Serbia

Not to be confused with Republika Srpska.

Republic of Serbia Република Србија Republika Srbija
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Bože pravde God of Justice
Location of Serbia (orange) in Europe (white) Location of Serbia (orange) in Europe (white)
Capital and largest city	Belgrade
Official languages	Serbian 1
Recognised regional languages	Hungarian, Croatian, Slovak, Romanian, Rusyn 2 Albanian 3
Demonym(s)	Serbian
Government	Parliamentary republic
• President	Boris Tadić
• Prime Minister	Vojislav Koštunica
Establishment
• First state established	VII century
• Kingdom established	1217
• Empire established	1345
• Independence lost	1459
• First Serbian Uprising (Statehood)	Feb 15, 1804
• Princedom	1833
• Independence recognized	13 July 1878
• Kingdom	6 March 1882
• South Slavic unification	1 December 1918
• Serbia and Montenegro dissolved	June 5, 2006
Area
• Total	88,361 km2 (34,116 sq mi) (113th)
• Water (%)	0.13
Population
• 2007 estimate	10,350,265 (80th)
• 2002 census	7,498,0014
• Density	115/km2 (297.8/sq mi) (94th)
GDP (PPP)	2007 estimate
• Total	$54.547 billion (72nd)
• Per capita	$7 265 (90th)
Gini (2007)	.24 low inequality
HDI	0.811 high
Currency	Serbian Dinar5 (RSD)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Calling code	381
ISO 3166 code	RS
Internet TLD	.rs (.yu)6
1 Following the adoption of the new Constitution, Serbian Latin script is awaiting parliamentary approval alongside the official Serbian Cyrillic script. ² Official languages of Vojvodina. ³ Official languages of Kosovo. 4 does not include the figures for Kosovo 5 The Euro is used in Kosovo alongside the Dinar. 6 .rs became active in September 2007. Suffix .yu will exist until September 2009.

The Republic of Serbia (Serbian: Република Србија or Republika Srbija, ), is a landlocked country in Central and Southeastern Europe, covering the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the central part of the Balkan Peninsula. It is bordered by Hungary on the north; Romania and Bulgaria on the east; Albania and the Republic of Macedonia on the south; and Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the west. The capital is Belgrade.

For centuries shaped at cultural boundaries between East and West, a powerful medieval Kingdom, later Serbian Empire, has been born, taking up much of the Balkans. The modern state of Serbia emerged in 1817 following the Second Serbian Uprising. Later, it expanded its territory further south to include Kosovo and Metohija and the regions of Raška and Vardar Macedonia (in 1912). Finally, Vojvodina (formerly an autonomous Habsburg crownland named Voivodship of Serbia and Tamiš Banat) proclaimed its seccession from Austria-Hungary, and united with Serbia in November 25, 1918, preceded by the Syrmia region a day before. The current borders of the country were established following the end of World War II, when Serbia became a federal unit within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Serbia became an independent state again in 2006, after Montenegro left the union which was formed after the dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1990s.

Name

In 17th and early 20th century English works, the country was often referred to as Servia. The usage was often resented by Serbs, who felt that the use of "Servia" linked the Serbs to the Latin servus, a slave or servant. The British press stopped using the term by the 1930s, allegedly because of the efforts of Vojislav M. Petrović (Војислав М. Петровић, publisher of the Serbian grammar in London. However, scholars today agree that Serbian name did not derive from the word servus.

The basic name, Serboi, originates in the works of Tacitus, Plinius and Ptolemy in the 1st and 2nd centuries, describing a people living north of the Caucasus. Following the migration into Central Europe, White Serbs established a state called Sorbia (White Serbia) in the 5th century. Their arrival in the Balkans is thought to have happened in 630, when Serbs settled among the other Slavic tribes that settled there a century earlier and mixed with them forming a medieval Serbian nation. Serbian kings were crowned as Kings of all Serbs rather than Kings of Serbia, and were using the terms Serb lands rather than Serbia itself. This is because the Serbs were dispersed into several different tribal statelets such as Duklja and Travunija, rather than living in one unified country; however, the first unified state was achieved under the Vlastimirovic dynasty in the 9th century and has reemerged several times during Serbian history.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Serbia

Serbia is located in Europe, on the Balkan peninsula and in the Pannonian Plain. It is placed at the crossroads between Central, Southern and Eastern Europe. The Danube river (2850 km) flows through the northern third of the country; it is 588 km long and forms the border with Croatia and part of Romania. The Sava river forms the southern border of the Vojvodina province, flows into the Danube in central Belgrade, and bypasses the hills of the Fruška Gora in the west. Sixty kilometers to the northeast of Belgrade, the Tisa river flows into the Danube and ends its 1350 km long journey from Ukraine, and the partially navigable Timiş River (60 km/350 km) flows into the Danube near Pančevo. The Begej river (254 km) flows into Tisa near Titel. All five rivers are navigable, connecting the country with Northern and Western Europe (through the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal–North Sea route), to Eastern Europe (via the Tisa–, Timiş–, Begej– and Danube–Black sea routes) and to Southern Europe (via the Sava river).

Mountain ranges and major rivers of Serbia

The eastern border of the country is determined by the Carpathian Mountain range, which runs through the whole of Central Europe. The Carpathians meet the Balkan Mountains, following the course of Velika Morava, a 500 km long (partially navigable) river. Midžor peak is the highest point in Eastern Serbia at 2156 m. In the southeast, the Balkan Mountains meet the Rhodope Mountains, connecting the country with Greece. The Šar Mountain of Kosovo form the border with Albania, with one of the highest peaks in the region, Djeravica (2656 m). Dinaric Alps of Serbia follow the flow of the Drina river (at 350 km navigable for smaller vessels only) overlooking the Dinaric peaks on the other side of the shore in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Over one quarter of Serbia's overall landmass (27%) is covered by forest.

Climate

The Serbian climate varies between a continental climate in the north, with cold winters, and hot, humid summers with well distributed rainfall patterns, and a more Adriatic climate in the south with hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy inland snowfall. Differences in elevation, proximity to the Adriatic sea and large river basins, as well as the exposure to the winds account for climate differences. Vojvodina possesses typical continental climate, with air masses from Northern and Western Europe which shape its climatic profile. South and Southwest Serbia is subject to Mediterranean influences, however the Dinaric Alps and other mountain ranges contribute cooling down the biggest part of warm air masses. Winters are quite harsh in Sandžak because of the mountains which encircle that plateau.

Average annual air temperature for the period 1961–90 for the area with the altitude of up to 300 m amounts to 10.9 °C. The areas with the altitudes of 300 to 500 m have average annual temperature of around 10.0 °C, and over 1000 m of altitude around 6.0 °C.

National parks

Serbia has 5 national parks:

• Fruška Gora (250 km²)
• Kopaonik (120 km²)
• Tara (220 km²)
• Đerdap (640 km²)
• Šar-planina (390 km²) - in Kosovo and Metohija

History

Main article: History of Serbia

See also: List of Serbian monarchs and History of Yugoslavia

Serbia under the Vlastimirovic dynasty, as of 814

Crowning of Emperor Dusan, Skoplje, 1346

Serbia's strategic location between two continents has subjected it to invasions by many peoples. Belgrade is believed to have been leveled to the ground by 30 different armies in recorded history. Apart from being under nominal Serbian rule since the 7th century (having been allowed to settle in Byzantium by its emperor Heraclius), through history various parts of the territory of contemporary Serbia have been claimed or ruled by the Roman Empire (conquered the indigenous Celts and Illyrians); the Western- and the Eastern Roman Empires (challenged by the incursions of the Huns, the Ostrogoths, the Gepidae, the Sarmatians, the Avars, the Serbs, the Frankish Kingdom, the Croats, the Great Moravia, the Bulgarians). Serbs formed their first unified state under the Vlastimirovic dynasty by 812, at times disrupted by the wars with the aforementioned states. At first heavily dependent on the Byzantine Empire as its tributary, in time the Serbian state would achieve full independence, evolving into the Serbian Kingdom in 1217, and the Serbian Empire in 1345 under the rule of the House of Nemanjić.

Serbia reached an apogee in economy, law, military, and religion during the rule of the House of Nemanjić, especially during Emperor Stefan Dušan. As a result of internal struggle between the rival noble families, and heavy losses inflicted by the Ottomans, the Serbian Empire has dissolved into many statelets by the beginning of the 15th century. Early modern period saw the loss of Serbia's independence to the Kingdom of Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, while Modern Times witnessed the rise of the Habsburg Monarchy (known as the Austrian Empire, later Austria-Hungary), that fought many wars against the Ottomans for the supremacy over Serbia.

Following the success of two national revolutions between 1804-1817, Serbia overthrew Ottoman rule, emerging as the semi-independent Principality of Serbia. De facto independence was secured after the withdrawal of the last Ottoman forces in 1867. Formal independence of the country was internationally recognized at the Congress of Berlin in 1878. In 1882, Serbia was proclaimed a Kingdom. In the 20th century, following its expansion, Serbia was a major component of the various South Slavic states, including the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from 1918 to 1941 (renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929), the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1992, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1992 to 2003, and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro from 2003 to 2006. After Montenegro voted for independence from the State Union, Serbia officially proclaimed its independence on June 7, 2006, as the successor state to the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.

Early history

The proto-Serbs settled much of what is now Serbia proper, Montenegro, Bosnia and southern Dalmatia by 630 AD, assimilating with earlier South Slavic tribes and indigenous Balkan populations. According to some theories, they had been invited by the Byzantine emperor Heraclius to drive out the Avars. They were fully converted to Christianity by 865 AD. The roots of the Serbian state date back to the 7th century and the House of Vlastimirović, postulated to be the first Veljiki Zhupan (Grand Prince) of the various medieval Serbian prinipalities - Raska, Duklja, Travunia, Zahumlje, Pagania and Bosnia. However, a unified Serbian kingdom (centered around Duklja) was not established until the 11th century. It lasted until the end of the 12th century.

Medieval Serb kingdoms and the Empire

King Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia, late 13th century

Serbs existed in three distinctly independent kingdoms by the 14th century — Dioclea, Rascia, Bosnia and Syrmia. After the decline of the Serb Kingdom of Duklja, a new Kingdom arose in Raška in the 12th century, led by the Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja. In 1220, under Stefan the First Crowned, Serbia became a kingdom. In 1346, Stefan Dušan established the Serbian Empire. The House of Nemanjić ruled over Serbia from 1166 to 1371.

Under Dušan's rule, Serbia reached its territorial peak, becoming one of the larger states in Europe. In 1349 and 1354, Dušan also made and enforced Dušan's Code, a universal system of laws. By nature a soldier and a conqueror, Dušan did not make any systematic effort to stabilize or administer his gains, and the Empire began to dissolve soon after his death.

Golubac fortress overlooking the Danube river

The Empire had disintegrated by the historic Battle of Kosovo in 1389. The northern Serbian territories (the Serbian Despotate) were conquered in 1459 following the siege of the "temporary" capital Smederevo. Bosnia fell a few years after Smederevo, and Herzegovina in 1482. Belgrade was the last major Balkan city to endure Ottoman onslaughts, as it joined Catholic Kingdom of Hungary, following heavy Turkish defeat in Siege of Belgrade of 1456. It held out for another 70 years, succumbing to the Ottomans in 1521, alongside the greater part of the Kingdom of Hungary that was soon conquered. Another short lasting incarnation of the Serbian state was the one of Emperor Jovan Nenad in the 16th century Vojvodina, however it also collapsed and its territory was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, before finally passing to the Habsburg Empire, under which it would remain for about two centuries.

Ottoman/Austrian rule

Medieval fortress of Bač, Vojvodina

Following the collapse of the Serbian Empire following the Battle of Kosovo, most of Serbia was under Ottoman occupation between 1459 and 1804, despite three Austrian invasions and numerous rebellions (such as the Banat Uprising). Islam was in a period of expansion during this time, especially in Raška, Kosovo and Bosnia. The Ottoman period was a defining one in the history of the country; Slavic, Byzantine, Arabic and Turkish cultures suffused. Many contemporary cultural traits can be traced back to the Ottoman period. Most Serbs managed to keep their culture and religion through the long period of Ottoman rule, however. The northern third of the modern country, Vojvodina, endured a century long Ottoman occupation before passing to Habsburg Empire in the end of the 17th century and beginning of the 18th century, only to proclaim secession from Austria-Hungary in 1918.

Karađorđe Petrović, leader of the First Serbian uprising in 1804

Principality of Serbia/Crownland of Vojvodina

The First Serbian Uprising of 1804–13, led by Đorđe Petrović (also known as Karađorđe or "Black George"), and the Second Serbian Uprising of 1815 resulted in autonomy and self-governance of the new Principality of Serbia (previously Pashaluk of Belgrade) from the Porte. As it was semi-independent from the Ottoman Empire, it is considered to be the precursor of the formation of modern Serbia. After the Ottomans were definitely expelled in 1867, Serbia de facto secured its sovereignty, which was formally recognized internationally at the Congress of Berlin in 1878.

From 1815 to 1903, the Serbian state was ruled by the House of Obrenović, except from 1842 to 1858, when Serbia was ruled by Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević. In 1903, the House of Obrenović was replaced by the House of Karađorđević, who were descendants of Đorđe Petrović.

Austrian and Ottoman Serbia in 1849

In 1848, Serbs in the northern part of present-day Serbia, which was ruled by the Austrian Empire, established an autonomous region known as the Serbian Vojvodina. As of 1849, the region was transformed into a new Austrian crown land known as the Vojvodina of Serbia and Tamiš Banat. Although the crown land was abolished in 1860, the Serbs from the Vojvodina region gained another opportunity to achieve their political demands in 1918.

Independent kingdom

The struggle for liberty, modern society and a nation-state in Serbia lasted almost three decades and was completed with the adoption of the constitution on 15 February 1835. In 1876, Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia declared war against the Ottoman Empire and proclaimed their unification. However, the 1878 Treaty of Berlin, which was signed at the Congress of Berlin by the Great Powers, granted complete independence only to Serbia and Montenegro, leaving Bosnia and Sanjak of Novi Pazar to Austria-Hungary, who blocked their unification until the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913 and World War I.

File:Kralj Petar I Karadjordjevic.jpg

King Petar I Karađorđević, Serbian leader in the First World War

Serbian casualties in WWI were 8%

On 28 June 1914 the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria at Sarajevo in Austria-Hungary by Gavrilo Princip, a South Slav unionist, Austrian citizen and member of Young Bosnia, led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia. The Russian Empire started to mobilize its troops in defense of its ally Serbia, which resulted in the German Empire declaring war on Russia in support of its ally Austria-Hungary. However, as German military planners wished to avoid a war on two fronts against both Russia and France, they attacked France first. This eventually culminated in all the major European Powers being drawn into the war. The Serbian Army won several major victories against Austria-Hungary at the beginning of World War I, but it was overpowered by the joint forces of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria in 1915. Most of its army and some people went to exile to Greece and Corfu where it healed, regrouped and returned to Macedonian front (World War I) to lead a final breakthrough through enemy lines on 15 September 1918, freeing Serbia again. In World War I, Serbia had 1,264,000 casualties — 28% of its total population, and 58% of its male population.

First Yugoslavia/WWII and the Serbian genocide

On December 1st 1918, Serbia became the founding member of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later known as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During World War II, Serbia was a German-occupied puppet state that included present-day Central Serbia and Banat, popularly called Nedić's Serbia. However, parts of the present-day territory of Serbia were occupied by Croatian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Albanian, and Italian armies. During that period, Serbs, Jews and Roma in the Nazi- sponsored Independent State of Croatia have been subjected to a large-scale genocide, particularly in the infamous Jasenovac concentration camp, for not complying with the Nazi and Ustaše racial policies . Between 300,000 and 700,000 people, predominately of Serbian origin, have perished during this genocide. Around 32,000 Jews added to the victim count.

File:IM000818.jpg

Jasenovac concentration camp, a WWII memorial in present-day Croatia, 60 years on.

Republican era

In 1945, Serbia was established as one of the federal units of the second Yugoslavia, the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia, led by Josip Broz Tito until his death in 1980. In 1989, the League of Communists of Serbia selected Slobodan Milošević to become the republic's President. Milošević was controversial in Yugoslavia because he opposed Kosovo's autonomy and that his rise to power through the Anti-bureaucratic revolution was done through mass protests which pushed out the leadership of the autonomous provinces and also the republic of Montenegro. He also aggravated the situation in post-Tito Yugoslavia by alleging that certain politicians in Yugoslavia were anti-Serb. Milošević's nationalist stand on Kosovo and desire to strengthen Serbia's position in Yugoslavia. The republics of Yugoslavia including Serbia all adopted multi-party systems in 1990. Milosevic and the Communist establishment were elected under the Socialist Party of Serbia. In the other republics, except for Montenegro, secessionist governments were elected.

By 1992, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina had all declared independence from Yugoslavia, resulting in the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic and the outbreak of war. Serbia, together with Montenegro, formed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992. The Serbian government supported Croatian and Bosnian Serbs in the Yugoslav wars from 1991 to 1995. As a result, sanctions were imposed by the UN, which led to political isolation and economic decline.

Serbia's official peace was broken between 1998 and 1999, when the situation in Kosovo worsened with continued clashes in Kosovo between the Serbian and Yugoslav security forces and the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). The Serbian actions in Kosovo prompted a NATO aerial bombardment which lasted for 78 days. The attacks were ended following a negotiation on the Republic of Macedonia-FR Yugoslav border between NATO spokesperson Mike Jackson and officials on behalf of Milošević, in which Milošević would withdraw all security forces, including the military and the police, and have them replaced by a body of international police. The agreement upheld Yugoslav (later Serbian) sovereignty over Kosovo but replaced Serbian government of the province with a UN administration (See: Kosovo War and UNMIK). NATO also surrendered its bid to station NATO troops across the whole Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which had been one of its demands at the Rambouillet negotiations prior to the bombing campaign.

In September 2000, opposition parties claimed that Milošević committed fraud in routine federal elections. Street protests and rallies throughout Serbia eventually forced Milošević to concede and hand over power to the recently formed Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS), a broad coalition of anti-Milošević parties. The fall of Milošević led to end of the international isolation Serbia suffered during the Milošević years. Serbia's new leaders announced that Serbia would seek to join the European Union. In October 2005, the EU opened negotiations with Serbia for a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), a preliminary step towards joining the EU.Negotiations were continued after a short break.

Serbia and Montenegro

From 2003 to 2006, Serbia was part of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, into which the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had been transformed. On 21 May 2006 Montenegro held a referendum to determine whether or not to end the union with Serbia. The next day, state-certified results showed 55.5% of voters in favor of independence, which was just above the 55% required by the referendum. The BBC has referred to this breakup as the"Balkan Divorce".

Republic of Serbia

On 5 June 2006 National Assembly of Serbia declared Serbia the legal successor to the State Union, following the decision of the people of Montenegro expressed at the independence referendum.

Government and politics

National Assembly of Serbia

Main article: Politics of Serbia

See also: Foreign relations of Serbia, Politics of Vojvodina, Elections in Serbia, Human rights in Serbia, and Constitutional status of Kosovo

On 4 February 2003 the parliament of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia agreed to a weaker form of cooperation between Serbia and Montenegro within a confederal state called Serbia and Montenegro. The Union ceased to exist following Montenegrin and Serbian declarations of independence in June 2006.

After the ousting of Slobodan Milošević on 5 October 2000, the country was governed by the Democratic Opposition of Serbia. Tensions gradually increased within the coalition until the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) left the government, leaving the Democratic Party (DS) in overall control. Nevertheless, in March 2004 the DSS gathered enough support to form the new Government of Serbia, together with G17 Plus and coalition SPO–NS, and the support of the Socialist Party of Serbia, who do not take part in the government, but in exchange for the support hold minor government and justice positions and influence policies. The Prime Minister of Serbia is Vojislav Koštunica, leader of the Democratic Party of Serbia.

The current President of Serbia is Boris Tadić, leader of the Democratic Party (DS). He was elected with 53% of the vote in the second round of the Serbian presidential election held on 27 June 2004, following several unsuccessful elections since 2002.

Serbia held a two-day referendum on October 28 and October 29, 2006, that ratified a new constitution to replace the Milošević-era constitution.

Serbia held Parliamentary elections on 21 January 2007. The Serbian Radical Party claimed victory, but no party has won an absolute majority.

On 8 May 2007, Tomislav Nikolić was elected Speaker of the Serbian Parliament, which sparked a great deal of speculation about Serbia's political future, particularly from the European Union, the United States and international media. Following last-minute negotiations on the part of the DS and DSS political parties, an agreement was reached on the make-up of the country's new government on 11 May 2007 between DS, DSS and G17 Plus. This led to Nikolić's resignation two days later on 13 May 2007.

Administrative subdivisions

Main article: Subdivisions of Serbia

Serbia is divided into 29 districts plus the City of Belgrade. The districts and the city of Belgrade are further divided into municipalities. Serbia has two autonomous provinces: Kosovo and Metohija in the south (5 districts, 30 municipalities), and Vojvodina in the north (7 districts, 46 municipalities). Kosovo is presently under the administration of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo; international negotiations began in 2006 to determine its final status (See Kosovo status process).

The part of Serbia that is neither in Kosovo nor in Vojvodina is called Central Serbia. Central Serbia is not an administrative division, unlike the two autonomous provinces, and it has no regional government of its own. In English this region is often called "Serbia proper" to denote "the part of the Republic of Serbia not including the provinces of Vojvodina and Kosovo", as the Library of Congress puts it. This usage was also employed in Serbo-Croatian during the Yugoslav era (in the form of "uža Srbija", literally: "narrow Serbia"). Its use in English is purely geographical, without any particular political meaning being implied.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Serbia

See also: Demographic history of Serbia, Demographic history of Vojvodina, Demographic history of Kosovo, and Ethnic groups of Vojvodina

File:Serbiaetno03.png

Ethnic map of Serbia according to the 2002 census.

Population statistics of Serbia (Estimate May 2005)

• Serbia (total): 9,396,411
  • Vojvodina: 2,116,725
  • Central Serbia: 5,479,686
  • Kosovo: 1,800,000

Serbia (excluding Kosovo) in 2002 Serbs   82.86% Other   9.79% Hungarians   3.91% Bosniaks   1.82% Roma   1.44% Yugoslavs   1.08%

Serbia is populated mostly by Serbs. Significant minorities include Albanians (who are a majority in the province of Kosovo), Hungarians, Bosniaks, Roma, Croats, Slovaks, Montenegrins, Macedonians, Bulgarians, Romanians, etc. The two provinces, Vojvodina and Kosovo, are ethnically and religiously diverse.

According to the last official census data collected in 2002, ethnic composition of Serbia is:

• Total: 7,498,001
  • Serbs: 6,212,844 (82.86%)
  • Hungarians: 293,172 (3.91%)
  • Bosniaks: 136,464 (1.82%)
  • Roma: 107,971 (1.44%)
  • Yugoslavs: 80,978 (1.08%)
  • Others (each less than 1%): 666,572 (8.89%)

The census was not conducted in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo, which is under administration by the United Nations. According to the EU estimates however, the overall population is estimated at 2,000,000 inhabitants, of whom 90% are Albanians, 8% Serbs and others 2%.

Refugees and IDPs in Serbia form between 7% and 7.5% of its population- about half a million refugees sought refuge in the country following the series of Yugoslav wars (from Croatia mainly, to an extent Bosnia and Herzegovina too and the IDPs from Kosovo, which are the most numerous at over 200,000) Serbia has the largest refugee population in Europe.

Cities

Main article: List of cities in Serbia

Belgrade, the capital city

File:Tvrdjava1.jpg

The Niš Fortress

File:Petrovaradinskatvrdjavamq3.jpg

Petrovaradin fortress and Novi Sad

Major cities (over 50,000 inhabitants in urban area) — 2002 census data (2005 data for Belgrade and Novi Sad).

City	Population
	Urban	Metropolitan
Belgrade	1,304,219	1,596,667
Novi Sad	255,071	333,895
Niš	236,722	252,131
Kragujevac	147,473	211,580
Subotica	99,471	147,758
Zrenjanin	79,545	131,509
Leskovac	78,030	156,252
Smederevo	77,808	109,867
Pančevo	77,087	127,162
Kruševac	75,256	131,368
Čačak	73,217	117,012
Užice	63,577	83,022
Valjevo	61,035	96,761
Kraljevo	57,411	121,707
Šabac	55,240	122,893
Vranje	55,052	87,288
Novi Pazar	54,604	85,249
Sombor	51,471	97,263

• The following are major cities (over 50,000 inhabitants in urban area) in Kosovo and Metohija, according to World Gazetteer estimates: Priština (271,532), Prizren (171,464), Uroševac (101,353), Djakovica (100,311), Peć (97,250), Gnjilane (94,990), Kosovska Mitrovica (88,006), Podujevo (50,642).

Religion

Main article: Religion in Serbia

Serbia (excluding Kosovo) in 2002
religion			percent
Eastern Orthodoxy			84.1%
Roman Catholicism			6.24%
Islam			4.82%
Protestantism			1.44%

For centuries straddling the religious boundary between Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism, joined up later by the penetration of Islam, Serbia remains one of the most diverse countries on the continent. Centuries on, different regions of Serbia remain heavily cosmopolitan: Kosovo province houses a 90% Muslim community, Vojvodina province is 25% Catholic or Protestant, while Central Serbia and Belgrade regions are over 90% Orthodox Christian.

Among the predominant Orthodox Christian countries of Europe, Serbia is the westernmost. According to the 2002 Census , 82% of the population of Serbia (excluding Kosovo) or 6,2 million people declared their nationality as Serbian, who are overwhelmingly adherents of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Other Orthodox Christian communities in Serbia include Montenegrins, Romanians, Macedonians, Bulgarians, Vlachs etc. Together they comprise about 84% of the entire population.

Catholicism is mostly present in Vojvodina (mainly in its northern part), where almost 20% of the regional population (belonging to different ethnic groups such as the Hungarians, Slovaks, Croats, Bunjevci, Czechs, etc) belong to this Christian denomination. There are an estimated 433,000 baptized Catholics in Serbia, roughly 6,2% of the population, mostly bounded to the northern province.

Protestantism accounts for about 1,5 % of the country's population.

Islam has a strong historic populous in the southern regions of Serbia - Raska region, several municipalities in the south-east, and especially in the southern province of Kosovo. Bosniaks are the largest Muslim community in Serbia (excluding Kosovo) at about 140,000 (2%), followed by Albanians (1%), Turks, Arabs etc.

With the exile of Jews from Spain during the infamous Inquisition era thousands of both individuals and families escaping that horror made their way through Europe to the Balkans. A goodly number settled in Serbia and became part of the general population. They were well accepted and during the ensuing generations the majority assimilated or became traditional or secular rather than remain orthodox Jews as had been the original immigrants. Later on the wars that ravaged the region resulted in a great part of the Serbian Jewish population either being killed or escaping to other regions for hopefully safer abodes in Yugoslavia and Austria-Hungary.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Serbia

World Bank economy estimates for 2007

With a GDP for 2007 estimated at $54.547 billion, which is $7 265 per capita Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), ($5 397 nominal), Republic of Serbia is considered an upper-middle income economy by the World Bank . The GDP growth rate in 2006 was 5.8%. Growth in 2005 was 6.3% FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in 2006 was $5.85 billion or €4.5 billion. FDI for 2007 is currently estimated at around $2.5 Billion, while nominal GDP figures are estimated to have reached $5 600 (October 2007).Average net salary in October 2007 was 28.720 dinars (363 €).

Serbia has an economy based mostly on various services, industry and agriculture. In the late 1980s, at the beginning of the process of economic transition, its position was favorable, but it was gravely impacted by UN economic sanctions 1992–95, the damage to infrastructure and industry during the NATO air strikes in 1999, as well as having problems from losing the markets of ex-Yugoslavia and Comecon. Main economic problems include high unemployment and an insufficient amount of economic reforms.

Serbia grows about one-third of the world's raspberries and is the leading frozen fruit exporter.

Nikola Tesla on 100 Serbian dinar banknote

After the ousting of former Federal Yugoslav President Milošević in October 2000, the country experienced faster economic growth (the amount of economic growth in 2006 was 6.3 percent), and has been preparing for membership in the European Union, its most important trading partner. Serbia suffers from high export/import trade deficit and considerable national debt. The country expects some major economic impulses and high growth rates in the next years. Serbia has been occasionally called a "Balkan tiger" because of its recent high economic growth rates, a reference to the East Asian Tigers.

Serbia has been very successful in economic reforms since the 2000 revolution, especially in the past three years in which growth has averaged 6 – 7 percent, and foreign direct investment is at record levels.

Culture

Main article: Serbian culture

The White Angel in Mileševa monastery, mid 13th century

Serbia is one of Europe's most culturally diverse countries. The borders between large empires ran through the territory of today's Serbia for long periods in history: between the Eastern and Western halves of the Roman Empire; between Kingdom of Hungary, Bulgarian Empire, Frankish Kingdom and Byzantium; and between the Ottoman Empire and the Austrian Empire (later Austria-Hungary). As a result, while the north is culturally "Central European", the south is rather more "Oriental". Of course, both regions have influenced each other, and so the distinction between north and south is artificial to some extent.

The Byzantine Empire's influence on Serbia was perhaps the greatest. Serbs are Orthodox Christians with their own national church — the Serbian Orthodox Church. They use both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets, as a result of both Eastern and Western influences. The monasteries of Serbia, built largely in the Middle Ages, are one of the most valuable and visible traces of medieval Serbia's association with the Byzantium and the Orthodox World, but also with the Romanic (Western) Europe that Serbia had close ties with back in Middle Ages. Most of Serbia's queens still remembered today in Serbian history were of foreign origin, including Hélène d'Anjou (a cousin of Charles I of Sicily), Anna Dondolo (daughter of the Doge of Venice, Enrico Dandolo), Catherine of Hungary, and Symonide of Byzantium.

Serbia has eight cultural sites marked on the UNESCO World Heritage list: Stari Ras and Sopoćani monasteries (included in 1979), Studenica Monastery (1986), the Medieval Serbian Monastic Complex in Kosovo, comprising: Dečani Monastery, Our Lady of Ljeviš, Gračanica and Patriarchate of Pec- (2004, put on the endangered list in 2006), and Gamzigrad - Romuliana, Palace of Galerius, added in 2007. Likewise, there are 2 literary memorials added on the UNESCO's list as a part of the Memory of the World Programme: Miroslav Gospels, handwriting from the 12th century (added in 2005), and Nikola Tesla's archive (2003).

Tourism

Felix Romuliana imperial palace, one of 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Serbia

Main article: Tourism in Serbia

See also: Agrotourism in Serbia

Tourism in Serbia is mostly focused on the villages and mountains of the country. The most famous mountain resorts are Zlatibor, Kopaonik, and the Tara. There are also many spas in Serbia, one the biggest of which is Vrnjačka Banja. Other spas include Soko Banja and Niška Banja. There is a significant amount of tourism in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš. Two popular festivals, the Exit Festival and the Guča trumpet festival are held in Serbia, and in 2006, over two million tourists visited the country.

Education

Main article: Education in Serbia

Headquarters of the Belgrade University, pictured in 1890

Education in Serbia is regulated by the Serbian Ministry of Education and Sports. Education starts in either pre-schools or elementary schools. Children enroll in elementary schools ([Osnovna škola / Основна школа] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)) at age of 7 and it lasts for eight years. First university in Serbia was founded in revolutionarry Belgrade in 1808 as a Great Academy, the precursor of the contemporary University of Belgrade. The oldest college (faculty) within current borders of Serbia dates back to 1778, in the city of Sombor, then Habsburg Empire.

Serbian holidays

Date	Name	Notes
January 7	Orthodox Christmas
February 15	Sretenje (Dan državnosti)	Serbian National Day
April 6	Orthodox Good Friday	Date for 2007 only
April 8	Orthodox Easter	Date for 2007 only
April 9	Orthodox Easter Monday	Date for 2007 only
May 1 / May 2	Labour Day
May 9	Victory Day	working holiday
June 28	Vidovdan (Dan Srba palih za otadžbinu)	working holiday

Infrastructure

Communications

Main article: Communications in Serbia

89% of households in Serbia have fixed telephone lines, and 90% of the population have cell phones, accounting to 8 million users (Telekom Srbija – 5 million, Telenor and Mobilkom sharing the rest). 49% of households have computers, 27% use the internet, and 42% have cable TV.

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Serbia

Serbia, in particular the valley of the Morava, is often described as "the crossroads between East and West", which is one of the primary reasons for its turbulent history. The Morava valley route, which avoids mountainous regions, is by far the easiest way of traveling overland from continental Europe to Greece and Asia Minor.

European routes E65, E70, E75 and E80, as well as the E662, E761, E762, E763, E771, and E851 pass through the country. The E70 westwards from Belgrade and most of the E75 are modern highways of motorway / autobahn standard or close to that. As of 2005, Serbia has 1,481,498 registrated cars, 16,042 motocycles, 9,626 buses, 116,440 trucks, 28,222 special transport vehicles, 126,816 tractors, and 101,465 trailers.

The Danube River, central Europe's connection to the Black Sea, flows through Serbia.

There are four international airports in Serbia: Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, Niš Constantine the Great Airport, Vršac International Airport and Priština International Airport (located in Kosovo, under Serbian sovereignty but under UN administration since 1999).

The national airline carrier is Jat Airways and the railway system is operated by Beovoz in Belgrade and by Serbian Railways on the national level.

See also

• Military of Serbia
• List of Serbs
• List of computer systems from Serbia
• Radio Television of Serbia
• Timeline of Serbian history
• Serbian passport

References

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•  This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA.

External links

Government links

(In alphabetical order of domain name.)

• People's Office of Serbian President
• National Bank of Serbia
• National Assembly of Serbia
• President of the Republic of Serbia
• The EU integration Office of Serbian Government
• National Tourism Organisation of Serbia
• Serbian Government
• Republic of Serbia Statistical Office
• Belgrade Travel Guide, Serbia

Other links

• CIA World Factbook profile on Serbia

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