Krajina ([krâjina]) is a Slavic toponym, meaning 'frontier' or 'march'. The term is related with kraj or krai, originally meaning "edge" and today denoting a region or province, usually distant from the metropole.
The Serbo-Croatian word krajina derives from Proto-Slavic *krajina, derived from *krajь, meaning "edge", related to *krojiti, "to cut"; the original meaning of krajina thus seems to have been "place at an edge, fringe, borderland", as reflected in the meanings of Church Slavonic краина, kraina, and Old East Slavic окраина, okraina.
In some South Slavic languages, including Serbo-Croatian and Slovene, the word krajina or its cognate still refers primarily to a border, fringe, or borderland of a country (sometimes with an established military defense), and secondarily to a region, area, or landscape. The word kraj can today mean an end or extremity, or region or area. Archaically extrapolated, it could mean "army" or "war"; this meaning developed from the earlier meaning of "borderland" in a manner analogous to the French word campagne. The term is equal to German Mark and French marche.
In other Slavic languages (including the Chakavian and Kajkavian dialects of Serbo-Croatian), the term has other meanings, either a territorial name (cf. Krajna in Poland, from Old Polish kraina, meaning region, borderland, extremity) or word with meaning "a land, landscape" (e.g. in Slovak, Czech or Sorbian).
Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosanska Krajina, around Banja Luka and encompassing a larger area, also on older maps called Turkish Croatia; westwards from Vrbas river, on the NW from Završje (on older maps, Završje is a part of Croazia Turca, Türkisch Kroatien, Török Horvátország )Cazinska Krajina, borderland of Bosnia towards Croatia around the city of Cazin. Today its considered as Una-Sana Canton.CroatiaKrayna vu Otoce: medieval Glagolitic name of Gacka valley in Lika highlandsCetinska krajina, area along the valley of river Cetina in the southern Croatia, in Zagora, to the east from Herzegovina (Bosnia and Herzegovina), mostly containing Sinjsko poljeDrniška krajina, area around the city of Drniš in southern Croatia, in Zagora, to west from Cetinska krajinaImotska krajina, area around the city of Imotski, in southern Croatia, in Zagora mostly containing Imotsko polje, to east from Cetinska and Omiška krajina, to west from Vrgoračka krajina; also the name of the soccer club from ImotskiIstarska krajina, historical region in western Croatia, central area of peninsula of Istria Kninska Krajina, region around Knin in southern Croatia, to north from Drniška krajina and northeast from Cetinska krajinaNeretvanska krajina, historical area westwards from river of Neretva, southwest from župa Imota Omiška krajina, region in hinterland of city of Omiš, in Croatian south, in Zagora; to east from Cetinska krajina, to west from Cetinska krajinamunicipality of Krajina, a municipality in southern Croatia, located between Split and Imotski, existed from 1912–1945 Sinjska krajina, area in Zagora, in southern Croatia, around the city of Sinj, west from Livanjski kraj, southeast from Vrlička krajina (sometimes considered as part of Cetinska krajina)Vrgoračka krajina, area in Zagora, in southern Croatia, around the city of Vrgorac, southwest from Herzegovina and west from Neretva valley, to east from Imotska krajinaVrlička krajina, area in Zagora, in southern Croatia, around the city of Vrlika, west from Livanjski kraj, northwest from Cetinska krajina (sometimes considered as part of Cetinska krajina)Krajina is also a Croat surnamea part of peri-littoral area near Makarska in Croatia is called Krajina (see reference)MontenegroSkadarska Krajina, region north from Bar and Ulcinj, across the mountain. It borders Skadar Lake on its northern edge.PolandKrajna, on the border of provinces Greater Poland and PomeraniaSerbiaTimočka Krajina, borderland of Serbia towards Bulgaria around Timok RiverNegotinska Krajina, a part of Timočka Krajina around the city of NegotinKoča's krajina, an area liberated during eighth Austrian-Turkish warSloveniaBela krajina, borderland of Slovenia towards CroatiaSubdivisions of Austria-Hungary:
Military Frontier (Serbo-Croatian: Vojna krajina, German: Militärgrenze), borderland of Austrian Empire against the Ottoman Empire. It was further divided into:Banat Krajina (on the Serbian-Romanian border)Croatian Krajina (on the border of western Croatia and Bosnia)Slavonian Krajina (on the border of Serbia and eastern Croatia towards Bosnia)Political units formed by rebel Serbs at the beginning of the Croatian War of Independence (1991–95):
Republic of Serbian Krajina (1991–95)SAO KrajinaSAO Kninska Krajina, Kninska Krajina since the Yugoslav wars is used by some to signify two regions Knin and its surroundings, and to a larger extent Krajina proper (referring to main portion of Republic of Serb Krajina).SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia, sometimes called Podunavska KrajinaPolitical unit formed by Serbs in the prelude (1991) of the Bosnian War (1992–95):
SAO Bosanska KrajinaWhere the term "Serbian Krajina" or "Krajina" alone is used, it most often refers to the former Republic of Serbian Krajina.
In Russia:
In Russian, kray (край) is the word for the territories of Russia, a second-level subdivisionIn Slovakia:
In Slovak, kraj is used for the regions of Slovakia, a first-level subdivisionIn Czech Republic:
In Czech, kraj is used for the regions of the Czech Republic, a first-level subdivisionIn Ukraine:
In Ukrainian, krajina (країна) means "country, land", while Ukrajina is the country name. See also: Name of Ukraine.Krajina Belojević, a 9th-century Serbian Duke in the Principality of Serbia
