Balkans
The Balkans are usually said to comprise Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia, while Greece and Turkey are often excluded. Its total area is usually given as 666,700 square km (257,400 square miles) and the population as 59,297,000 (est. 2002).
Balkan Region
Balkan Region (, "Балкан велаяты", بلقان ولايتى) is one of the regions of Turkmenistan. It is in the far west of the country, bordering Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, and Iran. Its capital is Balkanabat, formerly known as Nebit Dag. Balkan is Turkish for "Wooded mountain". It has an area of 139,270 square kilometers and a population of approximately 553,500 people (2005 est.). Its population density of 3.3 persons per square kilometer is the lowest in Turkmenistan.