Rahovec (Albanian definite form: Rahoveci) or Orahovac (Serbian Cyrillic: Ораховац), is a town and municipality located in the District of Gjakova in western Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Rahovec has 15,892 inhabitants, while the municipality has 56,208 inhabitants.
Rahovec
| |
|---|---|
Town and municipality
| |
From the top, Panorama of Rahovec, Rahovec Clocktower, Xhamia e Sokolit | |
Flag 
Emblem | |
  Rahovec Show map of Kosovo  Rahovec Show map of Europe | |
| Coordinates: 42°23′58″N 20°39′17″E / 42.39944°N 20.65472°E / 42.39944; 20.65472 | |
| Country | Kosovo |
| District | District of Gjakova |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Smajl Latifi (AAK) |
| Area | |
| • Municipal | 278 km2 (107 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 21st in Kosovo |
| Elevation | 477 m (1,565 ft) |
| Population
(2011)[1]
| |
| • Municipal | 56,208 |
| • Density | 200/km2 (520/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 15,892 |
| • Ethnicity |
|
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code |
21000
|
| Area code | +383 29 |
| Vehicle registration | 07 |
| Website | kk |
The name of the town and municipality is of Serbian origin and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word orěhъ, meaning nux (English: nut).[2] The name Rahovec comes from an Albanised pronunciation of Orahovac.
The municipality covers an area of approximately 276 km2 (107 sq mi) and contains 35 villages.
Rahovec is especially known for its vineyards and wines.[3]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 27,335 | — |
| 1953 | 30,095 | +1.94% |
| 1961 | 35,461 | +2.07% |
| 1971 | 46,788 | +2.81% |
| 1981 | 61,178 | +2.72% |
| 1991 | 85,698 | +3.43% |
| 2011 | 56,208 | −2.09% |
| 2016 est. | 58,908 | +0.94% |
| Source: Division of Kosovo | ||
According to the last official census done in 2011, the municipality of Rahovec has 56,208 inhabitants.
In the municipality's total population, 98.14% are Albanians, amounting to 55,166 individuals, while the rest represent diverse minority groups in Kosovo, including Ashkali, Egyptians, Serbs, Bosniaks and various others.[4]
The town was known for a language known locally as "Rahovecionshe" or "Raveqki", which is a mixture of Albanian, Serbian and Bulgarian. Its use has declined rapidly after the Kosovo War and nowadays it is nearly extinct.[5] It is thought that this pidgin language developed as a way for Albanian grape farmers to sell their products to wine producers, who were predominately Slavic-speaking.[5]
orah, pl. orasi ... praslav. orěhъ "nux". Pridjev na -ov orahov, poimeničen u topnimiji u sr. r. Orahovo, ... Orahov Do (Hercegovina), ... Oriovac, gen. -vca (toponim u Slavoniji) = Oravac, gen. -avca = Oraovac (1770, Kosmet) = Raovec u arbanaskom izgovoru.
[Translation: orah, plural orasi ... from the Proto-Slavic orěhъ "nux". The adjective on -ov, orahov, is nominalisedintoponymy into Orahovo, ... Orahov Do (Herzegovina), ... Oriovac (Slavonia) = Oravac = Oraovac (1770, Kosovo and Metohija) = Raovec in Albanian pronunciation. (N.B. Orahovac and Rahovec are shown here in h-less variants Oraovac and Raovec)]
Shkelzen Maliqi - Lindur më 1947, Rahovec, Kosovë.
O. H. - KUJUNDŽIĆ LAZAR, učitelj i čet- nički vojvoda ( uoči Lazareve subote 1880, selo Orahovac, srez podrimski, okrug prizrenski 25/5 1905, selo Ve- lika Hoča, srez podrimski, okrug pri- zrenski).
