From 1945 to 1990, Kosovo was an autonomous region within Serbia, which was part of Yugoslavia. Most of Kosovo is ethnically Albanian and follows Islam.
In 1999, NATO intervened in Serbia on humanitarian grounds to protect the Kosovo Albanian population. Following this, Serbia's police and military forces left the region.
In 2008, Kosovo unilaterally declared independence with extensive political and economic support from the West. Today, Kosovo is recognised by around half of all UN Member States, including most of the EU and NATO. Notable countries that do not recognise Kosovo include Serbia and the five founding BRICS states.