Gjakova Albanian: Gjakova or Gjakovë Serbian: Ђаковица or Đakovica Turkish: Yakova |
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City and municipality | ||
Old town, reflecting Gjakova's Ottoman heritage.
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Location in Kosovo | ||
Coordinates: 42°23′N 20°26′E / 42.383°N 20.433°ECoordinates: 42°23′N 20°26′E / 42.383°N 20.433°E | ||
Country | Kosovo | |
District | District of Gjakova | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Mimoza Lila Kusari | |
Area | ||
• City and municipality | 586.91 km2 (226.61 sq mi) | |
• Urban | 13.189 km2 (5.092 sq mi) | |
Elevation | 375 m (1,230 ft) | |
Population (2011) | ||
• City and municipality | 95,576 | |
• Density | 160/km2 (420/sq mi) | |
• Urban | 40,827 | |
• Urban density | 3,100/km2 (8,000/sq mi) | |
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
Postal code | 50000 | |
Area code(s) | +383 390 | |
Car plates | 07 |
Gjakova (Albanian: Gjakovë) or Đakovica (Serbian Cyrillic: Ђаковица) is a city and municipality in western Kosovo. Gjakova is one of the largest cities in Kosovo and ranks 5th with a population of 94,556. It is also the administrative centre of the homonymous district.
Geographically, it is located in the south-western part of Kosovo, about halfway between the cities of Peć and Prizren. It is approximately 100 km (62 mi) inland from the Adriatic Sea. The city is situated some 208 kilometres north-east of Tirana, 145 kilometres north-west of Skopje, 80 kilometres west of the capital Pristina, 435 kilometres south of Belgrade and 263 kilometres east of Podgorica.
The city of Gjakova has been populated since the prehistoric era. During the ottoman period, Gjakova served as a trading center on the route between Shkodër and Istanbul. It was also one of the most developed trade centers at that time in the Balkans. Gjakova has always been considered as a city where tolerance and coexistence in terms of religion and culture has been part of the society in the last centuries.
The Albanian name for the town is Gjakova, while the Serbian name is Đakovica with the common -ica diminutive placename suffix. There are several theories on the origin of the village name, such as from the personal name Jakov; the Serbian word (pupil); or from the Albanian word for "blood" ().