Serbia

Serbia is located in southeastern Europe. It was once part of Yugoslavia, but after the collapse of the country it gained independence. Serbia does not have a sea, but it has mountains, a wonderful climate, healing waters and a developed economy.

General information

Official name — Republic of Serbia. The state occupies an area of 88 499 km² (111th in the world). At the beginning of 2023, the population of Serbia is approximately 8,633,403 people.

Serbs are the largest ethnic group in the country, making up 83% of the total population if Kosovo and Metohija is excluded. The second largest ethnic group are Hungarians — 3.9% in all of Serbia and 14.3% of the population in Vojvodina. Other minorities include Bosniaks, Roma, Albanians, Bulgarians, Montenegrins, Macedonians, Slovaks, Ruthenians, Vlachs, Romanians.

The official language of the country — Serbian in Cyrillic. It has national status. Along with it, 12 more languages are also officially used at the regional and local levels. In the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, since 2002, five languages can be officially used along with Serbian: Hungarian, Slovak, Croatian, Romanian and Ruthenian. In Kosovo and Metohija, Albanian also has regional status. As for the local level (community), a non-Serbian language receives official status there if the proportion of its speakers reaches a certain level. For example, in Vojvodina, a minority language receives official status throughout the community if representatives of this minority constitute at least 15% of its population. In Central Serbia, almost all communities use only the Serbian language. Only in certain communities of Central Serbia do other languages also have official status: Bulgarian in Bosilegrad and Dimitrovgrad, Albanian in three communities bordering Kosovo, Bosnian in several communities in the historical region of Sandzak.

Serbia — multi-religious country. The Constitution and laws of Serbia guarantee freedom of religion. The country is 92.5% Christian, 4.2% — profess Islam, representatives of other religions and atheists — 3.3%.

The official currency of the country is the Serbian dinar.

Belgrade — capital and largest city of the Republic of Serbia. It has a special administrative status within the country and is one of five statistical regions. The city is the largest economic and cultural center. The Belgrade District's GDP share is 40% of the country's total GDP. The city is home to the headquarters of a number of large companies, including Air Serbia, Telekom Srbija, Telenor Srbija, Delta Holding, Japan Tobacco. etc. The stock exchange and the National Bank of Serbia are located in Belgrade and the city is one of the leaders in the IT sector in Eastern Europe. Currently it is the main industrial center of Serbia. The city is home to the production of machine tools and industrial equipment, grain harvesters, tractors and other agricultural machinery, buses, telecommunications equipment, electronics, and household appliances. There are a number of chemical industry enterprises that produce plastics, rubber, varnishes, paints, polymer coatings, household chemicals, etc. The light and woodworking industries are also developed in Belgrade. The food industry is represented by the processing of agricultural raw materials and the production of food and beverages. The Belgrade District has more than 260,000 hectares of agricultural land, of which 150,000 hectares are cultivated. Belgrade port is located on the Danube and Sava rivers. The part of the port located on the Danube is intended for the transport of goods, while the port on the Sava River receives passenger and tourist ships. Two pan-European transport corridors pass through the city — VII and X.

The city of Novi Sad is the industrial and financial center of the Serbian economy, as well as a major cultural, logistics and transport center. There are a large number of banks in the city, including Bank of Vojvodina, Erste Bank, OTP Bank, Meridian Bank, Metals Bank. and NLB Continental Bank. Also located here is the second largest insurance company in Serbia, DDOR Novi Sad. and the office of the company "Naftna industry Srbije". The city exhibition center also plays a significant role in economic development.

Administrative divisions of Serbia — system of administrative-territorial units of Serbia, including 2 autonomous provinces — Vojvodina and Kosovo and Metohija, 174 local governments: the capital Belgrade, 28 urban settlements and 145 communities. According to the administrative-territorial division, the country is a unitary state.  After the reform, the country's territory is divided into statistical regions, districts, cities and communities.

History, geography, culture, mentality

The territory of present-day Serbia was inhabited several hundred years BC. In the 5th century BC. Celtic tribes came here and built the first cities here. The largest city was called Singidunum. In its place is now the capital of Serbia — Belgrade.

In the 8th century. the Serbian principality was founded under the control of the Vlastimirović dynasty.

In 1040, the Serbs living in the coastal area rebelled against the rule of the Byzantine Empire and created the independent Principality of Duklja. Subsequently, the domain of Raška was founded. They united in 1142 and the Grand Duchy of Serbia was formed. Stefan Nemanja ascended the throne in 1180. At that time, the Serbian state occupied the entire southwestern part of the Balkan Peninsula and left the Byzantine Empire.

The rise of the medieval Serbian state occurred in the first half of the 14th century. Stefan Dusan became king of the Serbs. During military campaigns, he conquered Albania, Epirus, Thessaly, the western part of Greece, Macedonia.

In 1389, on the Kosovo field, the Serbian princes were defeated by the Turkish army. After this, Serbia fell into the possession of the Ottoman Empire for several centuries.

The northern regions of the Serbian state went to Austria until the end of the 17th century. were under the rule of the Austrian Empire.

In 1804, the Serbs rebelled against the rule of the Turks and part of the territory of Serbia was liberated. In 1815, a second uprising took place under the leadership of Milos Obrenovic, and the Serbian Principality was created. It became part of the Ottoman Empire as an autonomous region.

In 1878, Serbia gained independence and received the status of a kingdom. After two wars in the Balkans 1912 — 1913, when the Turks were driven out of European territory, the lands of Macedonia and Kosovo became part of Serbia.

In 1914, the First World War was declared. After the end of the war, six countries of the Balkan Peninsula united and created a single state of Yugoslavia.

During World War II, the troops of Nazi Germany, Hungary and Bulgaria occupied the territory of all of Yugoslavia.

In 1944, the Soviet army and the partisans of Marshal Josip Broz Tito liberated Serbia. In 1945, Yugoslavia was declared a Federal People's Republic, which included Serbia with its autonomies, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Croatia and Slovenia. Until 1980, the country's unchanging leader was Josip Broz Tito. During this time, Yugoslavia became a powerful socialist state with developed democracy and a high standard of living.

After Tito's death in 1989, Slobodan Milosevic comes to power in Serbia. During this period, interethnic confrontations within the federation grew, which led to civil war and the collapse of Yugoslavia.

In 1991, Slovenia and Macedonia left the republic. An armed conflict began in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The bloodshed lasted until 1995. The country split into Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Yugoslavia in the form of Montenegro and Serbia.

In 1998, a confrontation began between Serbs and Albanians living in Kosovo. The conflict ended in 2000, after devastating NATO bombings of Belgrade and other major Serbian cities. After this, the government of the Republic of Serbia withdrew troops from its autonomous region of Kosovo. In 2008, Kosovo declared independence.

Serbia is located on the Balkan Peninsula. The country borders on Hungary in the north, and in the east — with Romania and Bulgaria, in the south — with Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Montenegro, in the west — with Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in the southwest — from Kosovo. The country's territory extends from the Drina River in the west to the Timok River in the east. The hilly region of Šumadija is located in central Serbia, north of the Western Morava River valley. The Vojvodina plains are located north of the Sava River and are crossed by the Danube. To the south of Šumadija rise the mountains of the Dinaric Alps (highest point - Djaravica), Shar Planina, Prokletije, East Serbian Mountains and Stara Planina. The Kosovo plateau is located in the southwest. Many mountains in Serbia are climatic and health centers known for the successful treatment of various diseases.

Over thirty lakes (Djerdapsko, Vlasinnsko, Srebrno, Palichsko, Zlatarsko, Gazivode, Borsko, etc.) provide great opportunities for lovers of water recreation, fishermen, athletes and just tourists.

There are 5 national parks (reserves) in Serbia: mountains Kopaonik, Tara, Shara, Fruska Gora and the one-of-a-kind Danube Gorge — Djerdap. All of them are under state protection.

Four sites in Serbia have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List due to their artistic, cultural, social and historical significance. From the imperial Roman palace of Felix Romuliana in Gamzigrad to the medieval Serbian monasteries of Studenica, Stari Ras and Sopocani, from a group of medieval monuments in Kosovo to the unique ancient tombstones known as stečki.

The culture of Serbia has always developed between East and West. This can be clearly seen in the architecture of the XII monasteries — XIV centuries "Rush School" — Romanesque appearance and Byzantine decor.

After the loss of independence in the 15th century. The Serbs came under the influence of the Ottoman and Habsburg empires and the Venetian Republic. The Turkish influence was the longest lasting, which is still noticeable in the language, cuisine, music.

Since the end of the 17th century. the center of education and culture moves to Austria-Hungary. “Baroque” styles are invading culture and art. and "rococo".

Since the beginning of the 20th century. Serbia keeps pace with Europe in matters of art, going through the stage from impressionism, expressionism and to postmodernism.

Russian emigration had a colossal cultural influence after the October Revolution. Over the course of 20 years (from 1921 to 1941), Russian specialists designed and built several thousand objects on the territory of the Kingdom, more than two thousand — in Belgrade.

Serbs — hospitable and open people, they sacredly honor their culture, rely on the centuries-old stronghold of their nation — Serbian Orthodox Church. Here they will happily discuss crop prospects or sports competitions, gossip about their personal lives or criticize the weather. However, when talking about politics, it should be remembered that the events associated with the collapse of Yugoslavia are too fresh in the memory of local residents. Relations with other nations of the former Yugoslavia, despite the active process of reconciliation, still remain difficult — in almost every family someone died in that war.

In Serbia, there is great respect for Russians and other peoples of the former USSR, who are welcome guests almost everywhere. The proximity of languages also contributes to this. A phrase in Russian will arouse keen interest from local residents here, and knowledge of a few of the most common local words almost completely erases the boundaries between tourists and local residents. Serbs (urban residents) have a good command of the main European languages — English, German, French, Italian.

When meeting, local residents, regardless of religion, greet each other in a European way — with a handshake. In some southern regions, hugs and kisses are allowed when meeting well-known people; this is unacceptable with strangers. When visiting someone's home, small gifts are common. The ability to speak and conduct a conversation is highly valued b