The District of Peja (, ) is one of the seven districts of Kosovo. It has its seat in the city of Peja. The district has three municipalities and 118 other settlements. According to the 2024 census, the district had 146,301 inhabitants, and is the least populated of all the districts of Kosovo.
History
Peja region has been occupied from the Illyrian era, and was part of ancient Dardania. It is mentioned in the Roman map of Ptholomeus from the 3rd century CE, and was given by various names such as Siparantum, Pech, Peka, and Pentza during various periods of time. Pechi, the Latin name is first mentioned in the documents from 12th century CE. the region was under the control of Balshaj family till 1421 and Dukagjini family till 1462. The region came to be a part of Sanjak of Scutari in the 16th century, during which time Islam was introduced to the Catholic population in the region.
In October 1912, Peja region was captured by Montenegro from the Ottomans. It came under the occupation of Austria-Hungary in 1915, and later under the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1919. The Italian Empire captured it from Yugoslavia during the Second World War in 1941, and put under the German Empire in 1943. After the end of the war, it was returned to Yugoslavia in 1945, and it went to Serbia after the dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1992. The Kosovar war of independence led to massive emigration and large scale damage to properties, with over 80% of the houses destroyed.
Demographics
According to the 2024 census, the district had 146,301 inhabitants, and is the least populated of all the districts of Kosovo. The population included 72,611 males and 73,645 females. About 37,272 people were classified as under the age of seventeen. The district has three municipalities–Peja, Istog, and Klina and 118 other settlements.