| Vitina | |
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| — Municipality and city — | |
| Витина / Vitina Viti / Vitia |
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Vitina
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Kosovo[a] |
| District | District of Gnjilane |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 46,959 (municipality) |
| • Density | 173.9/km2 (450.4/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Area code(s) | +381 |
| Car plates | 06 |
| Website | Municipality of Vitina |
Vitina (Albanian: Viti, Vitia, Serbian: Витина) is a town and municipality in the Gnjilane district of south-eastern Kosovo[a].
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Towns in the Vitina municipality include Klokot and Kabaš.
Following the 1999 Kosovo War, it was the home of A Company, 2/505 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, the first KFOR troops to begin stabilization efforts in the municipality. After the initial unit left, Vitina was the site of a subsequent international scandal when a soldier from the U.S. Army different follow on unit raped and killed a local girl. The subsequent investigation uncovered serious training and leadership deficiencies in the 3/504 Parachute Infantry Regiment, and catalyzed a tremendous change in the training of units deploying for peacekeeping operations.
The municipality of Vitina is economically depressed. However, it should also be noted that this area is rural and agrarian and hence the current unemployment rates might not accurately reflect true employment levels. Most private businesses are owned and operated by Kosovo Albanians, as are a majority of the public services. Both private businesses and public services are small in terms of number of employees.
The roads in the municipality range from good to poor. The main roads leading into most villages are paved and narrow. Secondary roads are nearly all dirt roads.
During the conflict, approximately 5% of Kosovo Albanian houses were burnt (255 houses). After the conflict, burning of Kosovo Serb houses took place, and around 230 houses were burnt which account for approximately 20% of all Kosovo Serb houses.
Water supply is available to 70% of the Vitina town. A number of villages have their own water systems, but as the public services company is not responsible for maintenance of these systems, the supply of water is unreliable. Overall, less than 20% of the population in the municipality has a water supply system. Approximately 10% of the population has access to a sewage system.
| Ethnic Composition, Including IDPs | |||||||||||||
| Year/Population | Albanian | % | Serb | % | Croats | % | Roma | % | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 20,496 | 60.92 | 10,442 | 31.04 | 2,077 | 6.17 | 21 | 33,642 | |||||
| 1971 | 26,927 | 67.69 | 9,649 | 24.26 | 2,613 | 6.57 | 126 | 0.32 | 39,780 | ||||
| 1981 | 35,105 | 73.38 | 8,369 | 17.49 | 3,722 | 7.78 | 229 | 0.49 | 47,839 | ||||
| 1991 | 45,078 | 78.68 | 7,002 | 12.22 | 4,331 | 7.56 | 373 | 0.65 | 57,290 | ||||
| Aug 2003 | 56,400 | 94.0 | 3,300 | 5.5 | 60 | 0.1 | 20 | 59,810 | |||||
| Ref: Yugoslav Population Censuses for data through 1991, OSCE estimates for 2003 | |||||||||||||
Notes:
| a. | ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo. The latter declared independence on 17 February 2008, while Serbia claims it as part of its own sovereign territory. Its independence is recognised by 86 UN member states. |
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