Kamenica, Kosovo
Kamenica
Kosovska Kamenica | |
|---|---|
Town and municipality | |
 Panorama of the town of Kamenica | |
 Flag  Emblem | |
  Kamenica  Kamenica | |
| Coordinates: 42°35′02″N 21°34′30″E / 42.58389°N 21.57500°E | |
| Country | Kosovo |
| District | Gjilan |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Kadri Rahimaj (LVV) |
| Area | |
• Municipality | 424 km2 (164 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 9th in Kosovo |
| Elevation | 470 m (1,540 ft) |
| Population (2024)[1] | |
• Municipality | 22,868 |
| • Density | 54/km2 (140/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 5,206 |
| • Ethnicity | |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 62000 |
| Area code | +383 280 |
| Vehicle registration | 06 |
| Website | kk |
Kamenica or Dardana (Albanian indefinite form: Kamenicë or Dardanë), or Kosovska Kamenica (Serbian Cyrillic: Косовска Каменица), is a town and municipality located in the Gjilan District of Kosovo. According to the 2024 census, the municipality of Kamenica has 22,868 inhabitants, while the town has 5,206 inhabitants.[2]
History
The Kamenica area, as the whole of Kosovo, was inhabited by the Dardani tribe, an Illyrian people. Traces of them have also been found in the archaeological site of the Dardana Fortress. The fortress was rebuilt later in the late Roman period.[3]
Kamenica always had better than average inter-ethnic relations during the Yugoslav era. Tensions today are low because there was less violence than elsewhere during the Kosovo War.[4]
Geography
The municipality of Kamenica lies in the east of Kosovo in a hilly and mountainous region. Kamenica is part of the geographical and ethnographic area of Gollak. It is bordered to the southwest by Ranillug, to the west by Novobërda, to the northwest by Prishtina and to the north and east it borders Serbia. Gjilan is located 30 km (19 mi) away, while Prishtina is around 75 km (47 mi) away from Kamenica.
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 37,677 | — |
| 1953 | 39,977 | +1.19% |
| 1961 | 43,058 | +0.93% |
| 1971 | 46,505 | +0.77% |
| 1981 | 48,320 | +0.38% |
| 1991 | 52,152 | +0.77% |
| 2011 | 36,085 | −1.82% |
| 2024 | 22,868 | −3.45% |
| Source: Division of Kosovo | ||
According to the 2024 census by the Kosovo Agency of Statistics, the municipality of Kamenica has 22,868 inhabitants.
The ethnic composition is predominantly Albanian, who constitute 89.9% of the population, followed by Serbs at 8.2%, with other ethnic groups making up 1.9%.[2]
Politics
Elections for the Mayor of the Municipality and the Municipal Assembly are held every four years. The ballots are separate, where voters can choose from a list of contenders hailing from various political parties on one ballot, and on the other they can choose one candidate for the representative at the Municipal Assembly from a specific partisan or independent list.
Notable people
- Azem Vllasi, politician and lawyer
- Donat Rrudhani, footballer at FC Luzern
- Demir Krasniqi, musician
- Ermir Lenjani, footballer at FC Schaffhausen
- Leotrim Kryeziu, footballer at FC Prishtina
- Musa Hajdari, athlete
- Nuhi Berisha, revolutionary and founder of the People's Movement of Kosovo
- Qëndrim Ismajli, footballer at KF Tirana
- Rexhep Malaj, patriot and a symbol of Albanian national resistance
- Rrahim Beqiri, as known as Komandant Roki, KLA military officer
See also
References
- ^ "Regjistrimi i popullsisë, ekonomive familjare dhe banesave në Kosovë 2024 - Popullsia sipas gjinisë, etnicitetit dhe vendbanimit" [Population, Household Economies, and Housing Census in Kosovo 2024 - Population by Gender, Ethnicity, and Place of Residence] (PDF) (in Albanian). Pristina: Kosovo Agency of Statistics. July 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Regjistrimi i popullsisë, ekonomive familjare dhe banesave në Kosovë 2024 - Popullsia sipas gjinisë, etnicitetit dhe vendbanimit" [Population, Household Economies, and Housing Census in Kosovo 2024 - Population by Gender, Ethnicity, and Place of Residence] (PDF) (in Albanian). Pristina: Kosovo Agency of Statistics. July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- ^ "LISTA E TRASHËGIMISË KULTURORE PËR MBROJTJE TË PËRKOHSHME" (PDF) (in Albanian). Ministry of Culture of Kosovo.
- ^ Kosovo's youngest mayor seeks to bridge ethnic divide, Financial Times
External links
