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| '''Serbia''', officially the '''Republic of Serbia''' ({{lang-sr|Република Србија or ''Republika Srbija''}}, {{Audio|Republika Srbija.ogg|listen}}), is a ] country in ] and ] ], covering the central part of the ] and the southern part of the ]. It is bordered by ] to the north; ] and ] to the east; ] and the ] to the south; and ], ] and ] to the west. The capital is ]. |
'''Serbia''', officially the '''Republic of Serbia''' ({{lang-sr|Република Србија or ''Republika Srbija''}}, {{Audio|Republika Srbija.ogg|listen}}), is a ] country in ] and ] ], covering the central part of the ] and the southern part of the ]. It is bordered by ] to the north; ] and ] to the east; ] and the ] to the south; and ], ] and ] to the west. The capital is ]. | ||
| ] settled the region by 630 AD, having been invited by the ] ] ]. ]s were fully converted to ] by 865 AD.<ref>, Serb Land of Montenegro website</ref><ref>, Illlustrated History of the Serbs</ref> They formed four distinct independent kingdoms by the 14th century — in ], ], ] and ].<ref>, Serb Land of Montenegro website</ref><ref>, Serbian Unity Congress</ref><ref></ref><ref>{{sr icon}} , Projekat Rastko-Boka</ref> The medieval ], later the ] of ], rose from Byzantine, ]n and ] patronage to become a threat to the very existence of ] itself <ref></ref> before succumbing to the ]. Another shortlasting incarnation of the ] was the one of ] in 16th-century ], however the state also collapsed to the ], before finally passing to the ], where it would remain for centuries to come. ] had indured and repelled several Ottoman invasions and was the last major ] city to surrender in 1521, opening the gates of ]- ], ] and ]. |
] settled the region by 630 AD, having been invited by the ] ] ]. ]s were fully converted to ] by 865 AD.<ref>, Serb Land of Montenegro website</ref><ref>, Illlustrated History of the Serbs</ref> They formed four distinct independent kingdoms by the 14th century — in ], ], ] and ].<ref>, Serb Land of Montenegro website</ref><ref>, Serbian Unity Congress</ref><ref></ref><ref>{{sr icon}} , Projekat Rastko-Boka</ref> The medieval ], later the ] of ], rose from Byzantine, ]n and ] patronage to become a threat to the very existence of ] itself <ref></ref> before succumbing to the ]. Another shortlasting incarnation of the ] was the one of ] in 16th-century ], however the state also collapsed to the ], before finally passing to the ], where it would remain for centuries to come. ] had indured and repelled several Ottoman invasions and was the last major ] city to surrender in 1521, opening the gates of ]- ], ] and ]. | ||
| Despite 3 ] occupations and numerous rebellions, 2/3rds of the modern state had remained under ] occupation from the 15th century to the ] in 1804. Two consequent national revolutions have re-established Serbia (in 1815) as a semi-independent ], which has expelled the ] in 1867, ''de facto'' securing its sovereignty. ''Formal'' independence was internationally recognised at the ] in 1878.<ref>, website of the Royal Family of Serbia and Yugoslavia</ref>. Northern third of the country, ], has endured a century long ] occupation before passing to ] in the 17th century, only to proclaim independence from ] in 1918. |
Despite 3 ] occupations and numerous rebellions, 2/3rds of the modern state had remained under ] occupation from the 15th century to the ] in 1804. Two consequent national revolutions have re-established Serbia (in 1815) as a semi-independent ], which has expelled the ] in 1867, ''de facto'' securing its sovereignty. ''Formal'' independence was internationally recognised at the ] in 1878.<ref>, website of the Royal Family of Serbia and Yugoslavia</ref>. Northern third of the country, ], has endured a century long ] occupation before passing to ] in the 17th century, only to proclaim independence from ] in 1918. | ||
| Victorious in ] and both ], for nearly a century Serbia was backbone of various ], including the Kingdom of the ], ] and ] from 1918 to 1941 (renamed the ] in 1929), the ] from 1945 to 1992, the ] from 1992 to 2003, and the State Union of ] from 2003 to 2006.<ref>, Lahana.org</ref><ref>, GermanNotes.com</ref><ref>, InfoPlease.com</ref> After ] narrowly ] for independence from the State Union, Serbia officially proclaimed its independence on ], ], as the ] to the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. | Victorious in ] and both ], for nearly a century Serbia was backbone of various ], including the Kingdom of the ], ] and ] from 1918 to 1941 (renamed the ] in 1929), the ] from 1945 to 1992, the ] from 1992 to 2003, and the State Union of ] from 2003 to 2006.<ref>, Lahana.org</ref><ref>, GermanNotes.com</ref><ref>, InfoPlease.com</ref> After ] narrowly ] for independence from the State Union, Serbia officially proclaimed its independence on ], ], as the ] to the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. | ||
| == |
==Serbia vs Servia== | ||
| ⚫ | In 19th and 20th century English works, the country was often referred to as ''Servia''.<ref name="B1911"></ref><ref> used the name "Servia"</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | In 19th and 20th century English works, the country was often referred to as ''Servia''.<ref name="B1911"></ref><ref> used the name "Servia"</ref> |
||
| This was likely a result of ], linking the Serbs and other Slavs to the semantic field of "slave/servant", and the usage was often resented by Serbs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://clcwebjournal.lib.purdue.edu/clcweb99-2/deltcheva99.html|title=East Central Europe as a Politically Correct Scapegoat: The Case of Bulgaria}}</ref><ref name="B1911"/> The British press stopped using the term by the 1930s, allegedly by the attempts of ], publisher of the Serbian grammar in London.<ref></ref> | This was likely a result of ], linking the Serbs and other Slavs to the semantic field of "slave/servant", and the usage was often resented by Serbs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://clcwebjournal.lib.purdue.edu/clcweb99-2/deltcheva99.html|title=East Central Europe as a Politically Correct Scapegoat: The Case of Bulgaria}}</ref><ref name="B1911"/> The British press stopped using the term by the 1930s, allegedly by the attempts of ], publisher of the Serbian grammar in London.<ref></ref> | ||
| The basic name, ], originates in the works of ], ] and ] in the 1st and 2nd centuries ], describing a people living in the ]. The name is of ] origin, not of ] nor ], which is why the Roman theory ''Servi'' does not offer adequate arguments. Following the migration into ], ] have established a state ] in the 5th century, prior to their arrival to the ] in 630 A.D. 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 due to the fact that ] have mostly lived in several different tribal denominations such as ], ] etc rather than in one unified state, so this was the one way a ruler could "rule them all"; however first unified state is reached under the ] in the 9th century and has reemerged several times during ]. | The basic name, ], originates in the works of ], ] and ] in the 1st and 2nd centuries ], describing a people living in the ]. The name is of ] origin, not of ] nor ], which is why the Roman theory ''Servi'' does not offer adequate arguments. Following the migration into ], ] have established a state ] in the 5th century, prior to their arrival to the ] in 630 A.D. 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 due to the fact that ] have mostly lived in several different tribal denominations such as ], ] etc rather than in one unified state, so this was the one way a ruler could "rule them all"; however first unified state is reached under the ] in the 9th century and has reemerged several times during ]. | ||
| == |
==Geography== | ||
| {{main|Geography of Serbia}} | {{main|Geography of Serbia}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| Serbia is located in the ] and in the ]. It is placed at the crossroads between ], ] and ]. The ] river (2850 km) flows through the northern third of the country; it is 588 km long and forms the border with ] and part of ]. The ] river forms the southern border of the ] province, flows into the Danube in central ], and bypasses the hills of the ] in the west. Sixty kilometers to the northeast of Belgrade, the ] river flows into the Danube and ends its 1350 km long journey from ], and the partially navigable ] (60 km/350 km) flows into the Danube near ]. The ] river (254km) flows into Tisa near ]. All five rivers are navigable, connecting the country with ''Northern'' and ''Western Europe'' (through the ]–] route) to ''Eastern Europe'' (via the Tisa–, ]–, ]– and Danube–] routes) and to ''Southern Europe'' (via the Sava river). |
Serbia is located in the ] and in the ]. It is placed at the crossroads between ], ] and ]. The ] river (2850 km) flows through the northern third of the country; it is 588 km long and forms the border with ] and part of ]. The ] river forms the southern border of the ] province, flows into the Danube in central ], and bypasses the hills of the ] in the west. Sixty kilometers to the northeast of Belgrade, the ] river flows into the Danube and ends its 1350 km long journey from ], and the partially navigable ] (60 km/350 km) flows into the Danube near ]. The ] river (254km) flows into Tisa near ]. All five rivers are navigable, connecting the country with ''Northern'' and ''Western Europe'' (through the ]–] route) to ''Eastern Europe'' (via the Tisa–, ]–, ]– and Danube–] routes) and to ''Southern Europe'' (via the Sava river). | ||
| Eastern border of the country is determined by the ], which runs through the whole of ], separating it from the East. ] meet the ], following the course of ], a 500 km long (partially navigable) river. ] peak tops Eastern Serbia at 2156 m. In the southeast ] meet the ], connecting the country with ]. ] of Kosovo form the border with ], with one of the highest peaks in the region, ] (2656 m). ] of Serbia follow the flow of the ] (at 350 km navigable for smaller vessels only) overlooking the Dinaric peaks on the other side of the shore in ]. | Eastern border of the country is determined by the ], which runs through the whole of ], separating it from the East. ] meet the ], following the course of ], a 500 km long (partially navigable) river. ] peak tops Eastern Serbia at 2156 m. In the southeast ] meet the ], connecting the country with ]. ] of Kosovo form the border with ], with one of the highest peaks in the region, ] (2656 m). ] of Serbia follow the flow of the ] (at 350 km navigable for smaller vessels only) overlooking the Dinaric peaks on the other side of the shore in ]. | ||
| === |
===Climate=== | ||
| The Serbian ] 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 ] and large river basins, as well as the exposure to the winds account for climate differences.<ref>, '']'' Online</ref> ] possesses typical continental climate, with airmasses from ] and ] which shape its climatic profile. South and Southwest Serbia is subject to Mediterranean influences, however the ] and other mountain ranges contribute cooling down the biggest part of warm air masses. Winters are quite harsh in ] due to the mountains which encircle that plateau.<ref>Radovanović, M and Dučić, V, 2002, , EGS XXVII General Assembly, Nice, ] to ] ], abstract #2283, '''27''':2283–, provided by the ] / ] Astrophysics Data System</ref> |
The Serbian ] 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 ] and large river basins, as well as the exposure to the winds account for climate differences.<ref>, '']'' Online</ref> ] possesses typical continental climate, with airmasses from ] and ] which shape its climatic profile. South and Southwest Serbia is subject to Mediterranean influences, however the ] and other mountain ranges contribute cooling down the biggest part of warm air masses. Winters are quite harsh in ] due to the mountains which encircle that plateau.<ref>Radovanović, M and Dučić, V, 2002, , EGS XXVII General Assembly, Nice, ] to ] ], abstract #2283, '''27''':2283–, provided by the ] / ] Astrophysics Data System</ref> | ||
| Average annual air temperature for the period ]–] for the area with the altitude of up to 300 m amounts to 10.9 ]. 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.<ref name="RHMZ">, Hydrometeorologic Service of Serbia</ref> | Average annual air temperature for the period ]–] for the area with the altitude of up to 300 m amounts to 10.9 ]. 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.<ref name="RHMZ">, Hydrometeorologic Service of Serbia</ref> | ||
| === |
===Cities=== | ||
| {{main|Serbian cities}} | {{main|Serbian cities}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| Major cities (over 100,000 inhabitants) — 2002 census data, for Kosovo current estimates (unofficial): |
Major cities (over 100,000 inhabitants) — 2002 census data, for Kosovo current estimates (unofficial): | ||
| * ] (Belgrade): 1,273,651 (inner city area); 1,576,124 (with suburbs) | * ] (Belgrade): 1,273,651 (inner city area); 1,576,124 (with suburbs) | ||
| * ]: 215,659 (298,139 greater metropolitan area) |
* ]: 215,659 (298,139 greater metropolitan area) | ||
| * ]: between 155,499 (1991 census) and 262,686 (2006 calculation) |
* ]: between 155,499 (1991 census) and 262,686 (2006 calculation) | ||
| * ]: 194,790 (250,518 greater metropolitan area) | * ]: 194,790 (250,518 greater metropolitan area) | ||
| * ]: 147.473 (180.252 greater metropolitan area) | * ]: 147.473 (180.252 greater metropolitan area) | ||
| * ]: between 92,303 (1991 census) and 165,227 (2006 calculation) |
* ]: between 92,303 (1991 census) and 165,227 (2006 calculation) | ||
| * ]: 99,471 (147,758 greater metropolitan area) | * ]: 99,471 (147,758 greater metropolitan area) | ||
| === |
===National parks=== | ||
| Serbia has five ]s: | Serbia has five ]s: | ||
| * ] (250 km²) | * ] (250 km²) | ||
| * ] (120 km²) | * ] (120 km²) | ||
| Line 120: | Line 120: | ||
| * ] (390 km²) | * ] (390 km²) | ||
| == |
==History== | ||
| {{main|History of Serbia}} | {{main|History of Serbia}} | ||
| {{see also|List of Serbian monarchs|History of Yugoslavia|}} | {{see also|List of Serbian monarchs|History of Yugoslavia|}} | ||
| Line 126: | Line 126: | ||
| '''Medieval history''' | '''Medieval history''' | ||
| ]]]] |
]]]] | ||
| ], leader of the ] in 1804]] | ], leader of the ] in 1804]] | ||
| The roots of the Serbian state date back to the ] and the ]. A Serbian kingdom (centered around ]) was established in the ]. It lasted until the end of the ]. | The roots of the Serbian state date back to the ] and the ]. A Serbian kingdom (centered around ]) was established in the ]. It lasted until the end of the ]. | ||
| Line 139: | Line 140: | ||
| '''Principality of Serbia''' | '''Principality of Serbia''' | ||
| The ] of ]–], led by ] (also known as ''Karađorđe'' or "Black George"), and the ] of ] resulted in the establishment of the ]. As it was semi-independent from the Ottoman Empire, it is considered to be the precursor of the formation of ]. |
The ] of ]–], led by ] (also known as ''Karađorđe'' or "Black George"), and the ] of ] resulted in the establishment of the ]. As it was semi-independent from the Ottoman Empire, it is considered to be the precursor of the formation of ]. | ||
| From ] to ], the Serbian state was ruled by the ], except from ] to ], when Serbia was ruled by Prince ]. In 1903, the House of Obrenović was replaced by the ], who were descendants of Đorđe Petrović. | From ] to ], the Serbian state was ruled by the ], except from ] to ], when Serbia was ruled by Prince ]. In 1903, the House of Obrenović was replaced by the ], who were descendants of Đorđe Petrović. | ||
| In the northern part of present-day Serbia that was ruled by the ], the local Serbs created in 1848 their autonomous region known as the ]. The region was in 1849 transformed into new Austrian crownland known as the ]. Although, the crownland was abolished in 1860, the Serbs from the Vojvodina region gained another opportunity to achieve their political demands in 1918. |
In the northern part of present-day Serbia that was ruled by the ], the local Serbs created in 1848 their autonomous region known as the ]. The region was in 1849 transformed into new Austrian crownland known as the ]. Although, the crownland was abolished in 1860, the Serbs from the Vojvodina region gained another opportunity to achieve their political demands in 1918. | ||
| '''Independent Kingdom''' | '''Independent Kingdom''' | ||
| The struggle for a modern society, human rights and a nation-state in Serbia lasted almost three decades and was completed with the adoption of the constitution on ] ]. In 1876, ], Serbia, and ] declared war against the Ottoman Empire and proclaimed their unification. However, the ], which was signed at the ] by the ], granted complete independence only to Serbia and Montenegro, leaving Bosnia and ] to ], who blocked their unification until the ] of 1912 and 1913 and ]. | The struggle for a modern society, human rights and a nation-state in Serbia lasted almost three decades and was completed with the adoption of the constitution on ] ]. In 1876, ], Serbia, and ] declared war against the Ottoman Empire and proclaimed their unification. However, the ], which was signed at the ] by the ], granted complete independence only to Serbia and Montenegro, leaving Bosnia and ] to ], who blocked their unification until the ] of 1912 and 1913 and ]. | ||
| ], Serbian leader in the ]]] | ], Serbian leader in the ]]] | ||
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| In 1945, Serbia was established as one of the federal units of the ], the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia, led by ] until his death in 1980. | In 1945, Serbia was established as one of the federal units of the ], the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia, led by ] until his death in 1980. | ||
| After the collapse of the second Yugoslavia in 1992 until the year ], Serbia, together with Montenegro, was part of the ]. Despite civil wars in neighboring ] and ], while helping Serbs in Croatia and Bosnia try to remain a part of Yugoslavia, Serbia remained peaceful until 1998, when clashes with the ] (KLA) started in Kosovo. |
After the collapse of the second Yugoslavia in 1992 until the year ], Serbia, together with Montenegro, was part of the ]. Despite civil wars in neighboring ] and ], while helping Serbs in Croatia and Bosnia try to remain a part of Yugoslavia, Serbia remained peaceful until 1998, when clashes with the ] (KLA) started in Kosovo. | ||
| Between 1998 and 1999, continued clashes in Kosovo between Serbian and Yugoslav security forces and the KLA prompted a ] which lasted for 78 days. The attacks were stopped when Yugoslav president ] 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: ]). | Between 1998 and 1999, continued clashes in Kosovo between Serbian and Yugoslav security forces and the KLA prompted a ] which lasted for 78 days. The attacks were stopped when Yugoslav president ] 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: ]). | ||
| ]]] | ]]] | ||
| 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. | |||
| ] 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 ] and ]. In October 2005, the EU opened negotiations with Serbia for a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), a preliminary step towards joining the ]. These talks, however, were suspended in 2006 after the EU concluded that Serbia had not done enough to meet its obligations to cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. | 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. ] 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 ] and ]. In October 2005, the EU opened negotiations with Serbia for a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), a preliminary step towards joining the ]. These talks, however, were suspended in 2006 after the EU concluded that Serbia had not done enough to meet its obligations to cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. | ||
| '''Serbia and Montenegro''' | '''Serbia and Montenegro''' | ||
| From 2003 to 2006, Serbia was part of the ], into which the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had been transformed. On ], ], Montenegro held a ] 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. |
From 2003 to 2006, Serbia was part of the ], into which the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had been transformed. On ], ], Montenegro held a ] 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. | ||
| '''Independent Republic''' | '''Independent Republic''' | ||
| Line 176: | Line 175: | ||
| On ], ], ] declared Serbia the successor to the State Union, following the decision of the ] who declared ] independent | On ], ], ] declared Serbia the successor to the State Union, following the decision of the ] who declared ] independent | ||
| == |
==Government and politics== | ||
| {{main|Politics of Serbia}} |
{{main|Politics of Serbia}} | ||
| {{see also|Politics of Vojvodina|Elections in Serbia|Human rights in Serbia|Constitutional status of Kosovo}} | {{see also|Politics of Vojvodina|Elections in Serbia|Human rights in Serbia|Constitutional status of Kosovo}} | ||
| ], ]]] | ], ]]] | ||
| On ] ] the ] agreed to a weaker form of cooperation between Serbia and Montenegro within a ] called Serbia and Montenegro. The union ceased to exist following Montenegrin and Serbian declarations of independence in June 2006. | On ] ] the ] agreed to a weaker form of cooperation between Serbia and Montenegro within a ] called Serbia and Montenegro. The union ceased to exist following Montenegrin and Serbian declarations of independence in June 2006. | ||
| ⚫ | After the ousting of ] on ] ], the country was governed by the ]. Tensions gradually increased within the coalition until the ] (DSS) left the government, leaving the ] (DS) in overall control. Nevertheless, in March ] the DSS gathered enough support to form the new ], together with ] and coalition ]–], and the support of the ], who do not take part in the government, but in exchange for the support hold minor government and justice positions and influence policies. The ] is ], leader of the ]. | ||
| After the ousting of ] on ] ], the country was governed by the ]. | |||
| ⚫ | Tensions gradually increased within the coalition until the ] (DSS) left the government, leaving the ] (DS) in overall control. Nevertheless, in March ] the DSS gathered enough support to form the new ], together with ] and coalition ]–], and the support of the ], who do not take part in the government, but in exchange for the support hold minor government and justice positions and influence policies. The ] is ], leader of the ]. | ||
| The current ] is ], leader of the ] (DS). He was elected with 53% of the vote in the second round of the ] held on ] ], following several unsuccessful elections since ]. | The current ] is ], leader of the ] (DS). He was elected with 53% of the vote in the second round of the ] held on ] ], following several unsuccessful elections since ]. | ||
| Line 189: | Line 188: | ||
| Serbia held a two-day ] on ] and ], ], that ratified a new constitution to replace the Milošević-era constitution. | Serbia held a two-day ] on ] and ], ], that ratified a new constitution to replace the Milošević-era constitution. | ||
| Serbia held Parliamentary elections on ] |
Serbia held Parliamentary elections on ] ]. The ] claimed victory, but no party has won an absolute majority. | ||
| === |
===Administrative subdivisions=== | ||
| {{main|Subdivisions of Serbia}} | {{main|Subdivisions of Serbia}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| Serbia is divided into 29 ] plus the ]. The districts and the city of Belgrade are further divided into ]. Serbia has two autonomous provinces: ] (called ''Kosovo i Metohija'', often abbreviated to ''Kosmet'' in ]) in the south (5 districts, 30 municipalities), which is presently under the administration of the ], and ] in the north (7 districts, 46 municipalities). | Serbia is divided into 29 ] plus the ]. The districts and the city of Belgrade are further divided into ]. Serbia has two autonomous provinces: ] (called ''Kosovo i Metohija'', often abbreviated to ''Kosmet'' in ]) in the south (5 districts, 30 municipalities), which is presently under the administration of the ], and ] in the north (7 districts, 46 municipalities). | ||
| Line 201: | Line 200: | ||
| Negotiations are currently underway to determine the final status of ]. The ] has postponed the completing of the status process until after Serbian parliamentary elections in January 2007. | Negotiations are currently underway to determine the final status of ]. The ] has postponed the completing of the status process until after Serbian parliamentary elections in January 2007. | ||
| == |
==Demographics== | ||
| {{main|Demographics of Serbia}} | {{main|Demographics of Serbia}} | ||
| {{see also|Demographic history of Serbia|Demographic history of Vojvodina|Demographic history of Kosovo|Ethnic groups of Vojvodina}} | {{see also|Demographic history of Serbia|Demographic history of Vojvodina|Demographic history of Kosovo|Ethnic groups of Vojvodina}} | ||
| Line 224: | Line 223: | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| Serbia is populated mostly by ]. Significant ] include ] (who are a majority in the province of Kosovo), ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], etc. The two provinces, Vojvodina and Kosovo, are ethnically and religiously diverse, as they were ruled by the ] and ] respectively for longer time than the Central Serbia. |
Serbia is populated mostly by ]. Significant ] include ] (who are a majority in the province of Kosovo), ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], etc. The two provinces, Vojvodina and Kosovo, are ethnically and religiously diverse, as they were ruled by the ] and ] respectively for longer time than the Central Serbia. | ||
| According to the last official census<ref></ref> data collected in 2002, ethnic composition of Serbia is: | According to the last official census<ref></ref> data collected in 2002, ethnic composition of Serbia is: | ||
| Line 238: | Line 237: | ||
| Albanians in the province of Kosovo did not take part in official census; their population is estimated to around 1.9 million, bounded only to the province. | Albanians in the province of Kosovo did not take part in official census; their population is estimated to around 1.9 million, bounded only to the province. | ||
| == |
==Economy== | ||
| {{main|Economy of Serbia}} | {{main|Economy of Serbia}} | ||
| ] on 100 ] banknote]] | ] on 100 ] banknote]] | ||
| Serbia has an economy based mostly on various ], ] and ]. In the late 1980s, at the beginning of the process of economic transition, its position was favourable, but it was gravely impacted by ] ] ]–], the damage to infrastructure and industry during the ] airstrikes in ], as well as having problems from losing the markets of ex-] and ]. Main economic problems include high unemployment (26.6% in 2005) and an insufficient amount of economic reforms. |
Serbia has an economy based mostly on various ], ] and ]. In the late 1980s, at the beginning of the process of economic transition, its position was favourable, but it was gravely impacted by ] ] ]–], the damage to infrastructure and industry during the ] airstrikes in ], as well as having problems from losing the markets of ex-] and ]. Main economic problems include high unemployment (26.6% in 2005) and an insufficient amount of economic reforms. | ||
| After the ousting of former Federal Yugoslav President Milošević in October ], the country experienced faster economic growth (the amount of economic growth in ] was 6.3 percent<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ebrd.com/new/pressrel/2006/152nov14.htm |title=Domestic consumption drives growth in Eastern Europe |accessdate=2006-11-16 |format=HTML|work=EBRD Transition Report 2006 }}</ref>), and has been preparing for membership in the ], 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" due to its recent high economic growth rates, a reference to the ].<!-- Page no longer exists: ref></ref --> Nevertheless, Serbia's GDP is still well below 1990 levels. | After the ousting of former Federal Yugoslav President Milošević in October ], the country experienced faster economic growth (the amount of economic growth in ] was 6.3 percent<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ebrd.com/new/pressrel/2006/152nov14.htm |title=Domestic consumption drives growth in Eastern Europe |accessdate=2006-11-16 |format=HTML|work=EBRD Transition Report 2006 }}</ref>), and has been preparing for membership in the ], 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" due to its recent high economic growth rates, a reference to the ].<!-- Page no longer exists: ref></ref --> Nevertheless, Serbia's GDP is still well below 1990 levels. | ||
| Line 248: | Line 248: | ||
| FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) is ]5.85 billion or ]4.5 billion. | FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) is ]5.85 billion or ]4.5 billion. | ||
| == |
==Culture== | ||
| {{main|Serbian culture}} | {{main|Serbian culture}} | ||
| ]]] | ]]] | ||
| Serbia is one of ] most culturally diverse countries. The borders between large empires ran through the territory of today's Serbia for long periods in history: between the ] and ] halves of the ]; between ] and ]; and between the ] and the ] (later ]). As a result, while the north is culturally ], the south is rather more ]. Of course, both regions have influenced each other, and so the distinction between north and south is artificial to some extent. | Serbia is one of ] most culturally diverse countries. The borders between large empires ran through the territory of today's Serbia for long periods in history: between the ] and ] halves of the ]; between ] and ]; and between the ] and the ] (later ]). As a result, while the north is culturally ], the south is rather more ]. Of course, both regions have influenced each other, and so the distinction between north and south is artificial to some extent. | ||
| The ]'s influence on Serbia was perhaps the greatest. Serbs are ], not ], with their own national church — the ]. They use both the ] and ] alphabets, as a result of both Eastern and Western influences. The ], built largely in the ], are one of the most valuable and visible traces of ] 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 beloved queens in ] were mostly of foreign origin: Helen d'Anjou (French), Anna Dondolo (Venetian), Catherine of Hungary, Symonide of Byzantium, ] (Serbian).<!-- who are all these queens? can they be wikilinked? --> | The ]'s influence on Serbia was perhaps the greatest. Serbs are ], not ], with their own national church — the ]. They use both the ] and ] alphabets, as a result of both Eastern and Western influences. The ], built largely in the ], are one of the most valuable and visible traces of ] 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 beloved queens in ] were mostly of foreign origin: Helen d'Anjou (French), Anna Dondolo (Venetian), Catherine of Hungary, Symonide of Byzantium, ] (Serbian).<!-- who are all these queens? can they be wikilinked? --> | ||
| === |
===Education=== | ||
| {{main|Education in Serbia}} | {{main|Education in Serbia}} | ||
| Education in Serbia is regulated by the ]. Education starts in either pre-schools or elementary schools. Children enrol in elementary schools ({{lang-sr|''Osnovna škola'' / Основна школа}}) at age of 7 and it lasts for eight years. | Education in Serbia is regulated by the ]. Education starts in either pre-schools or elementary schools. Children enrol in elementary schools ({{lang-sr|''Osnovna škola'' / Основна школа}}) at age of 7 and it lasts for eight years. | ||
| === |
===Tourism=== | ||
| {{main|Tourism in Serbia}} | {{main|Tourism in Serbia}} | ||
| {{seealso|Agrotourism in Serbia}} | {{seealso|Agrotourism in Serbia}} | ||
| Tourism in Serbia is mostly based in mountains and villages. The most famous mountain resorts are ], ], and the ]. There also are a lot of spas in Serbia, one the biggest of which is the ]. There is also significant tourism in ] and ] (the capital of the ] province), as well to the ] and the ]. | Tourism in Serbia is mostly based in mountains and villages. The most famous mountain resorts are ], ], and the ]. There also are a lot of spas in Serbia, one the biggest of which is the ]. There is also significant tourism in ] and ] (the capital of the ] province), as well to the ] and the ]. | ||
| === |
===Serbian holidays=== | ||
| {| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
| ! Date | ! Date | ||
| Line 281: | Line 282: | ||
| | Serbian ] | | Serbian ] | ||
| |- | |- | ||
| | ] |
| ] | ||
| | Orthodox ] | | Orthodox ] | ||
| | Date for 2007 only | | Date for 2007 only | ||
| Line 289: | Line 290: | ||
| | Date for 2007 only | | Date for 2007 only | ||
| |- | |- | ||
| | ] |
| ] | ||
| | Orthodox ] | | Orthodox ] | ||
| | Date for 2007 only | | Date for 2007 only | ||
| Line 302: | Line 303: | ||
| |} | |} | ||
| == |
==Infrastructure== | ||
| === |
===Communications=== | ||
| {{main|Communications in Serbia}} | {{main|Communications in Serbia}} | ||
| {{Expand|date=January 2007}} | {{Expand|date=January 2007}} | ||
| === |
===Transportation=== | ||
| {{main|Transportation in Serbia}} | {{main|Transportation in Serbia}} | ||
| Line 320: | Line 321: | ||
| The national carrier is ] and the railway system is operated by ] in ] and by ] on the national level. | The national carrier is ] and the railway system is operated by ] in ] and by ] on the national level. | ||
| === |
===Military=== | ||
| {{main|Military of Serbia}} | {{main|Military of Serbia}} | ||
| The Yugoslav National Army's (JNA) structure was changed several times since the Slovenian War of Independence. Three major military re-organizations took place in 1991, 1992 and 1993. But, until the summer of 1991, the JNA was organized into three Military Districts (MD) and a Naval Military District. The Air and Air Defence Force had a separate headquarters at the same level of command as the MD. The MD, designated the 1st, 3rd, and 5th, represented an intermediate level of command between the General Staff and actual combat units. Each MD was responsible for exercising Federal control of forces within its geographic region. |
The Yugoslav National Army's (JNA) structure was changed several times since the Slovenian War of Independence. Three major military re-organizations took place in 1991, 1992 and 1993. But, until the summer of 1991, the JNA was organized into three Military Districts (MD) and a Naval Military District. The Air and Air Defence Force had a separate headquarters at the same level of command as the MD. The MD, designated the 1st, 3rd, and 5th, represented an intermediate level of command between the General Staff and actual combat units. Each MD was responsible for exercising Federal control of forces within its geographic region. | ||
| The 1st MD, headquartered in Belgrade, was responsible for coordinating the defence of central and north-eastern Yugoslavia. Its estimated strength was 40,000 troops organized into six corps formations, plus units directly subordinate to the MD. Corps headquarters subordinate to the 1st MD were the following: |
The 1st MD, headquartered in Belgrade, was responsible for coordinating the defence of central and north-eastern Yugoslavia. Its estimated strength was 40,000 troops organized into six corps formations, plus units directly subordinate to the MD. Corps headquarters subordinate to the 1st MD were the following: | ||
| 4th Corps, headquartered at Sarajevo; |
4th Corps, headquartered at Sarajevo; | ||
| 5th Corps, headquartered at Banja Luka; |
5th Corps, headquartered at Banja Luka; | ||
| 12th Corps, headquartered at Novi Sad; |
12th Corps, headquartered at Novi Sad; | ||
| 17th Corps, headquartered at Tuzla; |
17th Corps, headquartered at Tuzla; | ||
| 24th Corps, headquartered at Kragujevac; and |
24th Corps, headquartered at Kragujevac; and | ||
| 37th Corps, headquartered at Uzice. |
37th Corps, headquartered at Uzice. | ||
| In addition to these forces, the 1st MD had a mechanized infantry division (headquartered in Belgrade), three mixed artillery and anti-tank brigades, and a rocket artillery brigade directly subordinate to the MD headquarters. The 1st MD was thought to have 968 tanks, 633 armoured combat vehicles and 1,392 artillery pieces, including 92 multiple rocket launchers. |
In addition to these forces, the 1st MD had a mechanized infantry division (headquartered in Belgrade), three mixed artillery and anti-tank brigades, and a rocket artillery brigade directly subordinate to the MD headquarters. The 1st MD was thought to have 968 tanks, 633 armoured combat vehicles and 1,392 artillery pieces, including 92 multiple rocket launchers. | ||
| The 3rd MD, headquartered in Skopje, was responsible for the defence of Yugoslavia's southern flank. Its estimated troop strength was 41,000, again organized into Corps and direct reporting units. The five Corps headquarters subordinate to the 3rd MD were: |
The 3rd MD, headquartered in Skopje, was responsible for the defence of Yugoslavia's southern flank. Its estimated troop strength was 41,000, again organized into Corps and direct reporting units. The five Corps headquarters subordinate to the 3rd MD were: | ||
| 2nd Corps, headquartered at Titograd; |
2nd Corps, headquartered at Titograd; | ||
| 21st Corps, headquartered at Niš; |
21st Corps, headquartered at Niš; | ||
| 41st Corps, headquartered at Bitola; |
41st Corps, headquartered at Bitola; | ||
| 42nd Corps, headquartered at Kumanovo; and |
42nd Corps, headquartered at Kumanovo; and | ||
| 52nd Corps, headquartered at Priština. |
52nd Corps, headquartered at Priština. | ||
| Two brigades of armour and two brigades of mixed artillery and anti-tank weapons were directly subordinate to the MD. The 3rd MD had 729 tanks, 472 armoured combat vehicles, and 1,190 artillery pieces, including 60 multiple rocket launchers. |
Two brigades of armour and two brigades of mixed artillery and anti-tank weapons were directly subordinate to the MD. The 3rd MD had 729 tanks, 472 armoured combat vehicles, and 1,190 artillery pieces, including 60 multiple rocket launchers. | ||
| The 5th MD, headquartered at Zagreb, was responsible for the defence of northern Yugoslavia and had an estimated troop strength of 35,000. The 5th MD had five Corps headquarters: |
The 5th MD, headquartered at Zagreb, was responsible for the defence of northern Yugoslavia and had an estimated troop strength of 35,000. The 5th MD had five Corps headquarters: | ||
| 10th Corps, headquartered at Zagreb; |
10th Corps, headquartered at Zagreb; | ||
| 13th Corps, headquartered at Rijeka; |
13th Corps, headquartered at Rijeka; | ||
| 14th Corps, headquartered at Ljubljana; |
14th Corps, headquartered at Ljubljana; | ||
| 31st Corps, headquartered at Maribor; and |
31st Corps, headquartered at Maribor; and | ||
| 32nd Corps, headquartered at Vara din. |
32nd Corps, headquartered at Vara din. | ||
| The 5th MD had 711 tanks, 367 armoured combat vehicles, and 869 artillery pieces, of which 64 were multiple rocket launchers. |
The 5th MD had 711 tanks, 367 armoured combat vehicles, and 869 artillery pieces, of which 64 were multiple rocket launchers. | ||
| reference: globalsecurity.org | reference: globalsecurity.org | ||
| == |
==Miscellaneous== | ||
| * On ] ] the ] adopted ] as the country's ] |
* On ] ] the ] adopted ] as the country's ] | ||
| * In addition, the ] royal coat of arms now replaces the ] adopted after ]. It was first used in the ]. 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. | * In addition, the ] royal coat of arms now replaces the ] adopted after ]. It was first used in the ]. 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. | ||
| *] ] is discovered by ] and named after Serbia. | *] ] is discovered by ] and named after Serbia. | ||
| Line 363: | Line 364: | ||
| * Serbia and Montenegro were represented by ] in the ] tournament, despite having formally split just days prior to its start. | * Serbia and Montenegro were represented by ] in the ] tournament, despite having formally split just days prior to its start. | ||
| == |
==See also== | ||
| {{portal|Serbia|Flag of Serbia (state) (bordered).svg}} | {{portal|Serbia|Flag of Serbia (state) (bordered).svg}} | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| Line 382: | Line 383: | ||
| </div> | </div> | ||
| == |
==External links== | ||
| {{commonscat|Serbia}} | {{commonscat|Serbia}} | ||
| {{sisterlinks|Serbia}} | {{sisterlinks|Serbia}} | ||
Revision as of 14:14, 19 February 2007
| Republic of SerbiaРепублика Србија Republika Srbija | |
|---|---|
Flag
Coat of arms
| |
| Anthem: Bože pravde God of Justice | |
| Location of Serbia | |
| Capitaland largest city | File:Belgrade Coat of Arms.png Belgrade |
| Official languages | Serbian written with the Cyrillic alphabet |
| Government | Republic |
| • President | Boris Tadić |
| • Prime Minister | Vojislav Koštunica |
| Establishment | |
| • Formation | 8th century |
| • Independence | c.1166 |
| • Kingdom established | 1077 (Dioclea) 1217 (Rascia) |
| • Independence lost to Ottoman Empire | 1459 |
| • First Serbian Uprising | Feb 15, 1804 |
| • First Constitution | Feb 15, 1835 |
| • Recognized | 1878 |
| • Kingdom of SCS | 1918 |
| • SCG dissolved | June 5, 2006 |
| • Water (%) | 0.13 |
| Population | |
| • 2002 estimate | 9,396,411 (83rd) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2006 estimate |
| • Total | $47,77 billion (77th) |
| • Per capita | $5,348 (101st) |
| HDI (n/a) | n/a Error: Invalid HDI value (n/a) |
| Currency | Serbian dinar (RSD) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| Calling code | 381 |
| ISO 3166 code | RS |
| Internet TLD | .yu (.rs) |
| In Vojvodina, the following languages are also official: Hungarian, Slovak, Romanian, Rusyn and Croatian. Following the adoption of the new Constitution, Serbian Latin script is awaiting parliamentary approval. In Kosovo, Albanian and English are also official. The euro is used in Kosovo alongside the dinar. The .rs is official domain since September 2006, but former .yu is still in use until the current active leases expire. To be shared with Montenegro until 2007. | |
Serbia, officially the Republic of Serbia (Template:Lang-sr, listen), 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. It is bordered by Hungary to the north; Romania and Bulgaria to the east; Albania and the Republic of Macedonia to the south; and Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the west. The capital is Belgrade.
Serbs settled the region by 630 AD, having been invited by the Byzantine emperor Heraclius. Serbs were fully converted to Christianity by 865 AD. They formed four distinct independent kingdoms by the 14th century — in Dioclea, Rascia, Syrmia and Bosnia. The medieval Serbian Kingdom, later the Serbian Empire of Stefan Dušan, rose from Byzantine, Bulgarian and Hungarian patronage to become a threat to the very existence of Constantinople itself before succumbing to the Ottoman Empire. Another shortlasting incarnation of the Serbian Empire was the one of Emperor Jovan Nenad in 16th-century Vojvodina, however the state also collapsed to the Ottoman Empire, before finally passing to the Habsburg Empire, where it would remain for centuries to come. Belgrade had indured and repelled several Ottoman invasions and was the last major Balkan city to surrender in 1521, opening the gates of Central Europe- Vojvodina, Hungary and Vienna.
Despite 3 Austrian occupations and numerous rebellions, 2/3rds of the modern state had remained under Ottoman occupation from the 15th century to the uprisings against Turkish occupation in 1804. Two consequent national revolutions have re-established Serbia (in 1815) as a semi-independent prinicipality, which has expelled the Ottomans in 1867, de facto securing its sovereignty. Formal independence was internationally recognised at the Congress of Berlin in 1878.. Northern third of the country, Vojvodina, has endured a century long Ottoman occupation before passing to Habsburg Empire in the 17th century, only to proclaim independence from Austria-Hungary in 1918.
Victorious in Balkan wars and both World Wars, for nearly a century Serbia was backbone of various South Slavic states, including the Kingdom of the 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 narrowly 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.
Serbia vs Servia
In 19th and 20th century English works, the country was often referred to as Servia. This was likely a result of folk etymology, linking the Serbs and other Slavs to the semantic field of "slave/servant", and the usage was often resented by Serbs. The British press stopped using the term by the 1930s, allegedly by the attempts of Vojislav M. Petrovich, publisher of the Serbian grammar in London. The basic name, Serboi, originates in the works of Tacitus, Plinius and Ptolomy in the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D., describing a people living in the Caucasus. The name is of Iranian origin, not of Slavic nor Roman, which is why the Roman theory Servi does not offer adequate arguments. Following the migration into Central Europe, White Serbs have established a state Sorbia in the 5th century, prior to their arrival to the Balkans in 630 A.D. 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 due to the fact that Serbs have mostly lived in several different tribal denominations such as Dioclea, Travunija etc rather than in one unified state, so this was the one way a ruler could "rule them all"; however first unified state is reached 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 the Balkans 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 Tamis (60 km/350 km) flows into the Danube near Pancevo. The Begej river (254km) 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–, Tamis–, Begej– and Danube–Black sea routes) and to Southern Europe (via the Sava river).
Eastern border of the country is determined by the Carpathian Mountain range, which runs through the whole of Central Europe, separating it from the East. Carpathians meet the Balkan Mountains, following the course of Velika Morava, a 500 km long (partially navigable) river. Midzor peak tops Eastern Serbia at 2156 m. In the southeast Balkan Mountains meet the Rhodope Mountains, connecting the country with Greece. Sar Mountains 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.
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 airmasses 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 due to 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.
Cities
Main article: Serbian citiesMajor cities (over 100,000 inhabitants) — 2002 census data, for Kosovo 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 155,499 (1991 census) and 262,686 (2006 calculation)
- Niš: 194,790 (250,518 greater metropolitan area)
- Kragujevac: 147.473 (180.252 greater metropolitan area)
- Prizren: between 92,303 (1991 census) and 165,227 (2006 calculation)
- 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
Main article: History of Serbia See also: List of Serbian monarchs and History of YugoslaviaMedieval history
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 1217, under Stefan the First Crowned, Serbia became a kingdom, and in 1346, Stefan Dušan established the Serbian Empire. Under a string of accomplished leaders, from Stefan Nemanja, through the Czar Stefan Dušan The Great, and culminating with the death of Prince Lazar at Kosovo in 1389, the medieval Serbs created a political entity which today still resonates strongly in the Serbian culture. 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 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 Royal 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 greater part of Hungary that was soon conquered.
Ottoman/Austrian rule
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. 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. However the majority of the Serbs managed to keep their culture and religion through the long period of Ottoman rule.
Principality of Serbia
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 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.
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. The region was in 1849 transformed into new Austrian crownland known as the Vojvodina of Serbia and Tamiš Banat. Although, the crownland 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 a modern society, human rights 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 Raška to Austria-Hungary, who blocked their unification until the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913 and World War I.
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 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 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 Thessaloniki front to lead a final breakthrough through enemy lines on 15 September 1918, freeing Serbia again and ending the war on 11 November. In World War I, Serbia had 1,264,000 casualties — 28% of its total population, and 58% of its male population.
Yugoslavia
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.
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 civil wars in neighboring Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, while helping Serbs in Croatia and Bosnia try to remain a part of Yugoslavia, Serbia remained peaceful until 1998, when clashes with the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) started in Kosovo.
Between 1998 and 1999, continued clashes in Kosovo between Serbian and Yugoslav security forces and the KLA 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).
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 and NATO. In October 2005, the EU opened negotiations with Serbia for a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), a preliminary step towards joining the EU. These talks, however, were suspended in 2006 after the EU concluded that Serbia had not done enough to meet its obligations to cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
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 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.
Independent Republic
On June 5, 2006, National Assembly of Serbia declared Serbia the successor to the State Union, following the decision of the Parliament of Montenegro who declared Montenegro independent
Government and politics
Main article: Politics of Serbia See also: Politics of Vojvodina, Elections in Serbia, Human rights in Serbia, and Constitutional status of KosovoOn 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.
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 January 21 2007. The Serbian Radical Party claimed victory, but no party has won an absolute majority.
Administrative subdivisions
Main article: Subdivisions of SerbiaSerbia 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 (called Kosovo i Metohija, often abbreviated to Kosmet in Serbian) in the south (5 districts, 30 municipalities), which is presently under the administration of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, and Vojvodina in the north (7 districts, 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. 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.
Negotiations are currently underway to determine the final status of Kosovo. The Contact Group has postponed the completing of the status process until after Serbian parliamentary elections in January 2007.
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- 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
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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, as they were ruled by the Habsburg Empire and Ottoman Empire respectively for longer time than the Central Serbia.
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%)
Albanians in the province of Kosovo did not take part in official census; their population is estimated to around 1.9 million, bounded only to the province.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Serbia
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 favourable, but it was gravely impacted by UN economic sanctions 1992–95, the damage to infrastructure and industry during the NATO airstrikes in 1999, as well as having problems from losing the markets of ex-Yugoslavia and Comecon. Main economic problems include high unemployment (26.6% in 2005) and an insufficient amount of economic reforms.
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" due to its recent high economic growth rates, a reference to the East Asian Tigers. Nevertheless, Serbia's GDP is still well below 1990 levels.
Estimated GDP of Serbia for 2006 is $47.77 billion which is $5,713 per capita. GDP growth rate in 2006 is 5.8%. Growth in 2005 was 6.3% FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) is $5.85 billion or €4.5 billion.
Culture
Main article: Serbian culture
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 Royal Hungary 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, not Roman Catholics, 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 beloved queens in Serbian history were mostly of foreign origin: Helen d'Anjou (French), Anna Dondolo (Venetian), Catherine of Hungary, Symonide of Byzantium, Empress Milica of Rascia (Serbian).
Education
Main article: Education in SerbiaEducation in Serbia is regulated by the Serbian Ministry of Education and Sports. Education starts in either pre-schools or elementary schools. Children enrol in elementary schools (Template:Lang-sr) at age of 7 and it lasts for eight years.
Tourism
Main article: Tourism in Serbia See also: Agrotourism in SerbiaTourism 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
| Date | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 / January 2 | New Year's Day | |
| January 7 | Orthodox Christmas | |
| February 15 | Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) | 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 |
Infrastructure
Communications
Main article: Communications in Serbia
Transportation
Main article: Transportation in SerbiaSerbia, 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.
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).
The national carrier is Jat Airways and the railway system is operated by Beovoz in Belgrade and by Serbian Railways on the national level.
Military
Main article: Military of SerbiaThe Yugoslav National Army's (JNA) structure was changed several times since the Slovenian War of Independence. Three major military re-organizations took place in 1991, 1992 and 1993. But, until the summer of 1991, the JNA was organized into three Military Districts (MD) and a Naval Military District. The Air and Air Defence Force had a separate headquarters at the same level of command as the MD. The MD, designated the 1st, 3rd, and 5th, represented an intermediate level of command between the General Staff and actual combat units. Each MD was responsible for exercising Federal control of forces within its geographic region.
The 1st MD, headquartered in Belgrade, was responsible for coordinating the defence of central and north-eastern Yugoslavia. Its estimated strength was 40,000 troops organized into six corps formations, plus units directly subordinate to the MD. Corps headquarters subordinate to the 1st MD were the following:
4th Corps, headquartered at Sarajevo; 5th Corps, headquartered at Banja Luka; 12th Corps, headquartered at Novi Sad; 17th Corps, headquartered at Tuzla; 24th Corps, headquartered at Kragujevac; and 37th Corps, headquartered at Uzice.
In addition to these forces, the 1st MD had a mechanized infantry division (headquartered in Belgrade), three mixed artillery and anti-tank brigades, and a rocket artillery brigade directly subordinate to the MD headquarters. The 1st MD was thought to have 968 tanks, 633 armoured combat vehicles and 1,392 artillery pieces, including 92 multiple rocket launchers.
The 3rd MD, headquartered in Skopje, was responsible for the defence of Yugoslavia's southern flank. Its estimated troop strength was 41,000, again organized into Corps and direct reporting units. The five Corps headquarters subordinate to the 3rd MD were:
2nd Corps, headquartered at Titograd; 21st Corps, headquartered at Niš; 41st Corps, headquartered at Bitola; 42nd Corps, headquartered at Kumanovo; and 52nd Corps, headquartered at Priština. Two brigades of armour and two brigades of mixed artillery and anti-tank weapons were directly subordinate to the MD. The 3rd MD had 729 tanks, 472 armoured combat vehicles, and 1,190 artillery pieces, including 60 multiple rocket launchers.
The 5th MD, headquartered at Zagreb, was responsible for the defence of northern Yugoslavia and had an estimated troop strength of 35,000. The 5th MD had five Corps headquarters:
10th Corps, headquartered at Zagreb; 13th Corps, headquartered at Rijeka; 14th Corps, headquartered at Ljubljana; 31st Corps, headquartered at Maribor; and 32nd Corps, headquartered at Vara din. The 5th MD had 711 tanks, 367 armoured combat vehicles, and 869 artillery pieces, of which 64 were multiple rocket launchers.
reference: globalsecurity.org
Miscellaneous
- 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 and is the leading frozen fruit exporter.
- 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.
See also
- List of Serbs
- List of computer systems from Serbia
- Radio Television of Serbia
- Serbian Campaign (World War I)
- Serbian law
- Timeline of Serbian history
References
- Serb Medieval State of Zeta, Serb Land of Montenegro website
- The Arrival of Slavs, the Adoption of Christianity and the Serbian State of Stefan Nemanja, Illlustrated History of the Serbs
- Fresco of King Mihailo, Serb Land of Montenegro website
- Serbian Medieval History: Balkan Power (1168–1321), Serbian Unity Congress
- Template:Sr icon Stefan Tvrtko I Kotromanić, Projekat Rastko-Boka
- The First Serbian Uprising, website of the Royal Family of Serbia and Yugoslavia
- Second Balkan War 1913, Lahana.org
- Outbreak and Opening of WW1, GermanNotes.com
- Timeline: The Former Yugoslavia, InfoPlease.com
- ^ 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica:Servia
- Catholic Encyclopedia used the name "Servia"
- "East Central Europe as a Politically Correct Scapegoat: The Case of Bulgaria".
- The period of Croatia within ex-Yugoslavia
- Serbia, Encyclopædia Britannica Online
- Radovanović, M and Dučić, V, 2002, Variability of Climate in Serbia in the Second Half of the 20th Century, EGS XXVII General Assembly, Nice, 21 April to 26 April 2002, abstract #2283, 27:2283–, provided by the Smithsonian / NASA Astrophysics Data System
- Basic Climate Characteristics for the Territory of Serbia, Hydrometeorologic Service of Serbia
- Archive of Serbia
- Glossary — Yugoslavia, Library of Congress
- Statistical office of the Republic of Serbia
- "Domestic consumption drives growth in Eastern Europe" (HTML). EBRD Transition Report 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-16.
- Economic Trends in the Republic of Serbia 2006, Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia
- Gross Domestic Product of the Republic of Serbia 1997–2005, Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia
- Rebranding Serbia: A Hobby Shortly to Become a Full-Time Job?!
External links
Government links
(In alphabetical order of domain name.)
- People's Office of Serbian President
- National Bank of Serbia
- The EU integration Office of Serbian Government
- National Tourism Organisation of Serbia
- Serbian Government
- Republic of Serbia Statistical Office
- National Assembly of Serbia
Other links
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