Serbia
Serbia, officially the
Republic of Serbia (
Serbian Cyrillic:
Република Србија,
Latin:
Republika Srbija, ), is a
landlocked country in
Central and
Southeastern Europe, covering the central part of the
Balkan Peninsula and the southern part of the
Pannonian Plain. The capital is
Belgrade. Serbia borders
Hungary to the north;
Romania and
Bulgaria to the east; the
Republic of Macedonia and
Albania to the south; and
Montenegro,
Croatia, and
Republika Srpska (part of
Bosnia and Herzegovina) to the west.
Following its
uprisings against Turkish yoke between
1804 and
1815, Serbia was established as an autonomous state which obtained formal independence in
1878. Victorious in
Balkan wars and
World War I, for nearly a century Serbia was part of various
South Slavic states, including the Kingdom of the
Serbs,
Croats and
Slovenes from
1918 to
1941 (re-named 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 to leave the State Union, Serbia officially proclaimed its independence on
June 5,
2006, as the
successor state to the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.
Serbia is located in the
Balkans (a historically and geographically distinct region of southeastern
Europe) and in the
Pannonian Plain (a region of central Europe). It shares borders with
Albania,
Montenegro,
Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Bulgaria,
Croatia,
Hungary, the
Republic of Macedonia, and
Romania. Serbia is
landlocked, although the
Danube River provides shipping access to inland Europe and the
Black Sea.
Serbia's terrain ranges from the rich, fertile plains of the northern
Vojvodina region, limestone ranges and basins in the east, and, in the southeast, ancient mountains and hills. The north is dominated by the Danube River. A tributary, the Morava River, flows through the more mountainous southern regions.
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.
Cities
Major cities (over 100,000 inhabitants) - 2002 census data, for
Kosovo and Metohija current
World Gazetteer estimates (unofficial):
*
Beograd (Belgrade): 1,273,651 (inner city area); 1,576,124 (with suburbs)
*
Novi Sad: 215,659 (298,139 greater metropolitan area)
*
Priština: between 200,000 (2002 estimate) and 262,686 (2006 estimate)
*
Niš: 173,724 (250,518 greater metropolitan area)
*
Kragujevac: 147.473 (180.252 greater metropolitan area)
*
Prizren: between 121,000 (2002 estimate) and 165,227 (2006 estimate)
*
Subotica: 99,471 (147,758 greater metropolitan area)
National parks
Serbia has five
national parks:
*
Fruška Gora (250 km²)
*
Kopaonik (120 km²)
*
Tara (220 km²)
*
Đerdap (
Iron Gate) (640 km²)
*
Šar-planina (390 km²)
Medieval Serbia
The roots of the Serbian state date back to the
7th century and the
House of Vlastimirović. A Serbian kingdom (centered around
Duklja) was established in the
11th century. It lasted until the end of the 12th century.
The medieval Serbian state was re-formed in the
Raška region in the 12th century by the Serbian
Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja. In
1220, under
Stefan the First Crowned, Serbia became a kingdom, and in
1346,
Stefan Dušan established the
Serbian Empire. The Empire was disintegrated and fell to the
Ottoman Turks after the historic
Battle of Kosovo in
1389. The northern Serbian territories (the
Serbian Despotate) were totally conquered in
1459 when
Smederevo fell.
Bosnia fell a few years after Smederevo, and
Herzegovina in
1482.
Ottoman Serbia
Following the collapse of
Serbian Empire in
Battle of Kosovo, between
1459 and
1804, Serbia was under the
Ottoman occupation, despite three
Austrian invasions and numerous rebellions (such as the
Banat Uprising).
Islam was in a period of expansion during this time, especially in
Raska,
Kosovo and
Bosnia. Many
Serbs (and
Croats) converted to Islam, which eventually led to the forming of the
Bosniak nation. 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 Ottoman period.
Modern Serbia
Main article: History of Modern Serbia
The First Serbian Uprising of 1804-1813, led by Đorđe Petrović (also known as
Karađorđe'' or "Black George"), and the
Second Serbian Uprising of
1815 resulted in the establishment of the
Principality of Serbia. As it was semi-independent from the Ottoman Empire, it is considered to be the precursor of the formation of
modern Serbia.
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.
The struggle for a modern society, human rights and a nation-state lasted almost three decades and was completed with the adoption of the constitution on 15th February 1835. In 1876,
Montenegro, Serbia, and
Bosnia declared war against the Ottoman Empire and proclaimed their unification. However, the
Treaty of Berlin of 1878, which was signed at the
Congress of Berlin by the
Great Powers, granted complete independence only to Serbia and Montenegro, leaving Bosnia and
Raška to
Austria-Hungary, who blocked their unification until the
Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913 and
WWI.
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 subject and member of
Young Bosnia, led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia. The
Russian Empire started to mobilise its troops in defence 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 during
World War I, but it was finally overpowered by the joint forces of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. In World War I, Serbia had 1,264,000 casualties " 28% of its total population, and 58% of its male population.
Between the wars
After 1918, Serbia, along with
Montenegro, was a 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. The occupying powers committed numerous crimes against the civilian population, especially against Serbs and Jews.
Post WWII
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.
After the collapse of the second Yugoslavia in 1992 until the year
2003, Serbia, together with Montenegro, was part of the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Despite the civil wars in neighbouring
Croatia and
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia remained peaceful until 1998, when the clashes with K.L.A. started in Kosovo.
Between 1998 and 1999, continued clashes in Kosovo between Serbian and Yugoslav security forces and the
K.L.A. prompted a
NATO aerial bombardment which lasted for 78 days. The attacks were stopped when Yugoslav president
Slobodan Milošević agreed to remove all security forces, including the military and the police, and have them replaced by a body of international police, in return for which Kosovo would formally remain within the Yugoslav Federation (See:
Kosovo War).
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
May 21,
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. On
June 3, the
Parliament of Montenegro declared
Montenegro independent of the State Union and on
June 5, the
National Assembly of Serbia declared Serbia the successor to the State Union.
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
commonwealth 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.
Administrative subdivisions
Serbia is divided into 29 districts (5 of which are in
Kosovo, currently
UN-administered) and the
City of Belgrade. The districts are further divided into 108 municipalities. Serbia two autonomous provinces:
Kosovo and Metohija in the south (30 municipalities), which is presently under the administration of the
United Nations, and
Vojvodina in the north (46 municipalities).
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 [
1]. This usage was also employed in
Serbo-Croatian during the Yugoslav era (in the form of "uža Srbija" literally: narrower Serbia). Its use in English is purely geographical without any particular political meaning being implied.
|
Slovaks in Serbia during a traditional dance |
Serbia is populated mostly by
Serbs. Significant
minorities include
Albanians (who are a majority in the province of
Kosovo-Metohia),
Hungarians,
Bosniaks,
Roma,
Croats,
Slovaks,
Bulgarians,
Romanians, etc. Serbia consists of three territories: the province of
Kosovo and Metohia, the province of
Vojvodina and
Central Serbia (
Serbian Cyrillic: Централна Србија,
Serbian Latin: Centralna Srbija,
English: Central Serbia. Note: The English language sometimes uses the varieties such are "Serbia proper" or "Narrower Serbia"). The two provinces are ethnically diverse, which originates in the fact, that the country has been organised from parts ruled by the former
Muslim Ottoman Empire in the south and parts ruled by the former
Catholic Habsburg Empire in the north.
The northern province of
Vojvodina is the most developed part of the country in terms of economic strength. Together with the
former Yugoslav republics of
Slovenia,
Croatia and
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vojvodina was under the administration of
Austria-Hungary before the First World War. Vojvodina is one of the most ethnically diverse territories in Europe, with more than 25 different national communities. According to the last completed census (
2002), the province has a population of about 2 million, of which:
Serbs 65%,
Hungarians 14.3%,
Slovaks 2.79%,
Croats 2.78%, undeclared 2.71%,
Yugoslavs 2.45%,
Montenegrins 1.75%,
Romanians 1.50%,
Roma 1.43%,
Bunjevci 0.97%,
Ruthenians 0.77%,
Macedonians 0.58%, regional affiliation 0.50%,
Ukrainians 0.23%, others (
Albanians,
Slovenians,
Germans,
Poles,
Chinese etc).
Population statistics of Serbia (Estimate May 2005):*Serbia (total): 9,396,411
**
Vojvodina: 2,116,725
**
Central Serbia: 5,479,686
**
Kosovo and Metohija: 1,800,000
The demographic projections of the future population of Serbia predict that in 2030, the population of Serbia would be composed of 7,200,000 Albanians and 6,300,000 Serbs. The projections are based on the fact that ethnic Albanian population in Serbia increase double every twenty years (for example 646,000 Albanians in 1961, 1,226,000 Albanians in 1981), while ethnic Serb population rest on a number of approximately 6,000,000 (for example 6,016,000 Serbs in 1971, 6,352,000 Serbs in 2002). The slight increase in the Serb population is attributable to the huge influxes of Serb refugees from
Bosnia-Herzegovina and
Croatia in the 1990s due to the
Yugoslav Wars rather than to natural growth of the population.
;GDP and growth::
| Gross Domestic Product |
|---|
Real GDP (PPP): $41.15 billion (2005 est.) (Source: CIA [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sr.html#Econ])
$43.46 billion (2005 est.; for former Serbia and Montenegro) (Source: IMF [2]) |
Real GDP per capita (PPP): $4,400 (2005 est.) (Source: CIA [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sr.html#Econ])
$5,203 (2005 est.; for former Serbia and Montenegro) (Source: IMF [3]) |
Real GDP (exchange rate conversion):$19.19 billion (2005 est.; excl. Kosovo) (Source: CIA [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sr.html#Econ])
$26.59 billion (2005 est.; for former Serbia and Montenegro) (Source: IMF [4]) |
Real GDP per capita (exchange rate conversion):
$3183.76 (2005 est.; for former Serbia and Montenegro) (Source: IMF [5]) |
| Real GDP growth rate (2005): 5.9% (2005 est.; excl. Kosovo) (Source: CIA [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sr.html#Econ]) |
| Other statistics |
|---|
| Industrial production growth rate: 7.1% (2004), 1.3% (2005) |
| Unemployment rate: 20.0% (2005) (31.6% with Kosovo) |
| Inflation: 15.5% (2005) |
| Foreign debt: $15.43 Billion (2005) |
| FDI (2005): $1 481 Million (Source: NBS [6]) |
|
|
The Gusle, Serbian national music instrument |
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; 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, not
Roman Catholics, with their own national church - the
Serb 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, but also with the Romanic (Western) Europe that Serbia had close ties with back in middle ages.
Education
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 (
Serbian:
Osnovna škola) at age of 7 and it lasts for eight years.
Tourism
Tourism in Serbia is mostly based in mountains and villages. The most famous mountain resorts are
Zlatibor,
Kopaonik, and the
Tara. There also are a lot of spas in Serbia, one the biggest of which is the
Vrnjačka Banja. There is also significant tourism in
Belgrade and
Novi Sad (the capital of the
Vojvodina province), as well to the
Exit Festival and the
Guča trumpet festival.
Serbian holidays
See also
*
Serbian language*
Serbo-Croatian language*
Serbian literature*
Music of Serbia**
Serbian hip hop*
Serbian cuisine*
Serbian art*
Religion in Serbia*
Religion in Vojvodina*
Serbian Orthodox Church*
Famous Serbian people*
Culture of Serbs in Vojvodina*
Culture of Serbs in Kosovo*
Savez Izviđača Srbije*
Serbian Unity Congress*
Serbian citizenshipCommunications
Transportation
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 travelling 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.
The
Danube River,
central Europe's connection to the
Black Sea, flows through Serbia.
There are three international airports in Serbia:
Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport,
Niš Constantine the Great Airport, and
Priština International Airport (last one is located in the Serbian province of
Kosovo). Three regional airports are being reconstruct at the moment, and by the end of 2006, the number of international airports in Serbia will increase.
The national carrier is
Jat Airways and the railway system is operated by
Beovoz in
Belgrade and by
Serbian Railways on the national level.
* On
August 17 2004 the
National Assembly of Serbia adopted
Bože Pravde as the country's
anthem.
* In addition, the
Obrenović royal coat of arms now replaces the
Coat of Arms of Serbia adopted after
World War II. It was first used in the
19th century. The arms are those of the royal Obrenović dynasty; they are used in two versions, the large (pictured) and small (just the central shield with eagle and crown surmounting). Use of these arms is 'recommended' which means that the coat of arms is not yet official. It will become so if adoption of the Obrenović arms is approved by more than 50% of the voters in a constitutional referendum.
*
1564 Srbija Asteroid is discovered by
Milorad B. Protić and named after Serbia.
* Serbia grows about one-third of the world's
raspberries.
* Serbian industries: machine building (aircraft, trucks, and automobiles; tanks and weapons; electrical equipment; agricultural machinery); metallurgy (steel, aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, chromium, antimony, bismuth, cadmium); mining (coal, bauxite, nonferrous ore, iron ore, limestone); consumer goods (textiles, footwear, foodstuffs, appliances); electronics, petroleum products, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals (
CIA Fact Book 2006)
* As a newly independent state, Serbia will deal with assigment of international
country codes.
* Serbia and Montenegro were represented by
a single football team in the
2006 FIFA World Cup tournament, despite having formally split just days prior to its start. Following this event, this team is to be inherited by Serbia, while a new one is to be organized to represent Montenegro in future international competition.
Image:Kalemegdan.jpg.png|Kalemegdan, BelgradeImage:Pogled sa Save-big.jpg|The historical urban core of Belgrade (view from river Sava)Image:Zdf.jpg|UžiceImage:Nis-at-night.jpg|Niš
Monument to the liberatorsImage:Kosovo government.jpg|Modern office tower of government in Priština/PrishtinëImage:Theatre in subotica.jpg|National Theatre in SuboticaImage:HPIM0229.JPG|City Hall and monument of king Peter I of Yugoslavia, ZrenjaninImage:Citadel_Petrovaradin.jpg|Petrovaradin Citadel over Danube (Novi Sad)Image:Golubac.JPG|Medieval castle in GolubacImage:EXIT02 Jul6 2002.jpg|EXIT festivalImage:Resavska pecina.JPG|Resavska cave near DespotovacImage:Pejzaz9.jpg|Zlatibor tourist center*
Central Serbia*
Vojvodina*
Kosovo*
Balkans*
Central Europe*
List of Serbs*
List of computer systems from Serbia*
Serbian Campaign (World War I)Government links
(In alphabetical order of the domain name.)*
People's Office of Serbian President*
National Bank of Serbia*
International Radio Serbia *
RTS - Serbian Broadcasting Corporation*
The EU integration Office of Serbian Government*
National Tourism Organisation of Serbia*
Serbian Government*
Republic of Serbia Statistical Office*
National Assembly of Serbia*
Tanjug - National News AgencyOther external links
(In alphabetical order.)*
B92 News portal
*
Blic Newspaper
*[https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/rb.html CIA World Factbook profile on Serbia]
*
Glas Javnosti Newspaper
*
Krstarica Web Portal
*
Foundation Rastko*
Serbian Unity Congressroa-rup:Sârbiizh-yue:塞爾維亞
