(Sarajevo, Tuzla (Bosnia), Pristina, Kosovo)
Yugoslavia came into existence as a result of World War I. (The earlier histories of its six component republics are treated separately, under their respective names.) In 1914 only Serbia (which included the present Republic of Macedonia) and Montenegro were independent states; Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Hercegovina belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Yugoslavs (i.e., South Slavs) consisted of five ethnic groups—Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Macedonians, and Montenegrins—and the Bosnian Muslims. Closely related linguistically, these peoples are separated by historical and cultural factors that ultimately led to the disintegration of Yugoslavia. The country also included Albanian (mainly in Serbia's Kosovo prov.) and Hungarian minorities (mainly in Serbia's Vojvodina prov.).