" Balkan " comes from a Turkish word meaning " a chain of wooded mountains ".

The Balkan Peninsula which gives its name to these countries lies in the southeast region of Europe. Albania is located along the Adriatic Sea, and its capital city is Tirane. Bosna and Herzegovina' s capital is Sarajevo. That country is located south of Croatia and is mostly landlocked. Bulgaria is located along the  Black Sea; it is capital Sofia. Croatia is an hourglass shape squeezed between Slovenia and Bosnia Herzegovina; it is capital is Zagreb. Greece is located on the southwest tip of the Balkan Peninsula; its capital is Athens. Montenegro is located on the Adriatic Sea north of Albania; it is capital is Podgorica. Romania has the largest landmass and a western shore on the black sea and its is capital is Bucharest. Serbia is landlocked in the centre of the peninsula; its capital is Belgrade. Macedonia is landlocked south of Serbia and its capital is Skopje. A small section of Turkey lies within the Balkan Peninsula. Its largest city is İstanbul, Which is the only city to straddle Asia and Europe, with the Europen side laying on the southeastern point of the Balkan Peninsula.