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4. Questions - Got a question about Serbia then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

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9. Contact - got a question about Serbia, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Serbia, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

{{Infobox Country or territory|native_name = Република СрбијаRepublika Srbija|conventional_long_name = Republic of Serbia|common_name = Serbia|image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg|image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg|image_map = Europe location SRB.png|map_caption = |national_anthem = Bože pravdeGod of Justice] |regional_languages = Hungarian language, Croatian language, Slovak language, Romanian language,
Rusyn language Albanian language |demonym = Serbian|capital = Belgrade|leader_title1 = [President of Serbia|leader_title2 = Prime Minister of Serbia|leader_name1 = Boris Tadić|area_rank = 113th|area_magnitude = 1 E10|area_km2 = 88,361|area_sq_mi = 34,116|percent_water = 0.13|population_estimate = 10,150,265|population_estimate_rank = 80th|population_estimate_year = 2007|population_census = 7,498,001|population_census_year = 2002|population_density_km2 = 115|population_density_sq_mi = 297|population_density_rank = 94th|GDP_PPP_year = 2007|GDP_PPP = $54.310 billion|GDP_PPP_rank = 72nd|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $7,234|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 90th|GDP_Nominal_year = 2007|GDP_Nominal = $31.589 billion|GDP_Nominal_rank = 73rd|GDP_Nominal_per_capita = $4 800|GDP_Nominal_per_capita_rank = 76th|Gini = 24|Gini_year = 2007|Gini_category = low|sovereignty_type = Establishment|sovereignty_note|established_event1 = [Raška (state)|established_event2 = History of Medieval Serbia|established_event3 = Serbian Empire|established_event4 = Independence lost|established_event5 = (Statehood)|established_event6 = Principality of Serbia|established_event7 = Congress of Berlin|established_event8 = Kingdom of Serbia|established_event9 = Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians|established_event10 = Serbia and Montenegro Montenegrin independence referendum, 2006|established_date1 = VII century|established_date3 = [1345|established_date5 = [February 15, 1804|established_date7 = [13 July 1878 [1882 [1918, [2006|currency_code = RSD|country_code = RS|time_zone = [Central European Time|utc_offset = +1|time_zone_DST = Central European Summer Time|utc_offset_DST = +2|cctld = .rs (.yu)],
Gaj's Latin alphabet script is awaiting parliamentary
approval alongside the official Serbian Cyrillic alphabet script.
² Official languages of Vojvodina.
³ Official languages of Kosovo.
4 does not include the figures for Kosovo
5 The Euro is used in Kosovo alongside the Dinar.
6 .rs became active in September 2007. Suffix .yu
will exist until September 2009.

-->

The Republic of Serbia (, ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe and Balkans Europe, covering the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the central part of the Balkans. It is bordered by Hungary on the north; Romania and Bulgaria on the east; Albania and the Republic of Macedonia on the south; and Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the west. The capital is Belgrade.

Once a powerful medieval Serbian Kingdom and an Serbian Empire (which at times ruled most of the Balkans), the modern state of Serbia emerged in 1817 following the Second Serbian Uprising. Later, it expanded its territory further south to include Kosovo and Metohija and the regions of Raška (region) and Vardar Macedonia (in 1912). Finally, Vojvodina (formerly an autonomous Habsburg crownland named Voivodship of Serbia and Tamiš Banat) proclaimed its Banat, Bačka and Baranja, and united with Serbia in November 25, 1918, preceded by the Syrmia region a day before. The current borders of the country were established following the end of World War II, when Serbia became a federal unit within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Serbia became an independent state again in 2006, after Montenegro left the Serbia and Montenegro which was formed after the Breakup of Yugoslavia in 1990s.

Name In 17th and early 20th century English works, the country was often referred to as Servia. 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica:Servia Catholic Encyclopedia used the name "Servia" The usage was often resented by Serbs, who felt that the use of "Servia" linked the Serbs to the Latin servus, a slave or servant. The British press stopped using the term by the 1930s, allegedly due to the efforts of Vojislav M. Petrović (Војислав М. Петровић, publisher of the Serbian grammar in London. The period of Croatia within ex-Yugoslavia However, scholars today agree that Serbian name did not derive from word servus.

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

Geography Serbia is located in Europe, on the Balkan peninsula and in the Pannonian Plain. It is placed at the crossroads between Central Europe, Southern Europe 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 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 Tisza river flows into the Danube and ends its 1350 km long journey from Ukraine, and the partially navigable Timiş River (60 km/350 km) flows into the Danube near Pančevo. The Begej river (254 km) flows into Tisa near Titel. All five rivers are navigable, connecting the country with Northern and Western Europe (through the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal–North Sea route), to Eastern Europe (via the Tisa–, Timiş River–, Begej– and Danube–Black sea routes) and to Southern Europe (via the Sava river).

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

Over one quarter of Serbia's overall landmass (27%) is covered by foresthttp://www.ptica.org/engl/birds/serbia.htm.

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. Serbia, Encyclopedia Britannica Online Vojvodina possesses typical continental climate, with air masses from Northern Europe 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.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

Average annual air temperature for the period 1961–1990 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. Basic Climate Characteristics for the Territory of Serbia, Hydrometeorologic Service of Serbia

Cities , the capital city Fortress and Novi SadMajor cities (over 100,000 inhabitants on municipal level) — 2002 census data.

{] || align="right"| 1,273,651 || align="right"|1,576,124|-|Novi Sad ] || align="right"|194,790 || align="right"|250,518|-|Kragujevac ] || align="right"|78,030 || align="right"|156,252|-|Subotica ] || align="right"|79,545 || align="right"|131,509|-|Kruševac ] || align="right"|77,087 || align="right"|127,162|-|Šabac ] || align="right"|57,411 || align="right"|121,707|-|Čačak ] || align="right"|77,808 || align="right"|109,867|-|Sombor ] || align="right"|61,035 || align="right"|96,761|-|}



National parks Serbia has five national parks:

History , as of 814, Skoplje, 1346Serbia's strategic location between two continents has subjected it to invasions by many peoples. Only Belgrade is believed to have been leveled to the ground by 30 different armies in recorded history. Apart from beeing under nominal Serbs since the 7th century, through history various parts of the territory of contemporary Serbia have been claimed or ruled by the Roman Empire (conquered the indigenous Celts and Illyrians); the Western Roman Empire- and the Byzantine Empire (challenged by the incursions of the Hun Empire, the Ostrogoths, the Gepid Kingdom, the Avar Khanate, the Serbs, the Frankish Kingdom, the Pannonian Croatia, the Great Moravia, the Bulgarian Empire). Serbs have managed to form their first unified state under the Vlastimirovic dynasty by 812, at times disrupted by the wars with the aforementioned states. At first Serbia was heavily dependant on the Byzantine Empire as its tributary land, however in time this state would achieve full independence, evolving into the Serbian Kingdom in 1217, and the Serbian Empire in 1345 under the rule of the prominent House of Nemanjic.

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

Following the success of the First Serbian Uprising between 1804-1817, Serbia overthrew the Ottoman Empire, emerging as the semi- independent Principality of Serbia. De facto independence was secured after the retreat of the last Ottoman soldier in 1867. Formal independence of the country was internationally recognized at the Congress of Berlin in 1878. In 1882, Serbia was proclaimed a Kingdom of Serbia. In the 20th century, following its Vojvodina, Serbia was a backbone of various Yugoslavia, including the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from 1918 to 1941 (renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929), the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1992, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1992 to 2003, and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro from 2003 to 2006. Second Balkan War 1913, Lahana.org Outbreak and Opening of WW1, GermanNotes.com Timeline: The Former Yugoslavia, InfoPlease.com After Montenegro Montenegrin independence referendum, 2006 for independence from the State Union, Serbia officially proclaimed its independence on June 7, 2006, as the successor state to the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.

Early history Serbs settled the region by 630 AD, having been invited by the Byzantine Empire List of Byzantine Emperors Heraclius. They were fully converted to Christianity by 865 AD. 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 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.

Medieval Serb kingdoms and the Empire , late 13th centurySerbs formed four distinct independent kingdoms by the 14th century — Duklja, Raška (state), Syrmia and Bosnia (region). Fresco of King Mihailo, Serb Land of Montenegro website Serbian Medieval History: Balkan Power (1168–1321), Serbian Unity Congress Stefan Tvrtko I Kotromanić, Projekat Rastko-Boka Of those, the most viable was Raška (state), formed in the 12th century by the Serbian Župan Stefan Nemanja. In 1220, under Stefan the First Crowned, Serbia became a kingdom. In 1346, Stefan Dušan established the Serbian Empire. House of Nemanjić ruled over Serbia from 1166 to 1371.

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

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

Ottoman/Austrian rule , VojvodinaFollowing the collapse of Serbian Empire before historic Battle of Kosovo, most of Serbia was under Ottoman Empire occupation between 1459 and 1804, despite three Austrian Empire invasions and numerous rebellions (such as the Banat Uprising). Islam was in a period of expansion during this time, especially in Raška (region), Kosovo and Bosnia Province, Ottoman Empire. 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. The northern third of the modern country, Vojvodina, endured a century long Ottoman occupation before passing to Habsburg Empire in the end of the 17th century and beginning of the 18th century, only to proclaim secession from Austria-Hungary in 1918.

, leader of the First Serbian uprising in 1804

Principality of Serbia/Crownland of Vojvodina 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 autonomy and self-governance of the new Principality of Serbia (previously Pashaluk of Belgrade) from the Porte. As it was semi-independent from the Ottoman Empire, it is considered to be the precursor of the formation of History of Modern Serbia. After the Ottomans were definitely expelled in 1867, Serbia de facto secured its sovereignty, which was formally recognized internationally at the Congress of Berlin in 1878. The First Serbian Uprising, website of the Royal Family of Serbia and Yugoslavia

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 Alexander Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia. In 1903, the House of Obrenović was replaced by the House of Karađorđević, who were descendants of Đorđe Petrović.

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

Independent kingdom The struggle for liberty, modern society and a nation-state in Serbia lasted almost three decades and was completed with the adoption of the constitution on 15 February 1835. In 1876, Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina declared war against the Ottoman Empire and proclaimed their unification. However, the Treaty of Berlin, 1878, which was signed at the Congress of Berlin by the Great Powers, granted complete independence only to Serbia and Montenegro, leaving Bosnia and Sanjak of Novi Pazar to Austria-Hungary, who blocked their unification until the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913 and World War I., Serbian leader in the First World War were 8%

On 28 June 1914 the Assassination in Sarajevo of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria at Sarajevo in Austria-Hungary by Gavrilo Princip, a South Slav unionist, Austrian citizen and member of Young Bosnia, led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia. The Russian Empire started to mobilize its troops in defense of its ally Serbia, which resulted in the German Empire declaring war on Russia in support of its ally Austria-Hungary. However, as German military planners Schlieffen Plan#The Schlieffen Plan In Action.2C And Its Failure against both Russia and France, they attacked France first. This eventually culminated in all the major European Powers being drawn into the war. The Serbian Army won several major victories against Austria-Hungary at the beginning of World War I, but it was overpowered by the joint forces of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria in 1915. Most of its army and some people went to exile to Greece and Corfu where it healed, regrouped and returned to Macedonian front (World War I) to lead a final breakthrough through enemy lines on 15 September 1918, freeing Serbia again and ending the World War I on 11 November. Archive of Serbia In World War I, Serbia had 1,264,000 casualties — 28% of its total population, and 58% of its male population.

First Yugoslavia/WWII and the Serbian genocide On December 1st 1918, Serbia became the founding member of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later known as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During World War II, Serbia was a German-occupied puppet state that included present-day Central Serbia and Banat, popularly called Nedić's Serbia. However, parts of the present-day territory of Serbia were occupied by Croatian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Albanian, and Italian armies. During that period, Serbs, Jews and Roma in the Nazi- sponsored Independent State of Croatia have been subjected to a large-scale Jasenovac concentration camp, particularly in the infamous Jasenovac concentration camp, for not complying with the Nazi and Ustaše racial policies http://www.jasenovac.org/whatwasjasenovac.phphttp://www.pww.org/article/articleprint/10551/. Between 300,000 and 700,000 people, predominately of Serbs, have perished during this Jasenovac concentration camp. Around 32,000 Jews added to the victim count.http://www.jasenovac.org/ http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Jasenovac.html, a WWII memorial in present-day Croatia, 60 years on.

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

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

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

In September 2000, opposition parties claimed that Milošević committed fraud in routine federal elections. Street protests and rallies throughout Serbia eventually forced Milošević to concede and hand over power to the recently formed Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS), a broad coalition of anti-Milošević parties. 5th October Overthrow led to end of the international isolation Serbia suffered during the Milošević years. Serbia's new leaders announced that Serbia would seek to join the European Union. In October 2005, the EU opened negotiations with Serbia for a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), a preliminary step towards joining the EU.Negotiations were continued after short break.

Serbia and Montenegro From 2003 to 2006, Serbia was part of the Serbia and Montenegro, into which the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had been transformed. On 21 May 2006 Montenegro held a Montenegrin independence referendum, 2006 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.BBC has referred to this breakup as theMontenegrin independence referendum, 2006.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5014756.stm

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

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

After the ousting of Slobodan Milošević on 5 October 2000, the country was governed by the Democratic Opposition of Serbia. Tensions gradually increased within the coalition until the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) left the government, leaving the Democratic Party (Serbia) (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 Serbian Renewal Movement–New Serbia, 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 (Serbia) (DS). He was elected with 53% of the vote in the second round of the Serbian presidential election, 2004 held on 27 June 2004, following several unsuccessful elections since 2002.

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

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

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

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

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

Demographics in Serbia Population statistics of Serbia (Estimate May 2005):

{{bar box|width=300px|title=Serbia (excluding Kosovo) in 2002|titlebar=#ddd|bars=-->

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

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

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

Refugees and IDPs in Serbia form between 7% and 7.5% of its population- about half a million refugees seeked refuge in the country following the series of Yugoslav wars (from Croatia mainly, to an extent Bosnia and Herzegovina too and the IDPs from Kosovo, which are the most numerous at over 200,000) https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rb.html

Religion {{bar box|title=Serbia (excluding Kosovo) in 2002|titlebar=#ddd|left1=religion|right1=percent|float=right|bars=-->According to the 2002 Census , 82% of the population of Serbia (excluding Kosovo) or 6,2 million people declared their nationality as Serbs, who are overwhelmingly adherents of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Other Orthodox Christian communities in Serbia include Montenegrins, Romanians, Macedonians (ethnic group), Bulgarians, Vlachs etc. Together they comprise about 84% of the entire population.

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

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

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

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

Economy economy estimates for 2007With a GDP for 2007 estimated at $54.310 billion, which is $7 234 per capita Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), ($5500 nominal), Republic of Serbia is considered an upper-middle income economy by the World Bank Upper-middle-income economies. GDP growth rate in 2006 is 5.8%. Economic Trends in the Republic of Serbia 2006, Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia Growth in 2005 was 6.3% Gross Domestic Product of the Republic of Serbia 1997–2005, Statistical Office of the Republic of SerbiaFDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in 2006 was US dollar5.85 billion or €4.5 billion. FDI for 2007 is currently estimated at around US dollar2 Billion, while nominal GDP figures are estimated to have reached $5,600.http://www.seenews.com/news/latestnews/serbiaeyes7_0pctincreaseingdpfor2007-164617/

Serbia has an economy based mostly on various services, industry and agriculture. In the late 1980s, at the beginning of the process of economic transition, its position was favorable, but it was gravely impacted by UN economic sanctions 1992–1995, the damage to infrastructure and industry during the NATO air strikes in 1999, as well as having problems from losing the markets of ex-Yugoslavia and Comecon. Main economic problems include high unemployment and an insufficient amount of economic reforms.

Serbia grows about one-third of the world's raspberry and is the leading frozen fruit exporter. Rebranding Serbia: A Hobby Shortly to Become a Full-Time Job?!

on 100 Serbian dinar banknoteAfter 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 ratesMinistry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania: Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Encourages Lithuanian and Serbian Businessmen to Develop Mutual Relation More Actively, a reference to the East Asian Tigers.

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

Culture in Mileševa monastery, mid 13th century

Serbia is one of Europe most culturally diverse countries. The borders between large empires ran through the territory of today's Serbia for long periods in history: between the Byzantine Empire and Western Roman Empire halves of the Roman Empire; between Kingdom of Hungary, Bulgarian Empire and Byzantium; and between the Ottoman Empire and the Austrian Empire (later Austria-Hungary). As a result, while the north is culturally "Mitteleuropa", 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 Eastern Orthodox Christianity 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 of Serb Orthodox monasteries|m {{Infobox Country or territory|native_name = Република СрбијаRepublika Srbija|conventional_long_name = Republic of Serbia|common_name = Serbia|image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg|image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg|image_map = Europe location SRB.png|map_caption = |national_anthem = Bože pravdeGod of Justice] |regional_languages = Hungarian language, Croatian language, Slovak language, Romanian language,
Rusyn language Albanian language |demonym = Serbian|capital = Belgrade|leader_title1 = [President of Serbia|leader_title2 = Prime Minister of Serbia|leader_name1 = Boris Tadić|area_rank = 113th|area_magnitude = 1 E10|area_km2 = 88,361|area_sq_mi = 34,116|percent_water = 0.13|population_estimate = 10,150,265|population_estimate_rank = 80th|population_estimate_year = 2007|population_census = 7,498,001|population_census_year = 2002|population_density_km2 = 115|population_density_sq_mi = 297|population_density_rank = 94th|GDP_PPP_year = 2007|GDP_PPP = $54.310 billion|GDP_PPP_rank = 72nd|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $7,234|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 90th|GDP_Nominal_year = 2007|GDP_Nominal = $31.589 billion|GDP_Nominal_rank = 73rd|GDP_Nominal_per_capita = $4 800|GDP_Nominal_per_capita_rank = 76th|Gini = 24|Gini_year = 2007|Gini_category = low|sovereignty_type = Establishment|sovereignty_note|established_event1 = [Raška (state)|established_event2 = History of Medieval Serbia|established_event3 = Serbian Empire|established_event4 = Independence lost|established_event5 = (Statehood)|established_event6 = Principality of Serbia|established_event7 = Congress of Berlin|established_event8 = Kingdom of Serbia|established_event9 = Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians|established_event10 = Serbia and Montenegro Montenegrin independence referendum, 2006|established_date1 = VII century|established_date3 = [1345|established_date5 = [February 15, 1804|established_date7 = [13 July 1878 [1882 [1918, [2006|currency_code = RSD|country_code = RS|time_zone = [Central European Time|utc_offset = +1|time_zone_DST = Central European Summer Time|utc_offset_DST = +2|cctld = .rs (.yu)],
Gaj's Latin alphabet script is awaiting parliamentary
approval alongside the official Serbian Cyrillic alphabet script.
² Official languages of Vojvodina.
³ Official languages of Kosovo.
4 does not include the figures for Kosovo
5 The Euro is used in Kosovo alongside the Dinar.
6 .rs became active in September 2007. Suffix .yu
will exist until September 2009.

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The Republic of Serbia (, ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe and Balkans Europe, covering the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the central part of the Balkans. It is bordered by Hungary on the north; Romania and Bulgaria on the east; Albania and the Republic of Macedonia on the south; and Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the west. The capital is Belgrade.

Once a powerful medieval Serbian Kingdom and an Serbian Empire (which at times ruled most of the Balkans), the modern state of Serbia emerged in 1817 following the Second Serbian Uprising. Later, it expanded its territory further south to include Kosovo and Metohija and the regions of Raška (region) and Vardar Macedonia (in 1912). Finally, Vojvodina (formerly an autonomous Habsburg crownland named Voivodship of Serbia and Tamiš Banat) proclaimed its Banat, Bačka and Baranja, and united with Serbia in November 25, 1918, preceded by the Syrmia region a day before. The current borders of the country were established following the end of World War II, when Serbia became a federal unit within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Serbia became an independent state again in 2006, after Montenegro left the Serbia and Montenegro which was formed after the Breakup of Yugoslavia in 1990s.

Name In 17th and early 20th century English works, the country was often referred to as Servia. 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica:Servia Catholic Encyclopedia used the name "Servia" The usage was often resented by Serbs, who felt that the use of "Servia" linked the Serbs to the Latin servus, a slave or servant. The British press stopped using the term by the 1930s, allegedly due to the efforts of Vojislav M. Petrović (Војислав М. Петровић, publisher of the Serbian grammar in London. The period of Croatia within ex-Yugoslavia However, scholars today agree that Serbian name did not derive from word servus.

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

Geography Serbia is located in Europe, on the Balkan peninsula and in the Pannonian Plain. It is placed at the crossroads between Central Europe, Southern Europe 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 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 Tisza river flows into the Danube and ends its 1350 km long journey from Ukraine, and the partially navigable Timiş River (60 km/350 km) flows into the Danube near Pančevo. The Begej river (254 km) flows into Tisa near Titel. All five rivers are navigable, connecting the country with Northern and Western Europe (through the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal–North Sea route), to Eastern Europe (via the Tisa–, Timiş River–, Begej– and Danube–Black sea routes) and to Southern Europe (via the Sava river).

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

Over one quarter of Serbia's overall landmass (27%) is covered by foresthttp://www.ptica.org/engl/birds/serbia.htm.

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. Serbia, Encyclopedia Britannica Online Vojvodina possesses typical continental climate, with air masses from Northern Europe 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.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

Average annual air temperature for the period 1961–1990 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. Basic Climate Characteristics for the Territory of Serbia, Hydrometeorologic Service of Serbia

Cities , the capital city Fortress and Novi SadMajor cities (over 100,000 inhabitants on municipal level) — 2002 census data.

{] || align="right"| 1,273,651 || align="right"|1,576,124|-|Novi Sad ] || align="right"|194,790 || align="right"|250,518|-|Kragujevac ] || align="right"|78,030 || align="right"|156,252|-|Subotica ] || align="right"|79,545 || align="right"|131,509|-|Kruševac ] || align="right"|77,087 || align="right"|127,162|-|Šabac ] || align="right"|57,411 || align="right"|121,707|-|Čačak ] || align="right"|77,808 || align="right"|109,867|-|Sombor ] || align="right"|61,035 || align="right"|96,761|-|}



National parks Serbia has five national parks:

History , as of 814, Skoplje, 1346Serbia's strategic location between two continents has subjected it to invasions by many peoples. Only Belgrade is believed to have been leveled to the ground by 30 different armies in recorded history. Apart from beeing under nominal Serbs since the 7th century, through history various parts of the territory of contemporary Serbia have been claimed or ruled by the Roman Empire (conquered the indigenous Celts and Illyrians); the Western Roman Empire- and the Byzantine Empire (challenged by the incursions of the Hun Empire, the Ostrogoths, the Gepid Kingdom, the Avar Khanate, the Serbs, the Frankish Kingdom, the Pannonian Croatia, the Great Moravia, the Bulgarian Empire). Serbs have managed to form their first unified state under the Vlastimirovic dynasty by 812, at times disrupted by the wars with the aforementioned states. At first Serbia was heavily dependant on the Byzantine Empire as its tributary land, however in time this state would achieve full independence, evolving into the Serbian Kingdom in 1217, and the Serbian Empire in 1345 under the rule of the prominent House of Nemanjic.

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

Following the success of the First Serbian Uprising between 1804-1817, Serbia overthrew the Ottoman Empire, emerging as the semi- independent Principality of Serbia. De facto independence was secured after the retreat of the last Ottoman soldier in 1867. Formal independence of the country was internationally recognized at the Congress of Berlin in 1878. In 1882, Serbia was proclaimed a Kingdom of Serbia. In the 20th century, following its Vojvodina, Serbia was a backbone of various Yugoslavia, including the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from 1918 to 1941 (renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929), the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1992, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1992 to 2003, and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro from 2003 to 2006. Second Balkan War 1913, Lahana.org Outbreak and Opening of WW1, GermanNotes.com Timeline: The Former Yugoslavia, InfoPlease.com After Montenegro Montenegrin independence referendum, 2006 for independence from the State Union, Serbia officially proclaimed its independence on June 7, 2006, as the successor state to the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.

Early history Serbs settled the region by 630 AD, having been invited by the Byzantine Empire List of Byzantine Emperors Heraclius. They were fully converted to Christianity by 865 AD. 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 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.

Medieval Serb kingdoms and the Empire , late 13th centurySerbs formed four distinct independent kingdoms by the 14th century — Duklja, Raška (state), Syrmia and Bosnia (region). Fresco of King Mihailo, Serb Land of Montenegro website Serbian Medieval History: Balkan Power (1168–1321), Serbian Unity Congress Stefan Tvrtko I Kotromanić, Projekat Rastko-Boka Of those, the most viable was Raška (state), formed in the 12th century by the Serbian Župan Stefan Nemanja. In 1220, under Stefan the First Crowned, Serbia became a kingdom. In 1346, Stefan Dušan established the Serbian Empire. House of Nemanjić ruled over Serbia from 1166 to 1371.

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

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

Ottoman/Austrian rule , VojvodinaFollowing the collapse of Serbian Empire before historic Battle of Kosovo, most of Serbia was under Ottoman Empire occupation between 1459 and 1804, despite three Austrian Empire invasions and numerous rebellions (such as the Banat Uprising). Islam was in a period of expansion during this time, especially in Raška (region), Kosovo and Bosnia Province, Ottoman Empire. 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. The northern third of the modern country, Vojvodina, endured a century long Ottoman occupation before passing to Habsburg Empire in the end of the 17th century and beginning of the 18th century, only to proclaim secession from Austria-Hungary in 1918.

, leader of the First Serbian uprising in 1804

Principality of Serbia/Crownland of Vojvodina 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 autonomy and self-governance of the new Principality of Serbia (previously Pashaluk of Belgrade) from the Porte. As it was semi-independent from the Ottoman Empire, it is considered to be the precursor of the formation of History of Modern Serbia. After the Ottomans were definitely expelled in 1867, Serbia de facto secured its sovereignty, which was formally recognized internationally at the Congress of Berlin in 1878. The First Serbian Uprising, website of the Royal Family of Serbia and Yugoslavia

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 Alexander Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia. In 1903, the House of Obrenović was replaced by the House of Karađorđević, who were descendants of Đorđe Petrović.

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

Independent kingdom The struggle for liberty, modern society and a nation-state in Serbia lasted almost three decades and was completed with the adoption of the constitution on 15 February 1835. In 1876, Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina declared war against the Ottoman Empire and proclaimed their unification. However, the Treaty of Berlin, 1878, which was signed at the Congress of Berlin by the Great Powers, granted complete independence only to Serbia and Montenegro, leaving Bosnia and Sanjak of Novi Pazar to Austria-Hungary, who blocked their unification until the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913 and World War I., Serbian leader in the First World War were 8%

On 28 June 1914 the Assassination in Sarajevo of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria at Sarajevo in Austria-Hungary by Gavrilo Princip, a South Slav unionist, Austrian citizen and member of Young Bosnia, led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia. The Russian Empire started to mobilize its troops in defense of its ally Serbia, which resulted in the German Empire declaring war on Russia in support of its ally Austria-Hungary. However, as German military planners Schlieffen Plan#The Schlieffen Plan In Action.2C And Its Failure against both Russia and France, they attacked France first. This eventually culminated in all the major European Powers being drawn into the war. The Serbian Army won several major victories against Austria-Hungary at the beginning of World War I, but it was overpowered by the joint forces of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria in 1915. Most of its army and some people went to exile to Greece and Corfu where it healed, regrouped and returned to Macedonian front (World War I) to lead a final breakthrough through enemy lines on 15 September 1918, freeing Serbia again and ending the World War I on 11 November. Archive of Serbia In World War I, Serbia had 1,264,000 casualties — 28% of its total population, and 58% of its male population.

First Yugoslavia/WWII and the Serbian genocide On December 1st 1918, Serbia became the founding member of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later known as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During World War II, Serbia was a German-occupied puppet state that included present-day Central Serbia and Banat, popularly called Nedić's Serbia. However, parts of the present-day territory of Serbia were occupied by Croatian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Albanian, and Italian armies. During that period, Serbs, Jews and Roma in the Nazi- sponsored Independent State of Croatia have been subjected to a large-scale Jasenovac concentration camp, particularly in the infamous Jasenovac concentration camp, for not complying with the Nazi and Ustaše racial policies http://www.jasenovac.org/whatwasjasenovac.phphttp://www.pww.org/article/articleprint/10551/. Between 300,000 and 700,000 people, predominately of Serbs, have perished during this Jasenovac concentration camp. Around 32,000 Jews added to the victim count.http://www.jasenovac.org/ http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Jasenovac.html, a WWII memorial in present-day Croatia, 60 years on.

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

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

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

In September 2000, opposition parties claimed that Milošević committed fraud in routine federal elections. Street protests and rallies throughout Serbia eventually forced Milošević to concede and hand over power to the recently formed Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS), a broad coalition of anti-Milošević parties. 5th October Overthrow led to end of the international isolation Serbia suffered during the Milošević years. Serbia's new leaders announced that Serbia would seek to join the European Union. In October 2005, the EU opened negotiations with Serbia for a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), a preliminary step towards joining the EU.Negotiations were continued after short break.

Serbia and Montenegro From 2003 to 2006, Serbia was part of the Serbia and Montenegro, into which the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had been transformed. On 21 May 2006 Montenegro held a Montenegrin independence referendum, 2006 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.BBC has referred to this breakup as theMontenegrin independence referendum, 2006.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5014756.stm

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

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

After the ousting of Slobodan Milošević on 5 October 2000, the country was governed by the Democratic Opposition of Serbia. Tensions gradually increased within the coalition until the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) left the government, leaving the Democratic Party (Serbia) (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 Serbian Renewal Movement–New Serbia, 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 (Serbia) (DS). He was elected with 53% of the vote in the second round of the Serbian presidential election, 2004 held on 27 June 2004, following several unsuccessful elections since 2002.

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

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

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

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

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

Demographics in Serbia Population statistics of Serbia (Estimate May 2005):

{{bar box|width=300px|title=Serbia (excluding Kosovo) in 2002|titlebar=#ddd|bars=-->

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

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

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

Refugees and IDPs in Serbia form between 7% and 7.5% of its population- about half a million refugees seeked refuge in the country following the series of Yugoslav wars (from Croatia mainly, to an extent Bosnia and Herzegovina too and the IDPs from Kosovo, which are the most numerous at over 200,000) https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rb.html

Religion {{bar box|title=Serbia (excluding Kosovo) in 2002|titlebar=#ddd|left1=religion|right1=percent|float=right|bars=-->According to the 2002 Census , 82% of the population of Serbia (excluding Kosovo) or 6,2 million people declared their nationality as Serbs, who are overwhelmingly adherents of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Other Orthodox Christian communities in Serbia include Montenegrins, Romanians, Macedonians (ethnic group), Bulgarians, Vlachs etc. Together they comprise about 84% of the entire population.

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

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

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

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

Economy economy estimates for 2007With a GDP for 2007 estimated at $54.310 billion, which is $7 234 per capita Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), ($5500 nominal), Republic of Serbia is considered an upper-middle income economy by the World Bank Upper-middle-income economies. GDP growth rate in 2006 is 5.8%. Economic Trends in the Republic of Serbia 2006, Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia Growth in 2005 was 6.3% Gross Domestic Product of the Republic of Serbia 1997–2005, Statistical Office of the Republic of SerbiaFDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in 2006 was US dollar5.85 billion or €4.5 billion. FDI for 2007 is currently estimated at around US dollar2 Billion, while nominal GDP figures are estimated to have reached $5,600.http://www.seenews.com/news/latestnews/serbiaeyes7_0pctincreaseingdpfor2007-164617/

Serbia has an economy based mostly on various services, industry and agriculture. In the late 1980s, at the beginning of the process of economic transition, its position was favorable, but it was gravely impacted by UN economic sanctions 1992–1995, the damage to infrastructure and industry during the NATO air strikes in 1999, as well as having problems from losing the markets of ex-Yugoslavia and Comecon. Main economic problems include high unemployment and an insufficient amount of economic reforms.

Serbia grows about one-third of the world's raspberry and is the leading frozen fruit exporter. Rebranding Serbia: A Hobby Shortly to Become a Full-Time Job?!

on 100 Serbian dinar banknoteAfter 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 ratesMinistry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania: Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Encourages Lithuanian and Serbian Businessmen to Develop Mutual Relation More Actively, a reference to the East Asian Tigers.

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

Culture in Mileševa monastery, mid 13th century

Serbia is one of Europe most culturally diverse countries. The borders between large empires ran through the territory of today's Serbia for long periods in history: between the Byzantine Empire and Western Roman Empire halves of the Roman Empire; between Kingdom of Hungary, Bulgarian Empire and Byzantium; and between the Ottoman Empire and the Austrian Empire (later Austria-Hungary). As a result, while the north is culturally "Mitteleuropa", 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 Eastern Orthodox Christianity 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 of Serb Orthodox monasteries|m

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