Deçan Municipality
Deçan Municipality or Dečani Municipality (Albanian: Komuna e Deçanit; Serbian: Општина Дечани, Opština Dečani, pronounced [dɛ̌t͡ʃani]) is a municipality located in the District of Gjakova of Kosovo. The seat is the town of Deçan. According to the 2011 census, the municipality has 40,019 inhabitants, with 3,803 inhabitants in the town of Deçan.
Deçan Municipality | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
| Komuna e Deçanit Opština Dečani / Општина Дечани | |
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Flag Seal | |
Location of the municipality of Deçan within Kosovo | |
| Coordinates: 42°32′N 20°17′E | |
| Country | Kosovo |
| District | District of Gjakova |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Bashkim Ramosaj |
| Area | |
| • Municipality | 297 km2 (115 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 20th in Kosovo |
| Elevation | 550 m (1,800 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Municipality | 40,019 |
| • Density | 130/km2 (350/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 3,803 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 51000 |
| Area code | +383 390 |
| Vehicle registration | 03 |
| Website | kk |
It is a mountainous area which borders Montenegro and Albania. There is a total of 37 settlements in the municipality. The municipality covers an area of 297 km2 (115 sq mi).
During the 1998–1999 war, Deçan was one of the strongholds of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and subsequently suffered a large amount of infrastructure destruction by the Serbian police and paramilitary forces. Much reconstruction has taken place with the assistance of the international agencies and support from the Kosovo Albanian diaspora.