The
Ghegs or
Gegs are one of two major ethnic subgroups of
Albanians (the other being the
Tosks) differentiated by their
cultural,
linguistic,
social and
religious characteristics. The Ghegs live in
Albania (north of the
Shkumbin river),
Kosovo,
Macedonia and
Montenegro. The name Gheg is derived from the term initially used by Orthodox population of pre-Ottoman Albania for confessional denotation when referring to their Catholic neighbors who converted to Catholicism to better resist the
Orthodox Serbs. The Ghegs speak
Gheg Albanian, one of the two main dialects of
Albanian language. The social organization of the Ghegs was traditionally
tribal, with several distinct tribal groups of Ghegs.