Viti, Kosovo

For other uses, see Viti, Kosovo (disambiguation).

Витина / Vitina Viti / Vitia
District	District of Gnjilane
Municipality	Municipality of Vitina
Population  (1991)
• Total	57,290 (municipality)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)

Vitina or Viti (Template:Lang-sq;Template:Lang-sr, Greek: Vytina, Βυτινα) is a town and municipality in the Gnjilane district of south-eastern Kosovo.

Demographics

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

History

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 unit raped and killed a local girl. The subsequent investigation uncovered serious training and leadership deficiencies in the 3/504 Parachute Infantry Regiment, and catalysed a tremendous change in the training of units deploying for peacekeeping operations.

Geography

Towns in the Vitina municipality include Požaranje, Kabaš, Binac, Klokot, Drobeš, Smira, etc.

Economy

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 largest business employer in the municipality is the Klokot Bottling Plant & Spa, which employs 230 people (including 28 Kosovo Serbs).

Infrastructure

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.

External links

• The official website of Municipal Assembly Vitina
• OSCE - Profile of Vitina
• SOK Kosovo and its population