northern border. On November 25,
1950, Chinese troops entered the war.
By December 15, they had driven the
allies back south of the 38th parallel. By
June 1951, after several more battles, the
battle line stood mostly north of the
38th parallel.
Peace talks began in July 1951. On July
27, 1953, both sides signed an agreement.
The boundary between North
and South Korea was set very close to
the battle line of June 1951. The Korean
War took the lives of about 1,300,000
South Koreans, 1,000,000 Chinese,
500,000 North Koreans, and 37,000
Americans. Korea remained divided into
the 21st century.
..More to explore
Communism • Korea, North • Korea,
South
The Korean War Veterans
Memorial in Washington, D.C.,
honors Americans who served in
the Korean War.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Korean War 85
Kosovo
Kosovo is a self-declared country in the
Balkans region of southeastern Europe.
It was a province of Serbia until 2008,
when the people of Kosovo declared
their independence. Pristina is the capital
of Kosovo.
Kosovo is bordered by Serbia to the
north and east, Macedonia to the south,
Albania to the west, and Montenegro to
the northwest. Its land consists largely of
two basins situated between mountains.
The land is good for growing crops. The
people of Kosovo grow grains including
wheat, barley, and corn. They also grow
fruits and vegetables. They grow tobacco
to be sold.
More than 90 percent of the people of
Kosovo are Albanians. Most of the rest
are Serbs. Islam is the main religion.
Kosovo once lay at the heart of the Serbian
empire. Then the whole region was
conquered by the Ottoman Turkish
army in 1389, and the two regions
gained separate identities. Serbia won
independence from Turkey early in the
1800s and regained control of Kosovo in
1912. In 1918 Serbia became part of a
kingdom that was later renamed Yugoslavia.
Kosovo remained a part of Serbia
even after the rest of Yugoslavia broke
apart in the early 1990s.
At about that time, Kosovo’s Albanians
began a movement to gain independence.
A group called the Kosovo Liberation
Army (KLA) began an armed
rebellion in 1996. In response, the Serbian
government attacked the Albanians.
By 1998 widespread fighting had
broken out between the KLA and Serbian
troops. In March 1999 the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
launched a bombing campaign against
the Serbians to try to stop the attacks on
the Albanians. The fighting ended in
June 1999.
The United Nations then took charge of
running the province. By early 2008
Kosovo was determined to break away
from Serbia. The province formally
declared independence in February. The
United States and several members of
the European Union (EU) recognized
Kosovo’s independence. Serbia, Russia,
and a number of other countries did
not.
..More to explore
Pristina • Serbia • Yugoslavia
Facts About
KOSOVO
Population
(2008 estimate)
2,143,000
Area
4,212 sq mi
(10,908 sq km)
Capital
Pristina
Form of
government
Multiparty transitional
republic
Major cities
Pristina, Prizren,
Ferizaj, Mitrovice,
Gjakove, Peje
86 Kosovo BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Kremlin
Several cities in Russia were built around
fortresses called kremlins. Russians built
kremlins for defense during the Middle
Ages. A kremlin was often located along
a river. A wall, a moat, and towers usually
separated it from the surrounding
parts of the city. Kremlins contained
cathedrals (churches) and palaces for
princes and bishops. They also held government
offices and ammunition.
The most famous kremlin is located in
central Moscow. It is often called just
the Kremlin. The Kremlin is shaped like
a triangle. Its east side faces the famous
plaza called Red Square. Another side
faces the Moscow River. The Kremlin
has long been a symbol of Russia’s
power.
A Russian prince started building the
Kremlin in 1156. It was first built of
wood. In the 1300s it was rebuilt using
white stone. Its red brick walls and great
palaces, cathedrals, and towers were
added later. Several of the palaces are
now museums.
The Kremlin lost its importance as a fort
in the 1620s. But it was the center of
Russian government until 1712, when
the capital was moved from Moscow to
Saint Petersburg. Moscow once again
became the capital in 1918 following the
Russian Revolution. The Kremlin
became the base of government when
Russia became part of the Soviet Union
in 1922. After the Soviet Union collapsed
in 1991, the Kremlin remained
the center of Russia’s government.
..More to explore
Moscow • Russia • Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics
Krill
Krill are shrimplike animals that live in
the ocean. They belong to the group of
animals called crustaceans, which also
includes shrimp, crabs, and lobsters.
There are about 85 species, or types, of
krill. They are an important source of
food for fish, squid, whales, seabirds,
and other animals, especially around
Antarctica.
Krill can grow to about 2.5 inches (6
centimeters) in length. Like other crustaceans,
krill have a hard covering
known as an exoskeleton. A krill sheds
this outside covering many times as it
grows. The body is almost see-through,
with small, reddish spots. Krill have
