This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007)

This article is about the Yugoslav Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija between 1946 and 1974, up until its reconstitution as the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo. For the period of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija between 1990 and 1999, see Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (1990–1999). For the modern region, autonomous province, or country see Kosovo.

Autonomna Pokrajina Kosovo i Metohija Аутономна Покрајина Косово и Метохиja Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija An Autonomous Province of the Socialist Republic of Serbia ← 1946 — 1974 → Flag Capital Priština Official languages Serbo-Croatian Area  - Total  - Water 10,686 km² Negligible Population  - Total   - Density 1,584,441 183.1/km² Currency Yugoslav dinar Time zone UTC + 1

History of Kosovo This article is part of a series Early History Prehistoric Balkans Roman Empire Byzantine Empire Middle Ages Bulgarian Empire Medieval Serbia Battle of Kosovo Ottoman Kosovo Eyalet of Rumelia Vilayet of Kosovo Albanian nationalism 20th century First Balkan War Kingdom of Serbia Kingdom of Yugoslavia AP Kosovo and Metohija SAP Kosovo AP Kosovo and Metohija Recent history Kosovo War UN administration 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence Contemporary Kosovo See also Timeline of Kosovo history Kosovo Portal  v • d • e

The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (Serbian, Croatian, Serbo-Croatian: Autonomna Pokrajina Kosovo i Metohija, Аутономна Покрајина Косово и Метохија) was an autonomous province of Serbia, within the larger federation of Yugoslavia from 1946 to 1974, when it was replaced by the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo.

[edit] History and background

During the interwar period, the name of Kosovo was associated with a specific region, though did not exist as any form of political subdivision. Its new outline following the end of the war and the establishment of Tito's Communist regime was carved out of the southeastern corner of Serbia. The entity of Kosovo had last existed as an Ottoman Province. By 1946, one piece of the Ottoman Province had been given to the new Yugoslav republic of Macedonia (including the former capital Skopje), whilst another chunk had passed to Montenegro, also a new entity. Whilst another significant piece had formed a part of Albania since the Treaty of London in 1913, the remainder lay within Serbia. The new province's borders were demarcated with the purpose of incorporating a large area within Serbia where there had been a significant presence of Albanian ethnic minority population, and thus was created the autonomous region of Kosovo and Metohija in 1946 (to the contrary, Vojvodina held a higher rank -- of a province -- from the onset of Communist rule).

Kosovo officially became an autonomous province in 1963, though the central Communist government did not permit the return of many of the refugees, ethnic Serbs. This ban capitally changed ethnic structure. Albanians became majority.

The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija received more and more autonomy and self-government within Serbia and Yugoslavia during the 1970s, and its name was officially changed in 1974 to Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo ("and Metohija" was removed because it was not used by the Kosovo Albanians and "Socialist" was added to further show the Socialist ideal of then's SFRY).

[edit] See also

• Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (1945-1963)
• Socialist Republic of Serbia