Istok

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Istog / Burimi
Исток / Istok




area_km2 =
elevation_m =
population_total = 57261 (municipality)
population_as_of = 1991
population_density_km2 =
postal_code =
area_code =


timezone = CET |utc_offset =+1
website =
footnotes =

Istok or Istog (Albanian: "Istog" or "Burimi"; Serbian: Исток or "Istok") is a town in western Kosovo. It is the administrative capital of the municipality of Istok, which includes the town and the surrounding villages.

Name

The name of the town comes from the archaic version of Serbian word "istok" (modern version "istek"), meaning "well, water source" referring to the springs of the Istočka river, a tributary to the White Drin river. [Jovan Đ. Marković (1990): "Enciklopedijski geografski leksikon Jugoslavije", page 87; Svjetlost-Sarajevo; ISBN 86-01-02651-6] The name of the nearby village of Vrela, one of the largest settlements in the municipality, also means "springs", as does the newly proposed Albanian name of the town, Burimi, ("well" in Albanian).

Demographics

Although there is no official data, the total population of the municipality is estimated at 65,000.

Economy

After World War II, watermills on the river of Istok were nationalized and a new fish plant was built to operate as a Socially-owned Enterprise. The company's name during socialism was "Ribnjak" (in Serbian) meaning "Piscatory or Fishery", and when it was privatized as Motel "Trofta" (in Albanian) meaning "Trout", or the type of fish it has been and is still producing, selling, and distributing. The company currently employs around 70 workers.

ome notable features

Istok is the home to the strongest wind in the Western Balkans flowing from North to South;

One of the largest prison in Europe is located 4-5km to the east of Istok (Dubrava Prison);

Former President of Kosovo, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, was born in the municipality of Istok (in the village of Crnce);

The father of the famous Turkish-Albanian poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy was born in the municipality of Istok (in the village of Šušica);

Agnesa Vuthaj, who was crowned Miss Kosovo 2003, Miss Albania 2004, and represented Albania in Miss World 2005 hosted in the city of Sanya in China, was born in Istok on 8 February 1986.

ee also

* Peja District

External links

* [http://www.komuna-istog.org/istog/ Komuna e Istogut] The official website of the Municipality of Istok, in Albanian, English, and Serbian.
* [http://www.istogu.com Istogu.com] News and information about Istok.
* [http://www.osce.org/documents/html/pdftohtml/1006_en.pdf.html OSCE profile of Istok]
* [http://www.sok-kosovo.org/pdf/population/Kosovo_and_its_population.pdf SOK Kosovo and its population]

References