in Belgrade sentenced Sasa Cvjetan to 20 years in jail for his part in the killing of 7 women and 7 children.

The road coming into Podujevo from Serbia was the site of the 2001 Podujevo bus bombing, when 12 Serb pilgrims heading to the Gračanica monastery site were killed and dozens more were injured by a bomb placed by Albanian extremists.

[edit] Demographics

Year/Population	Albanians	%	Serbs	%	Ashkali/Roma	%	Total
Ethnic Composition, Including IDPs
1991	89,290	98.1	1,521	1.3	223	0.2	91,011
January 1999	App. 120,000	98	App. 1,600	1	App. 1,200	1	App. 122,000
Current figure	App. 130,200	99.1	27		1,067	0.8	App. 131,300
Source: 1999 census data, Municipality. It is noted that the 1991 census was highly politicised and is thus unreliable. Ref: OSCE [1]