Serbia

Local name Srbija

Timezone GMT +1 Area 88 361 km²/34 107 sq mi Population total (2002e) 7 500 000 (excluding Kosovo) Status Republic Capital Belgrade Languages Serbian (official) Ethnic groups Serbian (83%), Hungarian (4%), Bosniak (2%), Roma (1·5%), Yugoslavs (1%), many others under 1% Religions Serbian Orthodox, Muslim, Roman Catholic, other Christian Physical features Landlocked country located in central Balkan Peninsula; mainly flat in N, mountainous in C and S areas; land rises to Dinaric Alps (W) and Stara Planina (E); fertile Danubian plain in NE; chief river, R Danube, also Morava, Sava, Tisza; linked to Adriatic Sea and Montenegro via BelgradeBar railway Climate Moderate, continental climate, average annual temperatures 0ºC (Jan), 22ºC (Jul) in Belgrade; average rainfall 610 mm/24 in Currency 1 Dinar (CSD) = 100 paras (in Kosovo 1 euro (EUR) = 100 cents also legal) Economy Manufactured goods, machinery, transport equipment; food products, wheat, maize, vines, livestock; ore and stone mining GDP (2002e) $23·15, per capita $2200 (former Serbia and Montenegro) History Serbia absorbed by Ottoman Empire during 15th-c18th-c, became autonomous principality, 1817; Serbian independence recognized by international treaties, 1878; Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes formed 1918, renamed Kingdom of Yugoslavia, 1929; together with Slovenia, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro, became a republic in new Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia under Josip Tito, 1945; revised constitution in 1974, instituted a rotating leadership, with the Prime Minister elected annually; governed by a bicameral Federal Assembly, comprising a Federal Chamber and a Chamber of Republics and Provinces; following a break with the USSR in 1948, the country followed an independent form of communism and a general policy of non-alignment; at the end of the 1980s political disagreement between the federal republics increased; ethnic unrest in Serbia (Kosovo); Slovenian unilateral declaration of independence, 1990, followed by Macedonian and Croatian declarations, 1991, considered illegal by central government; inter-republic talks on Yugoslavia's future, but confrontation between Croatia and Serb-dominated National Army developed into civil war, 1991; Serbian support of Serb guerrillas in Bosnia resulted in UN sanctions, mid-1992; arrival of UN Protection Force, 1992; Federal Republic of Yugoslavia declared, 1992, consisting of Montenegro and Serbia; fighting between ethnic groups in Bosnia continued until 1995, when peace accord signed in Dayton, Ohio; conflict in Kosovo between Serbia and ethnic Albanian resistance movement (Kosovo Liberation Army), 1997; escalation of conflict (early 1999) led to Serbian incursions into Kosovo and displacement of Kosovar Albanians; NATO air-strikes campaign against Yugoslav targets; President Milosovic accepted peace terms, with deployment of NATO troops into Kosovo and the departure of Serb forces; Milosevic ousted after elections, 2000, and arrested for crimes against humanity, 2001 (died while awaiting trial, 2006); new accord led to a Union of Serbia and Montenegro, 2002, new constitution, 2003; referendum in Montenegro voted for independence from Serbia, 2006; Serbia declared itself an independent sovereign state (5 Jun 2006).

Република Србија
Republika Srbija
Republic of Serbia


Flag	Coat of arms

Motto: none

Anthem: Bože pravde
(English: God of Justice)

Capital
(largest city)

Belgrade
44°48′N 20°28′E

Official language

Serbian1

Government

Republic

- Prime Minister

Vojislav Koštunica

- President

Boris Tadić

Establishment

- Formation

814

- First Serbian Uprising

1804

- Internationally recognized

July 13, 1878

- SCG dissolved

June 5, 2006

Area

- Total

88,361 km² (113th)
34,116 sq mi

- Water (%)

n/a

Population

- 2006 estimate

9,778,991 (80th)

- Density

106/km² (94th)
275/sq mi

GDP (PPP)

2006 estimate

- Total

$47,77 billion (77th)

- Per capita

$5,713 (97th)

HDI (n/a)

n/a (not ranked) (n/a)

Currency

Serbian dinar2 (RSD)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

- Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Internet TLD

.rs (.yu)3

Calling code

+3814

1 Confirmed in the new Constitution affirmed by the majority of citizens of Serbia and expected to be proclaimed on November 8th 2006.

Placed under Ottoman occupation in the 15th century following the collapse of the Serbian Empire, the uprisings against Turkish occupation between 1804-1815 reestablished Serbia as a 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 (renamed to 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 independence from the State Union, Serbia officially proclaimed its independence on June 5, 2006, as the successor state to the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. 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: 194,790 (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)

History

See also: List of Serbian monarchs and History of Yugoslavia

Medieval Serbia

The roots of the Serbian state date back to the 7th century and the House of Vlastimirović.

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).

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.

In the northern part of present-day Serbia that was ruled by the Austrian Empire, the local Serbs created in 1848 their autonomous region known as the Serbian Vojvodina.

This article is part of the series on the History of Serbia
Medieval Serbia
Raška
Serbian Empire
Battle of Kosovo
Serbian Despotate
Ottoman Serbia
First Serbian Uprising
Second Serbian Uprising
Modern Serbia
Principality of Serbia
Kingdom of Serbia
Serbian Campaign (World War I)
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Nedić's Serbia
SFR Yugoslavia
FR Yugoslavia
Serbia and Montenegro
Republic of Serbia

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. 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. Serbia's new democratic leaders announced that Serbia would seek to join the European Union and NATO.

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 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. politics See also: 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 commonwealth called Serbia and Montenegro. 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 part of Serbia that is neither in Kosovo nor in Vojvodina is called Central Serbia. 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 .

Demographics

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

Serbia is populated mostly by Serbs. Serbia consists of three territories: the province of Kosovo, 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").

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

Economy

Serbia has an economy based mostly on various services, industry and agriculture. 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.

Serbian holidays

Date	Name	Notes
January 1/2	New Year's Day
January 7	Orthodox Christmas
January 14	National Holiday (Orthodox New Year)	"Српска Нова Година" "Srpska Nova Godina"
January 27	Saint Sava's feast Day	Day of Spirituality
February 15	Sretenje	Serbian National Day
April 21	Orthodox Good Friday	Date for 2006 only
April 23	Orthodox Easter	Date for 2006 only
April 24	Orthodox Easter Monday	Date for 2006 only
May 1/2	Labour Day
May 9	Victory Day
June 28	Vidovdan (Martyr's Day)	In memory of soldiers fallen at the Battle of Kosovo

Infrastructure

Communications

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.

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).

Gallery

Kalemegdan, Belgrade	Užice	Niš Monument to the liberators	Museum of Genocide in Kragujevac
National Theatre in Subotica	City Hall and monument of king Peter I of Yugoslavia, Zrenjanin	Petrovaradin fortress over Danube (Novi Sad)	Medieval castle in Golubac
Center of Priština/Prishtinë	Resavska cave near Despotovac	Zlatibor tourist center	Deliblatska Peščara
Tabula Traiana near Kladovo	Bač fortress	Đurđevi Stupovi monastery, near Novi Pazar

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 Agency

Other external links

(In alphabetical order.)

B92 News portal Blic Newspaper CIA World Factbook profile on Serbia Glas Javnosti Newspaper Krstarica Web Portal Politika Newspaper Rastko Foundation Serbian Unity Congress

v • d • e Republics and Autonomous Provinces of the former Yugoslavia (SFRY) Bosnia and Herzegovina • Croatia • Republic of Macedonia • Montenegro • Serbia (Kosovo • Vojvodina) • Slovenia v • d • e Countries of Europe

Albania · Andorra · Armenia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Georgia · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Italy · Kazakhstan · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Republic of Macedonia · Malta · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia · San Marino · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey · Ukraine · United Kingdom · Vatican City

For dependent and other territories, see Dependent territory and List of unrecognized countries.

v • d • e Slavic-speaking nations

West Slavic: Czech Republic • Poland • Slovakia

South Slavic: Bosnia and Herzegovina • Bulgaria • Croatia • Republic of Macedonia • Montenegro • Serbia • Slovenia

East Slavic: Belarus • Russia • Ukraine

v • d • e European Union members and candidates

Austria • Belgium • Cyprus • Czech Republic • Denmark • Estonia • Finland • France • Germany • Greece • Hungary • Ireland • Italy • Latvia • Lithuania • Luxembourg • Malta • Netherlands • Poland • Portugal • Slovakia • Slovenia • Spain • Sweden • United Kingdom

Countries acceding on January 1, 2007: Bulgaria • Romania
Candidate countries: Croatia • Turkey • Republic of Macedonia (referred to as "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" by the European Union)

v • d • e Francophonie Members: Belgium • Benin • Bulgaria • Burkina Faso • Burundi • Cambodia • Cameroon • Canada • New Brunswick • Quebec • Ontario • Cape Verde • Central African Republic • Chad • Comoros • Côte d'Ivoire • Cyprus • Democratic Republic of the Congo • Djibouti • Dominica • Egypt • Equatorial Guinea • France • French Guiana • Gabon • Ghana • Guadeloupe • Guinea • Guinea-Bissau • Haiti • Laos • Lebanon • Madagascar • Mali • Martinique • Mauritania • Mauritius • Morocco • Niger • Republic of the Congo • Romania • Rwanda • Saint Lucia • São Tomé and Príncipe • Senegal • Seychelles • Saint-Pierre and Miquelon • Switzerland • Togo • Tunisia • Ukraine • Vanuatu • Vietnam

Observers: Armenia • Austria • Croatia • Czech Republic • Georgia • Hungary • Lithuania • Mozambique • Poland • Serbia • Slovakia • Slovenia • Ukraine

v • d • e Black Sea Economic Cooperation

Albania • Armenia • Azerbaijan • Bulgaria • Georgia • Greece • Moldova • Romania • Russia • Serbia • Turkey • Ukraine

v • d • e The Danube

Countries: Germany · Austria · Slovakia · Hungary · Croatia · Serbia · Romania · Bulgaria · Ukraine · Moldova

Cities: Ulm · Ingolstadt · Regensburg · Passau · Linz · Vienna · Bratislava · Győr · Esztergom · Budapest · Baja · Vukovar · Ilok · Bačka Palanka · Novi Sad · Belgrade · Smederevo · Drobeta-Turnu Severin · Vidin · Rousse · Brăila · Galaţi · Tulcea

Tributaries (list): Iller · Lech · Regen · Isar · Inn · Morava · Drava · Tisza · Sava · Timiş · Velika Morava · Jiu · Iskar · Olt · Osam · Yantra · Vedea · Argeş · Ialomiţa · Siret · Prut