The relief of Serbia.

Serbia is the largest and most populous of the states of Yugoslavia .

Serbia, including Kosovo , covers an area of 88,361 square kilometers, ranking it in ^113th place worldwide. It has 2027 km border, is 241 km with Croatia , 302 km with Bosnia-Herzegovina , 203 km with the Republic of Montenegro , 221 km with the Republic of Macedonia , 115 km with Albania , 318 km with Bulgaria , 476 km with Romania and 151 km with Hungary and is so, after Russia and with France , the second country in Europe that has the most neighboring countries in Europe. Without Kosovo, Serbia covers an area of 77,474 square kilometers, ranking it in ^125th place worldwide .

Relief

Mount Midor.

Serbia is composed of two distinct sets. North, Vojvodina (in Serbian : and Vojvodina), lies in the vast Pannonian Plain , which is geographically situated in Central Europe. Vojvodina is separated from the central Serbia by the Sava and Danube. Much of central Serbia and Kosovo is covered with low mountains or medium. Central, west and south-west, these mountains belong to the Dinaric Alps on the east, they belong to the Carpathians , the mountains of Great Balkan and Rhodope Mountains. Mount Midor , amounting to 2 156 m, is located in the mountains of the Stara Planina and is the highest point in eastern Serbia. Among the most important mountains in the country include the mountains Tara , mountains Zlatibor , mountains Kopaonik and massive Fruska Gora. Mount Djeravica , meanwhile, located in Kosovo, amounted to 2 656 m.

In 2007 , the arable land covering an area of 3,095,006 hectares , or 30,950 square kilometers (excluding Kosovo) , the forests cover an area of 25,625 square kilometers, or 27% of the territory .

Hydrology

Waterways and major drainage basins in Serbia.

The confluence of the Sava and Danube at Belgrade.

All rivers in Serbia belong to three watersheds : that of the Black Sea , that of the Adriatic Sea and that of the Aegean. The largest of these basins is the Black Sea, covering an area of 81,261 square kilometers, or 92% of the territory. The basin as a whole, is drained by one river, the Danube , which flows into the Black Sea. The drainage basin of the Adriatic Sea covers an area of 4500 square kilometers, or 5% of the territory of Serbia. It includes the western half of Kosovo and it is mainly drained by a river, the White Drin , which meets the Black Drin in Albania to form the Drina , which flows into the Adriatic Sea. Another part, of smaller extent, is drained by the river Crni Kamen- Radika , south of the region of Gora. The last basin, the Aegean Sea covers an area of 2650 square kilometers, or 3% of the territory of Serbia. It is located south of the country near the borders with the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria. This basin is drained by three rivers: the Lepenac the Pcinja and Dragovitica. The first two flow into the Vardar Macedonia, and the third flows into the Struma in Bulgaria. These two rivers then throw in the Aegean.

The waterways of the longest of Serbia are the Danube (588 km), Sava (206 km), Tisa (168 km) and the Velika Morava (about 185 km). Other major rivers in the country include the Zapadna Morava (308 km), the Juzna Morava (295 km), the Ibar River (272 km), the Drina River (220 km) and Timok (202 km) .

The largest lake is the country's reservoir hydropower of Djerdap (in Serbian : and erdapsko jezero), which covers 253 km ^2, followed Vlasina Lake , stretching over 16 km ² .

Climate

The climate of Serbia can be described as a continental climate with moderate, with characteristics more or less pronounced depending on the location, terrain, presence or absence of rivers, vegetation or urbanization . The north has a distinctly continental climate with cold winters and hot summers and wet, while the south closer to the Adriatic Sea , experiencing hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters, with significant snowfall. Thus, Vojvodina has a continental climate influenced by air masses coming from the Northern Europe and the Western Europe , while the south and south-west of the country undergo an influence Mediterranean itself moderated by the Dinaric Alps and other mountain ranges that help cool the warm air masses. The winters are particularly harsh and in the region of Sandzak because of the mountains surrounding the plateau .

For the period 1961-1990, annual mean temperature was 10.9 C up to an altitude of 300 meters. The regions between 300 and 500 m have been an average temperature of 10.0 C and above 1000 m, an average temperature of 6.0 C . July is the warmest month of the year, with an average temperature between 11 and 22 C, more precisely, areas within 300 meters have an average temperature between 20 , 0 and 22 C, as some areas of southern Serbia situated at altitudes between 400 and 500 meters. Above 1000 m altitude, average temperatures in July are between 11.0 and 16 C . The lowest temperatures for the period 1961-1990 were measured in January, they ranged from - 35.6 C ( Sjenica ) and -21.0 (in Belgrade ) . Since the beginning of measurements, the highest temperature recorded in Serbia was 44.3 C on 22 July 1939 in Kraljevo and the lowest temperature was - 39.5 C and was measured 13 January 1985 to Karajukia Bunar on the board of Pester , in the region of Raska Oblast .

The regions of Serbia

The average rainfall yearly increase with altitude. In low areas, they are between 540 and 820 mm. Above 1000 m, they are between 700 and 1000 mm, and, on some peaks of south-western Serbia, they can reach up to 1500 mm. In most of the country, the maximum rainfall is concentrated in the hottest months of the year, however, south-west of the country, autumn is the wettest season. June is the wettest month, with 12 or 13% of the annual total. February October are the driest months. Snow falls mainly from November to March, with a maximum in January .

The solar year is between 1500 and 2200 hours.

Geographic

Regions of Serbia have no official status, although some administrative districts owe their name. Regions located in the Pannonian plain is bounded by the river , others are defined by mountains. In fact, defined by tradition as well as by the relief, they do not always have clearly established boundaries and are very often brought to overlap. Many of them have names Serbian formed from the following structure: po + (name of a river) + I. Thus, in northern central Serbia , the region of Podunavlje , owes its name to the Danube (in Serbian: and Dunav), the region of Podrinje extends along the Drina , or that of Pomoravlje the along the Morava. Others bear the name of a mountain, like the regions of Zlatibor or Kopaonik.

Protected areas

In 2003 , protected natural areas cover 5% of Serbia's territory. Serbia had 5 national parks , 120 nature reserves , 20 natural parks and protected natural sites around 470 . The five national parks are in Category II of the IUCN .

The Iron Gates in the National Park Djerdap

Eight sites in Serbia are listed Ramsar Conservation wetlands , two of which were added in 2007 .

The lake Vlasina near Surdulica

History

History of Serbs
Antiquity
Zorsines
Drvan
Serbia white
Middle Age
White Prince of Serbia
Vlastimir
Mihailo Vojislavljevi
Stefan Nemanja
Stefan Uro IV I.
Stefan Milutin
Stefan Uro IV Duan
Lazar Hrebeljanovi
Stefan Lazarevic
Turkish occupation of Austria and Empire
Serbian migrations
History of the Serbs under Ottoman occupation
Serbia in the nineteenth century
Karadjordje
Milo Obrenovic I
Alexander Karadjordjevic
Peter I of Serbia
Serbia and Yugoslavia monarchical
Sarajevo assassination
Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Serbia and Yugoslavia Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Yugoslavia
Serbia in the post-Tito Yugoslavia
-
Serbia in Milosevic's Yugoslavia
Republic of Serbian Krajina
Yugoslav wars
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and the Serbs today
Serbia
Belgrade
Republika Srpska
Diaspora Serb

From Prehistory to Late Antiquity

Sculpture found on the site Lepenski Vir

Archaeologists have unearthed many traces of human occupation dating back to prehistory. One of the oldest sites found in Serbia is the Lepenski Vir , near the Danube , in the current park 's Djerdap (Djerdap), near the Iron Gates. In its oldest parts, the village, fully planned, when the Mesolithic (c. 8000 BC. ) ^, . This culture had reached its peak between 5300 and 4800 BC. AD with remnants of houses and some everyday objects, many graves were found on the site.

Serbia is home to other prehistoric sites. Thus in 1908 , a team of archaeologists led by Miloje Vasic conducted excavations in Vinca , near Belgrade , uncovering relics dating from the period Neolithic , given the importance of these discoveries, The site gave its name to a culture that has developed along the Danube between 6000 and 3000 BC. AD : The Vinca culture ^, . Other findings characteristic of this culture have been conducted in many sites in Serbia, including Divostin (near Kragujevac ) in Potporanj (near Vrsac ), to Selevac (near Smederevska Palanka ) and Plonik (near Prokuplje ). Other relics belong to the Neolithic culture Starevo ( 6200 - 5600 BC. JC), which owes its name to the town of Starevo in the municipality of Pancevo .

The medieval Serbian state

The Serbian empire in the days of Stefan Duan

Among the Slavic tribes expanded from ^the fourth century AD, there are whites or the Serbs today Sorbs who first migrated westward through Poland and the Czech Republic today. Their descendants live today in Lusatia , east of Germany , more exactly between the Elbe and the Saale , in what was once the Great Moravia. This region, called the " White Serbia ", the white symbolizing the west among Slavs. In ^the seventh century , at the time of the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius , the majority of white Serbian migration in several waves between 610 - 641 and, in the ^twelfth century , towards the central region of the Balkans where they assimilated the Greeks , the Vlachs and Illyrians premises, thus giving birth to the people of Serbia.

Several Serbian principalities were founded in the ninth ^century, but broke up in the late twelfth ^century. The process of Christianization was hired by the monks Cyril and Methodius , who converted all the Slav peoples of the Great Moravia , including Serbia, who invented the alphabet Cyrillic letters from the Greek. The first Christian names, like Stefan or Petar then made their appearance.

A Serbian Empire was formed in the late twelfth ^century, Dynasty Nemanjics. The climax of the territorial medieval Serbia was hit in the ^fourteenth century under the reign of Emperor Stefan Duan. This empire disappeared after conquering Ottoman. In 1371 , one of the kings of Serbia Vukasin Mrnjavevi , lost, against the Ottomans , the battle of the Maritza , which led to the subjugation of their lands and submission of his son Marko Mrnjavevi , "said Marko Mrnjavevi. Serbia Lazar fell during the Battle of Kosovo Polje in 1389 , Prince Lazar lost his life. The country was finally incorporated into the Ottoman Empire after the fall of Smederevo in 1459.

Between 1459 and 1804 , the Ottoman Serbia underwent three Austrian invasions intended to annex the land to the Austrian Empire.

The Ottoman period

The Principality of Serbia, Serbian revolts and independence

Cele Kula , the "tower skull".

A first rebellion of Serbs took place between 1804 and 1813. It was directed by George Petrovic , called Kara George ("George the Black"). A second revolt took place in 1815 , led by Milos Obrenovic , leading to the autonomy of the Principality of Serbia , officially recognized by the Sublime Porte in 1830. After he had himself visited the Serbian autonomous, the French poet Alphonse de Lamartine made to discover the romantic Serbian culture , in 1833 , he engrave on the site of Cele Kula (in Serbian Cyrillic : ) the "tower skull", built by the Ottomans who incrustrent the skulls of Serbian soldiers died in the Battle of Mount cegar ( 19 May 1809 ): "Let them remain after this monument! It will teach their children what is the independence of a people, showing them at what price their fathers had paid " .

Despite this, the Turks still persecuted Serbs in territories they kept under their control. The massacres of Serbs on the Ottomans have inspired Victor Hugo , the great defender of the Serbian people, a famous speech to Serbia, written in 1876 . This speech is now considered one of the founding acts of the European idea .

In 1878 , the Berlin Congress granted its independence from Serbia, and in 1882 , Prince Milan Obrenovic IV became King of Serbia under the name ^I. Milan.

The Kingdom of Serbia or the miracle of 1903

Upon his arrival on the throne of Serbia in 1903. Peter ^I of Serbia , Prince Francophile and admirer of the thought of John Stuart Mill , sets up in Serbia's constitution as democratic and more liberal in Europe after that of Great Britain. It also inspired the formation of 1888 abolished by Alexander I of Serbia in 1889 :

• The regime a constitutional monarchy like Britain ,
• But with a vote of no common measure, in fact, 23% of its population was entitled to vote ,
• Create a public school in 1884 , who offered to Serbia its first graduates,
• the introduction of the Freedom of the press , opinion and association, in 1909 , there were 79 newspapers, including 13 dailies,
• Finally, the establishment of unions whose general confederation of workers in 1904, allowed Serbia to develop advanced social laws .

This freedom in Serbia favored a cultural expansion which made Belgrade a beacon of liberty for all Serbs of the Balkans as well as Croats and Slovenes who suffered in the Empire of Austria-Hungary and Yugoslavia with a dream the same democratic regime headed. Some reactionary circles in Vienna were only waiting for an opportunity to crush the Serbian foothills before it infects the minds of all South Slavs of the Empire .

Serbia received the nickname "Cradle of Democracy in the Balkans modern . This free system will be in place until the beginning of the First World War in 1914. During the implementation of the plan Yugoslav in 1921 , the France Peter I pushed to create a more centralized and more authoritarian in order to fight against the risk of contamination communist. Democracy had lived. The constitution of 1903 of Peter will remain the benchmark of all democratic movements in Yugoslavia royalist of the two wars and the Yugoslavia Communist Tito .

The First World War

Since 1878 , the Bosnia-Herzegovina was occupied by the Austro-Hungarian empire , which annexed it in 1908 , annexation resented by the Slavic populations including Serbs who refused the occupation and wanted unification with the Kingdom of Serbia or other Slavic countries. The ideal of many young people was the Bosnian Serb movement Young Italy , which had set out to release the territories occupied by the Austrians. In 1914 , the double assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand , heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary and his wife Sophie Chotek , Duchess of Hohenberg, in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 by Gavrilo Princip , the event was an excuse which sparked the First World War. In 1915 , the kingdom was invaded by the Central Powers during the campaign of Serbia. But the country was finally released in 1918 by the Serbian army backed by allied forces, including the Orient French Army, led by Marshal Louis Franchet d'Esprey.

The Sarajevo assassination

Gavrilo Princip

The organizers of the attack against the prince Franz Ferdinand were young nationalists in Yugoslavia, the Bosnian Serb and Muslim , who performed their studies in Belgrade . Members of the organization Young Bosnia ( / Mlada Bosna), they contacted the Black Hand ( / Crna Ruka), a secret society quietly supported by the Serbian government , their intention was to get weapons for their plan of attack. Lieutenant-Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijevic "Apis" , chief of Serbian secret services and the Black Hand was ordered to cancel the attack . After the Balkan wars of 1912 and 1913 , the government of Nikola Pai wanted peace, hesitating to join with Montenegro 's King Nicolas ^I. , owing to the opposition that Austria-Hungary would have manifested. Diplomatic notes exchanged between Russia and Serbia demonstrate this reluctance

The three students Serb Gavrilo Princip , Trifko Graber and Nedeljko abrinovi , went into action the morning of the feast of Vidovdan. A first attempt, made by abrinovi, failed the second, conducted by Gavrilo Princip, had resulted in the death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Austrian diplomats regarded the attack as a direct provocation of Serbia, according to historian Duan T. Batakovic , the assassination was to Vienna "the long-awaited pretext for a war with Serbia" . In Austria-Hungary at that time was developing a strong propaganda against the Serbs, especially vis--vis the Slavs living in the Empire , with the exception of the sixth point, requiring the sending of Austrian investigators in the country ^, , on this particular point, whereas span class = "quote"> "would be a violation of the Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Act, Serbia proposed to rely on an international criminal court or arbitration of the Great Powers . On August ¹ , the German Empire declared war on Russia, which had already mobilized its troops and then, on Aug. 3 , to France , an ally of Russia. The First World War had begun. The Kingdom of Montenegro, invited to stay neutral, engage with Serbia, the government of Cetinje saying: "Serbia's destiny is our destiny" .

The Battle of Mount Cer

The voivod Radomir Putnik

For Serbia, the Austrian troops were commanded by the Slovenian Potiorek Oskar , who was in the car of Archduke Francis Ferdinand at the time of his assassination. The first Austrian attack took place on 12 August 1914 , between the Sava and Drina in the region of Sabac. The Austrian forces had three divisions, a total of 220,000 soldiers, well trained, well equipped . The losses were significant in both camps: the Austrians lost about 25,000 men and 5,000 soldiers were taken prisoner; Serbs, meanwhile, had lost about 16,000 soldiers . Despite the heavy losses, this victory boosts the morale of the Serbian troops.

The Russians then insisted that Serbia turn attack the Austrians. The Serbian army then passed Srem , a region located today in the Serbian province Vojvodina , and, at the time, belonging to the empire of Austria-Hungary. A Serbian army arrived on 25 September 1914 to Pale , Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sarajevo was evacuated. However, after the defeat of Glasinac , the Serbian army, in turn, had to back across the Drina .

The Battle of Kolubara

The voivod ivojin Mii

The second Austrian offensive began on 6 November 1914 , with more resources than during the first attack. The Serbs, meanwhile, lacked ammunition, including pieces of artillery. The Serbs had to withdraw, leaving Belgrade and the valley of the Kolubara. General Potiorek then seized the Serbian capital and plans division of the country were prepared . In this difficult time, General ivojin Mii took command of the First Serbian Army and the King Peter ^I , despite his age, went to the front morale of soldiers.

Ammunition promised by France, eventually arrived, passing through Greece. On 3 December 1914 , Mii gave the signal for the cons-offensive. The Austro-Hungarian army had to retreat and Belgrade was resumed on December 15. This cons-offensive is called " Battle of Kolubara , "after the river Kolubara , near which was fought the battle's most important military campaign. The Serbs took prisoner 333 officers and more than 42,000 soldiers, who seized also an important Austrian military equipment. The entire territory of the Kingdom of Serbia was liberated. As a reward for his success in this battle, ivojin Mii was elevated to voivod .

From December 1914, Serbia entered a period of calm. The country, which had managed to repel two Austrian offensive, drew a great prestige among his allies. In 1915 , in France , a "Serbian Day" was celebrated in schools .

The campaign of Serbia (1915)

In 1915 , the conquest of Serbia was a major strategic interest to the Central Powers. In October 1914 , the Ottoman Empire had attacked Russia and became an ally of Austria-Hungary and the German Empire. Germans and Austrians wished to establish a land link with Istanbul , for this project, they had to fight the Serbs. The crushing of Serbia became more urgent as the Turks, especially after the battle of Sarikamis (December 22, 1914 to January 17, 1915) and the first offensive Suez (January 28 to February 3, 1915), were in difficulties. The alliance with Bulgaria was one of the key pieces of the project: 6 September 1915 , Bulgaria signed a treaty of alliance with the Central Powers who promised the Tsar Ferdinand ^I of Macedonia and a good part of Serbia.

The Serbian army during its retreat towards Albania

The strategy for the invasion of Serbia took shape and direction of operations was entrusted to August von Mackensen , who had already shown on the Russian front. On 5 October 1915 the offensive was launched in the north and the Austro-Germans took Belgrade on 9. They then progress southward while meeting strong resistance from the Serbs. October 14, the Bulgarians went to turn on the offensive. The aid promised by the English and French allies of Serbia, from Salonika , could not . As the Serbian army was attacked from all sides and threatened with encirclement and destruction (which was the plan Mackensen), General Radomir Putnik ordered to withdraw to the Albanian. His plan was to win Durazzo on the Adriatic and from there to reach Corfu , the Serbian army, reorganized, was then to proceed to Salonika, where were already the English and French.

So begins an episode of the campaign of Serbia that the Serbian collective memory called "Albanian Golgotha" . In fact, the crossing from Albania was effected in especially difficult circumstances. The snowy mountains were already exhausted and soldiers had to go hungry and passes at 2500 meters in extreme temperatures. With the soldiers, many refugees also walked the King Peter ^I followed the convoy. Besides the difficult weather conditions, the Serbs were regularly attacked by the Albanian clans . In December, the Serbian troops eventually reached the shores of the Adriatic, then occupied by Italy and then they were evacuated by ship to Corfu , particularly aided by French soldiers.

Austro-German occupation and liberation

Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes - Kingdom of Yugoslavia

The Second World War

Initially neutral, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1941 following the coup by General Dusan Simovic. A fascist state satellite of Germany, the Independent State of Croatia, including much of the current Bosnia-Herzegovina , while Serbia was under German military administration headed by the " government of national salvation "of General Milan Nedic. Serbia was attacked by the Germans on 6 April 1941 , bombing of Belgrade and other Serbian cities. A dual resistance developed: that of Chetniks , Serbian overwhelmingly loyal to the king and the government in exile in London and led by the Serb Draza Mihailovic , and that of Communist partisans , multi-ethnic and led by the Croat Josip Broz said Tito. April 16, 1944, Serbia's capital was bombed by the Allies , especially by the British and Americans, killing about 4,500 civilians. At the end of the Second World War , Yugoslavia and Albania were the only countries to escape without the intervention of the Red Army on its soil. The Allies, who had initially focused on Draza Mihailovic , abandoned after Tehran and Yalta in favor of Tito, who took power in 1945.

A new Yugoslavia , Federal and communist, was formed: the Socialist Republic of Serbia as being one of its 6 republics. It lasted 46 years.

The communist era

From the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia today

Nationalities in the area of the former Yugoslavia in 1981

Nationalities in the area of the former Yugoslavia in 2008

Countries worldwide that have recognized the independence of Kosovo.

After the death of Tito in 1980 , when communism was in decline, the nationalism, long suppressed and channeled by the central government, became a substitute practice to maintain the legitimacy of the leaders of the six republics. By "surfing" on Serbian nationalism, Slobodan Milosevic , then Yugoslav regime's number two, took advantage of rising tensions in Kosovo to get elected president of Serbia in May 1989. The Slovenia and Croatia declare their independence on 25 June 1991 , followed in 1992 by the Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia. The Serbian population in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina refusing to leave Yugoslavia, and then asking for their attachment to Serbia, a military conflict breaks out: the wars of Yugoslavia (1992-1995). Officially, they are clashes between the Republics, but practically on the ground, members of each "camp" attacking civilians in the "opposite camp" and avoid confrontation between them. For the JNA and Yugoslavia , it is a series of secessions unconstitutional legitimately punished by the federal army for the breakaway republics there is a constitutional separation of wars of liberation against the new states oppressor and the Serbian aggressor. Anyway, on the ground this translates into tens of thousands of civilian deaths, population displacement and destruction of several cities.

In the new federal Yugoslavia in 1992, there are only Serbia and Montenegro. But in Serbia, the region of Metohija, better known as the " Kosovo -Polje (Field of Blackbirds), when Serbia had once lost its independence against the Ottoman Empire, was over the centuries become an enclave majority Muslim Albanian-speaking, Slavic territory, in 1999 , Serbs represented 10% of the population of this autonomous region, whose Albanian majority in turn claims to independence. The regime of Slobodan Milosevic (who began here his metamorphosis from communism to nationalism) suddenly comes to remove the autonomy of this region: the war broke out between Serbian authorities and ethnic Albanian KLA. Violence and displacement are followed by intervention of NATO during the Kosovo war.

In 1999, the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia voted to the entrance of the FRY in the Russia-Belarus union .

In October 2000 , Slobodan Miloevi and his regime were overthrown.

On 4 February 2003 , Yugoslavia restricted ceases its existence: the Parliament accepts the creation of a new federation with very loose ties, limited to the two remaining states, under the name Serbia and Montenegro. Following Montenegro's independence, proclaimed on 3 June 2006 , the Serbian Parliament adopted at the June 5th 2006 a declaration by the Serbian state officially the "successor" of the former State Union of Serbia and Montenegro , this which amounts to de facto declaration of independence from Serbia and Montenegro to recognize that. On 15 June 2006 , former Foreign Minister Vuk Drakovi , became foreign minister of Serbia, officially recognizes the independence of Montenegro on June 22 and signed with his Montenegrin counterpart, a Memorandum of Understanding for establishment of diplomatic relations between the two states.

As for Kosovo, its status remains unresolved: occupied by KFOR , is already an Albanian state on the ground, but officially it is still part of Serbia. It offers broad autonomy, the KLA still claims independence and reunification with Albania.

February 17, 2008, Kosovar Albanians (about 90% of the population of Kosovo) unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo. The Serbs of Kosovo and Serbia, strongly opposed to independence estimated illegal because, among other things The Council Resolution 1244 of UN Security contends that "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia in Kosovo." In October 2008, the General Assembly of the United Nations authorizes referral to the International Court of Justice to decide the question of the legality of this independence. Serbia has on this view supported by many countries of the United Nations in the first place, Russia , the Chinese , the Brazil , the Argentina , the Greece and Spain , while another part the international community led by the United States followed by the Germany , the France , the UK and Italy , recognized the new state. The Serbs of Kosovo, the majority in northern Mitrovica , refuse independence, without claiming their attachment to Serbia, which would amount to a de jure recognition of Kosovo detached from Serbia.

Towards Accession to the European Union

On 22 December 2009 , Serbia makes a formal request for accession to the European Union .

On 25 October 2010 , the Council of Ministers is to take an initial step towards accession by announcing the transfer of candidature to the European Commission. This decision follows the appeasement of relations with Kosovo, that Serbia has shown by signing a UN resolution calling for "dialogue."

Demographics

Population distribution by nationality (excluding Kosovo, 2002)

Of a total of 7,498,001 inhabitants (excluding Kosovo), Serbia had 6,212,838 Serbs or 82.86% of the population .

Administrative organization

Main article: Subdivisions of Serbia.

Administrative map of Serbia, de jure 2008

Provinces

History

Serbia, like other states of the former Yugoslavia , inherited the borders demarcated by the regime Tito , including two "autonomous provinces" of Kosovo and Vojvodina. The Constitution of the Communist Yugoslav February 1974 gave these two provinces a total autonomy vis--vis Serbia proper "the center "and a direct representation, to" equal rights "in the federal bodies.

Slobodan Milosevic ended the autonomy of Vojvodina in 1988 by a coup known as the "revolution of yoghurt" . For their part, the majority of Albanians Kosovo , under the supposed text of 1974 , demanding independence, proclaimed first in October 1991 after a referendum held in parallel in September , it was not recognized by the international community. The resolution 1244 of 10 June 1999 acknowledges the membership of Kosovo in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia including Serbia is the successor State, moreover, that resolution had the status of the province as provisional. From this text, Kosovo is administered by UNMIK (UNMIK in English ), administration of the UN and under the agreements from Kumanovo , occupied by KFOR , 18 000 men from the countries of NATO.

On 17 February 2008 , the Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence. This independence was not recognized by Belgrade , the international community, meanwhile, is deeply divided on the issue .

Current Situation (de jure)

In the north, lies the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (in Serbian : autonomna Pokrajina and Vojvodina), which covers 21 506 km . This province has a Parliament and a government . Of provincial elections , aimed at renewing the members of provincial parliament, to be held on 11 May 2008.

From the perspective of the Serbian government and the constitution , there is the south one second autonomous province: the Kosovo and Metohija , also known as Kosovo and Metohija (in Serbian : Kosovo and Metohija i), which covers an area of 10,887 km .

The central Serbia (in Serbian : Srbija and Centralna), which covers 55 968 km / Sup>, has no official status, it commonly refers to the part of the Republic of Serbia that lies outside of Vojvodina and Kosovo.

Municipalities and districts

Main articles: Districts of Serbia and Municipalities of Serbia.

The municipality (in the singular and optina , plural: optina and . The municipality is usually the name of the largest city or the largest city in the area. However, some major cities like Belgrade , Novi Sad , Kragujevac and Nis , are themselves divided into several municipalities. To establish an analogy to consider carefully the Serbian municipalities can be compared to French departments , except in large cities, where they look a little to the districts of large French cities ( Paris , Lyon , Marseille , for example). The municipality has an assembly (in Serbian : and Skupstina opstina), elected for four years at the local elections and a president (in Serbian : and predsednik optina), also elected for four years by the municipal assembly.

Serb municipalities are grouped into 29 "districts" (singular: and okrug, and the plural and okruzi), 17 in central Serbia , 7 in Vojvodina , 5 to Kosovo . The City of Belgrade is one district alone. These districts are regional centers where authority is exercised by the State. These are administrative divisions that do not have a meeting. However, they contain various state institutions.

Local communities, cities and localities

Main article: Cities of Serbia and Serbian Villages.

The "local community" (in Serbian : and Mesna Zajednica) is the smallest administrative unit of Serbia. Most often, these local communities coincide with a "place" they are called. In rural areas, some villages with small populations can be grouped in the same local community, in which case the local commaut is somewhat equivalent to a French canton , it is then known to the community that is important in its sector. In contrast, in the most populated areas, a locality can be divided into several local communities this is especially the case in cities. These communities are governed by "advice" (in Serbian : and savet) elected at local elections.

Belgrade , the capital of Serbia

Place of Liberty in Novi Sad

The center of Kragujevac

In January 2007 , Serbia, as a whole, there were officially 6,168 "communities" (in Serbian : naselje and in the plural: and naselje), including 4252 in central Serbia , 467 in Vojvodina and 1449 in Kosovo and Metohjia . These localities are, most of them clustered within a municipality. In most cases, they correspond to rural communities, commonly known as "villages" (in Serbian : and selo, plural: and sela). But a few of them are officially defined as "urban villages" (in Serbian : and Gradska naselje), commonly known as "cities" in 2007 , there were 207 throughout Serbia, including 129 in Serbia Central, 52 in Vojvodina and 26 in Kosovo . The status of urban settlement is not related to the number of inhabitants and was officially received in the history of the country and, more recently, by administrative decision. In addition, the Law on Territorial Organization of the Rpbulique of Serbia, adopted on 28 December 2007 , identifies 24 "cities" or "cities" (singular: / Grad; plural: / Gradov) . These cities have an assembly and a special budget.

#	City	District	Census 2002	Estimates 2008
1	Belgrade	Belgrade (district)	1 281 801	1 099 239
2	Novi Sad	South Backa	191 405	196 058
3	Ni	Niava	173 724	172 228
4	Kragujevac	umadija	147 373	150 396
5	Subotica	North Backa	99 981	98 613
6	Zrenjanin	Central Banat	79 545	78 378
7	Pancevo	South Banat	77 087	77 473
8	Cacak	Moravica	73 217	76 014
9	Leskovac	Jablanica	95 000	110 240
10	Smederevo	Podunavlje	62 805	62 732

In 2008 , the population of Pristina , in Kosovo , was estimated at 206 686 inhabitants .

Politics

Main articles: Politics of Serbia and Serbia's political parties.

The Republic of Serbia is a republic representative democratic parliamentary , where the President of the Republic of Serbia is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government. The executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is exercised jointly by government and by the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. The judiciary is independent of the executive and legislative powers. The political system in Serbia is characterized by the multiparty. There are currently 342 parties in the country .

Symbols

Main articles: Flag of Serbia , Arms of Serbia and Boze Pravda.

Flag of the Serbian people

The current flag of Serbia was adopted on 2 February 2008 and is a tricolor designed along the lines of Pan-Slavic colors but in reverse order: red top, blue in the middle, white on bottom, in three horizontal bands of equal size. The Serbian national anthem, Boze Pravda , was written in 1872 by Jovan Djordjevic , with music by Davorin Jenko , the lyrics have been slightly adapted from .

Government and Parliament

Main articles: Government of Serbia and the Serbian Parliament.

The Parliament of Serbia

The Serbian Parliament , which represents the legislative branch , consists of a single chamber , called the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia (in Serbian : and Narodna Skupstina Republike Srbije). The Assembly comprises 250 deputies elected by direct universal suffrage and party-list all four years. The executive power is exercised by the Government of Serbia (Serbian: and Vlade Srbije), which consists of the President of the Government , or "Premier" (in Serbian : and Vlade predsednik) and ministers (and Ministri). The head of government is proposed to the President of the Republic by the Parliament. After his appointment and after the formation of the government, Parliament must give them confidence.

The elections were held on 21 January 2007. Following these elections, a government was formed on 15 May 2007 by Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica. On 8 March 2008 , Vojislav Kostunica announced the resignation of his government following the government crisis provoked by the declaration of independence of Kosovo ^, . New parliamentary elections were held on 11 May 2008 , at the same time as local elections , already scheduled for that date. They saw the relative victory of a pro-European coalition formed by President Boris Tadic. A new prime minister from the coalition, Mirko Cvetkovic , governs with the support of the Socialist Party of Serbia since July 7, 2008.

President

Under the terms of the Serbian constitution of 2006 , the President of the Republic is elected for a term of five years renewable once. The President of the Republic represents the nation. Thus in 2004 was created the State Chancellery of the President of the Republic (in Serbian : and kancelarija predsednik Narodna Republika), an institution that allows citizens to communicate directly with the Head of State . The current President of the Republic of Serbia is Boris Tadic , who was reelected for a second term on 3 February 2008 .

International Relations

Main articles: Geostrategy of Serbia and List of Ambassadors from Serbia.

During its history Serbia has developed three major geo-strategic alliances:

• alliance with the West, which could be played by the alliance with the papacy and the Catholic countries or Protestants before modern times.
• alliance with the East, is represented by the Eastern Roman Empire and then Russia.
• the third way was a very diplomatic way that made Serbia a pivotal country that was neutral and the issue of a policy of benevolent by two "blocks" . Period Nemanjics is one example of this policy bi-polar, with St. Sava and his brother Stefan I. Nemanjics one being pro- Constantinople and the other pro- Rome. Subsequently all the attention will Nemanjics to maintain balance, is also partly due to this policy that Serbia reached its golden age in medieval becoming the latest state power of the Balkan Peninsula under Stefan Uro IV Duan. Tito also adopt after 1947 this tradition Nemanjics , friends of the west and east.

Any geopolitical history of Serbia has been guided by these three choices, with the exception of the two world wars or sovereign Serb Serbia and the first Yugoslavia monarchist chose opposing sides in Germany and Austria in the first time and the opposition to the Third Reich.

Even today these underlying trends are present in Serbian political life, with the Democratic Party and Serbian Radical Party to guide the foreign policy of Serbia respectively to the west and east. The Democratic Party of Serbia was the Kosovo crisis to the pivotal party coalition government, a place he could be entranced by the Socialist Party of Serbia .

See at the UN

The Serbian government has succeeded to the Yugoslav state who sat at the UN as a founding member since 26 June 1945 , Serbia has inherited the diplomatic representations of the former Yugoslavia. He first served under Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Third Yugoslavia), now Serbia and Montenegro and now as the Republic of Serbia . This situation is not unique, since Russia has also inherited the seat of the former USSR .

Economy

Main article: Economy of Serbia.

• GNP 2008 (est.): 2,471 billion dinars (27.5 billion , the exchange rate of 90 dinars for a )

• - GDP per capita PPP (2008): 10 911 USD (France: 26 510 in 2004)
• - Growth: 7.1% in 2007 (observed), 6.1% in 2008 (estimated) and 1.8% in 2009 (projected)

• - Unemployment Rate (October 2008 est.): 14%

• - Inflation rate: 8.6% in 2008, 7.2% projected for 2009
• - State Budget 2009: 8.15 billion 8.73 billion in revenue and in expenses, for a deficit of 1.5% of GNP (2.7% in 2008) and a public debt of state representing 16.3% of GNP (17.9% in 2008)
• - External debt and 30.7 billion foreign exchange reserves 12.8 billion and 9.1 billion (31 December 2008, given NBS)

• - Average salary (December 2008): 53 876 dinars (about 600 ), up from 11.96% a year in nominal terms and 3.76% in real terms
• - Gini Index (2003): 30 (weighted average of all countries, 41 Japan 25 France 33, USA 41, China 45, Namibia 74)
• - Share of major sectors in GDP:

• agriculture: 24.1%

• industry: 27.2%

• Services: 48.7%

According to estimates by 2007 , the agriculture accounted for 12.3% of Serbia's economic activity, the industry 24.2% and services 63.5% .

External Trade

• Exports 7423 M (+15.5%), imports 15 581 M (+15.3%). ^Public

  Serbia has 500,000 employees, taking into account police officers, military, health, education and all government officials (28 000 alone) for 7.5 million (without Kosovo). The government of President Boris Tadic plans to further reduce the number of officials, to respect the agreement with the IMF following the loan of 3 billion euros achieved by his government .

  Energy

  Under the project South Stream , about 30 billion cubic meters of gas Russia and Central Asia should be sent each year in Europe. Gazprom has made Serbia one of its priorities in the region . In fact, Serbia is the country most of the route in its territory, more than 400 km over a total length of about 900 km to the land part, for the stretch to over 2 km deep locally as the Black Sea will be about 900 km. In Serbia, Banatski Dvor , should also be built underground gas tank , capable of holding about 300 million cubic meters, enough to supply all the countries of Western Europe during a certain period in case of power network. The agreement provides that the Serbian pipeline will have a capacity of 10 bcm per year at least . To construct and maintain infrastructure in Serbia South Stream, companies Srbijagaz (Serbia) and Gazexport, a AFFILIATES Gazprom (Russia), planned to create a joint venture . Once the track ended in 2013, the importance of Serbia's energy will be more important for the EU and the Ukraine today, while the importance of Ukraine will be less. Serbia, depending on Moscow's support for Kosovo , is in effect for Russia as a partner much more reliable than the Ukraine , which itself tends to turn to the United States . The Serbian Parliament voted Monday, September 8, 2008 at 12am, the adoption of the draft South Stream . On 24 December 2008 at Moscow , Serbia and Russia ratify three partnership agreements signed in January Energy and Gazprom obtained a majority stake in NIS ^, .

  Economic Information

  USD (2007 evaluation, including Kosovo)
• Growth rate: 7.7% (2007 excluding Kosovo)
• Exports: 2.4 billion.
• Imports: - U.S. 6.3 billion.
• Balance of payments: - 1.4 billion.
• Inflation (retail price): 10.1% (2007 estimate)
• Unemployment rate: 18.8% (2007 estimate)
• Currency: Serbian dinar (dinar srpski).

Agriculture

Agriculture self-sufficient:

• Wheat: 1.4 million tonnes
• Corn: 4 million tons
• Cattle: 1.5 million
• Pork: 3.6 million

Natural Resources

• Oil Production: 1 million tons (approximately).
• Lignite: 35 million tons.
• Important hydroelectric production: 10 billion kWh with the barrage of "Iron Gates".

Imports (2005)

10,575,700,000 (18.9% mineral fuels, chemicals and derivatives 13.6%, machinery and apparatus 10.3%, transport equipment 8.2% 7.6% base metals, textiles and clothing 4 , 4%, food 4.0%, paper and derivatives 3.2%) .

• Major import sources: Russia 15.9%, Germany 10.3% Italy 8.6%, China 4.8% United States 3.6% .

Exports (2005)

4,553,400,000 (15.4% base metals, food products 14.7%, chemicals and derivatives 8.8%, plastic products, rubber and derivatives 6.4% 4.9% machinery, textiles and clothing 4.3%; transport equipment 2.6%) .

• Major export destinations: Bosnia and Herzegovina 16.4%, Italy 14.4% Germany 9.8%, Macedonian 5.8%, Russia 5.0% .

Ecology

The earth's most bio in Europe

At the beginning of year 90 Serbia is hit by economic sanctions due to Milosevic's policy for 10 years, Serbia does not fertilizers or insecticides / Sup>. Sanctions in 10 years ruined farmers and force them to spend as chemical fertilizers. In the early 2000s, when sanctions fallen Serb farmers can not afford and have also lost the reflex to occur with chemical fertilizers and other non-organic insecticides, so for 20 years Serbian land n ' has not been affected by agricultural pollution . The Serbian Ministry of Agriculture said that in 3 years, 75% of agricultural land in Serbia is 650,000 hectares, will be used to produce bio . Kalenic market in Belgrade , is the main distribution center for organic production in Serbia, but the industrial distribution channels have also invested in Serbia as "eco food company Royal", based in Belgrade, which produces specialty bio Serbian .

Industry

Several industrial complexes: steel, automotive ( Zastava , Fiat Kragujevac , Iveco , Fabrika Automobila Priboj , Ikarbus , industry Utva , construction of tractors and agricultural machinery Industrija i Motora Traktor and Rakovica , food.

Elimination of customs barriers between Russia and Serbia

The Russia and Serbia have no barriers. This policy between the two states was signed between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union the two countries are the heirs. The agreements signed at that time are still in force until 2012. Talks are underway to extend these agreements. Fiat, which already benefits from the windfall in Kragujevac , could see happen Volkswagen , which also envisages the construction of a plant .

The automotive industry

The city Serbian of Kragujevac , with Zastava , is a center of automotive production today modest, with 11 000 cars produced, against 220,000 in 1989 from the time of Socialist Yugoslavia , making it the first automotive center country before the factory Renault in Novo Mesto and Volkswagen of Sarajevo. The Yugo was the most produced vehicle. In September 2008 , Fiat has invested 700 million and the Serbian government 200 million in the renovation of the factory Zastava. The industrial monster from these investments will produce 300,000 vehicles (private cars (FIAT class A and B), but also coaches and lorries Iveco ) per year, destined for Serbia only 10%. The rest of the production will be destined for export to the EU and especially in Russia , with which Serbia has free trade agreements.

Parts of Electric Car

In August 2010, the South Korean automotive supplier Yura Corporation has started construction of a new plant that will produce spare parts for electric cars in the city of Nis.

Yura Corporation has among its main clients are South Korean manufacturers Hyundai and Kia , it will invest around 15 million euros (19.2 million).

The plant should employ at least 1,500 people, will begin production in May 2011 .

Evolution

This article is part of a series on the Serbs

Serbian national consciousness Terminology Culture

Regions or countries where the Serbs have national status Homelands Serbia Serbian Republic of Bosnia Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Montenegro Croatia Diaspora Serb Close Albania Greece Macedonia Romania Slovenia In Western Europe Austria Germany. Hungary. Switzerland In North America Canada. USA Oceania Australia. New Zealand South America Argentina. Brazil. Chile Large cities In Europe Budapest. Dubrovnik. Istanbul. London. Mostar. Osijek. Paris. Sarajevo. Trieste. Vienna. Zagreb In North America Chicago. Los Angeles. Toronto

Ethnic groups close Slavic Bosnians Bunjevci Croats. Muslims (nationality). Gorans. Krashovanis Macedonian. Montenegrins. Shopi. okci. Yugoslavs

Serbian culture and national symbols Cross Serbian Slava Hi to three fingers double-headed eagle Arms of Serbia Flag of Serbia Vidovdan

Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarchs Serbian Monasteries Serbian saints

Languages and dialects Serbian Serbo-Croatian atrovaki Romano-Serbian Chtokavien Torlak Uiki Church Slave Slavo-Serbian differences between spoken Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian

History of Serbs Medieval Serbian History of the Serbs under Ottoman occupation history of Serbian Krajina in Serbian migrations History of the Serbian uprisings List of Serbian monarchs

Persecution Serbophobie Jasenovac concentration camp Persecution of Serbs during World War II Persecution of Serbs in Kosovo

Friendships Serbo-Greek Serbo-Russian Serbo-French

In the late 1980s, early in the process of "transition", the economic situation in Serbia was favorable. But she was severely affected by the economic sanctions the UN 1992 - one thousand nine hundred and ninety-five and damage to infrastructure and industry by the air raids of NATO in 1999. These difficulties were further compounded by the loss of markets for Yugoslavia and the SEV recovered mainly by large European companies. The current economic problems are expressed by a high unemployment rate (20% in 2005 ). They can be attributed to a lack of economic reforms.

After the departure of Slobodan Milosevic in October 2000 , the country's economic growth was high (6.3% in 2006 ). The country expects a high rate of growth for years to come. For economic performance, Serbia has sometimes been called the "Balkan tiger" in reference to the "tigers" of East Asia. Nevertheless, the country's GDP is still well below the level of 1990. In 2006 it was estimated at 47.77 billion U.S. dollars or 5713 U.S. dollars per capita. The growth rate of GDP was 5.9% in 2005.

Serbia was prepared to join the European Union , its largest trading partner ^{, ,} . It has a high deficit in foreign trade. Its debt is 20 billion U.S. dollars (from 2 500 per capita), against 35 billion for Croatia, 30 for Slovenia and 64 for Hungary .

The EBRD expects growth of 3.1% in 2009 for countries in the Balkan area, it was 6.2% in 2007 and 6.5% in 2008. This decrease is obviously due to the economic crisis of 2007-2008 .

Culture

The notion of Serbian culture (in Serbian Cyrillic and Serbian Latin: and Srpska kultura) refers to the culture of Serbia and, more generally, that of all Serbs living in the territory of the former Yugoslavia and elsewhere of the world. A Serb on 3 does not live in Serbia and there are 12 million Serbs in the world (see Serbian Diaspora ). It has been strongly influenced by the tradition , especially in the arts , in the crafts and the music. This traditional culture has been formed in the Middle Ages , through the influence of the Byzantine Empire and that of the Orthodox Church. In the five centuries of Ottoman presence , it has been preserved in family traditions (see Slava ) and in the monasteries , while continuing to grow in areas controlled by the Habsburgs (see Military Frontier ) and the Republic of Ragusa ( see Montenegro ). In the early ^nineteenth century , after the first and second Serbian uprising against the Turks , it has gained fresh momentum with a strong influence of Western culture. This ultrafast Westernization was greatly due to the large Serbian minority in the Austrian Empire who modernized the state machinery to quotations XIX. After 1945 during the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia , it has been influenced Titoism through its program of self-management , Titoism socialist regime had the distinction of being opened outwards, so she continued to receive simultaneously, the influence of Western culture , while maintaining a strong infiltration of its traditional culture Orthodox.

Religions

The Orthodox Christians in Serbia represent over 90% of believers (without Kosovo). We date the conversion of Serbs between 867 and 870, and in this period that there is an explosion of Christian names among the Serbs during the reign of the sovereign Mutimer which still bore a name Slav. Orthodoxy, Greek , French, right faith (or Orthodox Christianity ) descendant of the earliest Christian communities founded by the apostles of Jesus in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire and has some 200 million faithful. It is organized into numerous territorial churches (not national) which together form the "Orthodox Church" or "Communion Orthodox faithful to the theology of the seven councils of the first Christian millennium and canon law that follows. Until the schism of 1054 , the churches of the West ( Roman Catholic Church included) were also Orthodox , that is to say, according to theology and canon law of the seven councils of the first millennium.

There is also a Muslim community of about 180,000 people mainly concentrated in Sandzak. The identity of Muslims in the Sandzak is divided, there is some Bosnians , other Muslims (nationality) and some of them partly as Serbs or Montenegrins.

Community Catholic minority is represented by the Hungarian 293,299 people in northern Vojvodina.

The first Jews arrived in the territory of present Republic of Serbia at the time of the Roman Empire. But the Jewish communities of the Balkans became important not only in the late ^fifteenth century , when Jews fleeing the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal , took refuge in areas controlled by the Ottomans and in particular in Serbia, then largely under Turkish rule. Communities developed there until the First World War , but they were almost completely destroyed in the Holocaust of World War II. The Jewish community in Serbia now has less than 800 members.

Protestantism is also present in Serbia. According to a census conducted in 2002 by Protestant Christians represent 1.1% of the population . Protestantism is especially prevalent among Slovaks and Germans of Vojvodina .

Languages

Serbian

Double road signs with text in Serbian Cyrillic and Latin alphabet Serbian , Serbia

The 2006 Constitution made the Serbian the official language of Serbia (Article 10) .

Although linguists still use the term Serbo-Croat to define the language spoken in Serbia, Montenegro , in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia , officially the Serbo-Croatian is more appointing each country's language Serbian, Bosnian or Croatian. The speakers of those languages will include spontaneously, without a translator, separation and definition of these languages is therefore historical and political. However, from one language to another, but there may be partial differences in the lexicon or morphology (some conjugations or declensions vary). It is mainly a difference of alphabet is Cyrillic and Latin in Serbia, Montenegro and the Bosnian Serb Republic , but only Latin in Croatia and the Muslim-Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In Serbia, Cyrillic is used by newspapers such as Politika , newspapers in Latin alphabet are more general and popular newspapers like Blic , he also characterized the opposition newspapers or progressives like Danas. The Serbian government, meanwhile, favors the Cyrillic alphabet , while also using the Latin alphabet . The Cyrillic alphabet is also the official Serbian Orthodox Church.

Other languages

The administration of the province of Vojvodina officially recognizes six languages: Serbian , the Hungarian , the Slovak , the Romanian , the Croatian and the Pannonian Rusyn . All these languages are used in the provincial government. Serbian is used in all municipal governments in the province. Minority languages are chosen by a particular municipality and at the local level. The Serbian Cyrillic was adopted by the 45 municipalities of the province, while the Serbian Latin alphabet is official in 23 municipalities out of 45. Hungarian is the official language in 29 municipalities in 12 Slovak, Romanian and Ruthenian in 9 in 6. The Croatian language is official in a municipality. Neither the Czech nor the Bunjevac (a dialect chtokavien ), minority languages are officially recognized at the level of Vojvodina. Other languages are also officially recognized in the municipalities of central Serbia , as Bosnian ( Sjenica , Tutin , Novi Pazar ), the Bulgarian ( Dimitrovgrad , Bosilegrad ) and Albanian ( Bujanovac , Medvedja , Presevo ) .

Painting, architecture, sculpture

Prehistory and Antiquity

On the territory of Serbia, there are several installation sites prehistoric human, Valley Morava is a natural crossing point for humans between Europe and Asia Minor ( Turkey ). The site Palaeolithic most celebrated in Serbia is the Lepenski Vir. There are several sites in Serbia dating from the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire , the city of Sirmium Roman and Byzantine Gamzigrad on the World Heritage List of UNESCO and Justiniana Prima are the major attractions.

Middle Ages

Detail of Fresco White Angel in the church of the monastery Mileseva

All Serbian monuments of the Middle Ages, many more churches and monasteries. They are mostly decorated with frescoes depicting the life of Serbian monarchs or scenes from the lives of saints, including those of the Serbian Orthodox Church. In architectural terms, the most original work of art is the Serbian monastery Studenica (1190), which served as a model for the monasteries of Mileseva of Sopocani and Visoki Decani. One of the major works of the medieval Serbian painting is probably the Fresco of the White Angel 's Monastery Mileseva ; characteristic of the " Latin time "of Byzantine art , it was carried by Greek painters anonymous, came of Constantinople , of Nicaea and Thessaloniki.

Iconography is a major cultural elements of art in medieval Serbia.

The fortified monastery Manasija near Despotovac

The influence of the Roman art of oriental becomes after taking Constantinople by Crusaders in 1202 , casting. Indeed, artists have abandoned Byzantine Constantinople as the Crusaders did little state of the art preferring to plunder the city rather than creating new works. A part of them found refuge in Serbia, where they were highly sought after for their quality by the Serbian nobility and the Serbian Orthodox Church , Greek artists in exile allowed the Serbian artists to gain their techniques. This Greek influence is visible in the monasteries of Church of the Virgin of Levisa and Graanica all classified on the List of World Heritage in Danger by UNESCO because of the destruction committed by Kosovar Albanian Muslims during the 2004 unrest in Kosovo.

The Decani monastery Visoki was built between 1330 and 1350 and was made in the style novel , therefore, Latin influence. Its walls are covered with portraits that depict episodes from the New Testament. Behind the iconostasis of the church is the sarcophagus of King Stefan Uros III Deanski.

Modern and Contemporary

Nadeda Petrovi , Self Portrait, 1907, the National Museum in Belgrade

Many Serbian artists of the nineteenth ^century, have completed their studies in France and Germany. They were then influenced by the a href = "Avant-garde_ (art)" title = "Avant-garde (art)"> avant-garde. Among the artists of the early ^twentieth century include Nadeda Petrovic , whose style is characteristic of Fauvism and Sava umanovi , influenced by cubism. The twentieth ^century has seen other painters as leading Konjovic Milan , Marko elebonovi , Petar Lubarda , Vladimir Velickovic and Mica Popovic. The National Museum in Belgrade has an extensive section devoted to painting Yugoslavia, including the Serbian painting and includes more than 6000 works of the ^seventeenth century to the ^twentieth century ^Literature

The Miroslav Gospel , preserved at the National Museum

The beginning of Serbian literature is the introduction of the alphabet Cyrillic by the Saints Cyril and Methodius in ^the ninth century. Among the medieval texts, we note a text written in Glagolitic alphabet dating from ^the eleventh century , dealing with wound care, as well as political and religious text of the ^twelfth century , the Gospel of Miroslav (Serbian: and Miroslavljevo Jevanelje that evokes Miroslav, prince of Hum and brother of Stefan Nemanja. This manuscript, which dates from 1180 and is kept at the National Museum in Belgrade , was inscribed in 2005 on the list of the World Memory of the UNESCO ^, .

During the Turkish period , the ^fifteenth century to the ^eighteenth century , Serbian literature is characterized by its lyrical epic.

From the ^eighteenth century , the writer Dositej Obradovic (1742-1811) renounced the Slavonic , the "scholarly language, and chooses to use the Serbian literary language. Serbs consider it the first great writer who wrote in the language of their country. In the nineteenth ^century , writer and linguist Vuk Stefanovi Karadi modernizes Serbian language and thus laid the foundations of modern literature and is the author of the slogan: "Write as you speak" (in Serbian " ").

Among the authors of the nineteenth ^century include Branko Radicevic , Petar II Petrovic Njegos , ura Jaki and Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj and among those of the twentieth ^century,Ivo Andric , Milos Crnjanski , Mesa Selimovic , Dobrica Cosic , Danilo Ki and Milorad Pavic , today Raki Milan , Jovan Ducic , Desanka Maksimovic , Miodrag Pavlovi and Vasko Popa.

The Serbs are particularly theatergoers. Vuji Joakim is the reformer of Serbian contemporary theater. In 1835 , he renovates the style -Knjaesko srbski in Kragujevac. Other figures of Serbian theater include Jovan Popovi Sterija the nineteenth ^century, and Branislav Nusic in the twentieth ^century. Since 1967 , stands at Belgrade Festival of BITEF. Among the most important theaters in the country, we can mention the National Theater , the Yugoslav Drama Theatre or the Atelier 212 , all three located in Belgrade. Novi Sad also has a scene in the foreground, the Serbian National Theatre. Among men and women of Serbian theater include Bojan Stupica , founder of the Yugoslav Drama Theater, as an architect, he designed the new venue of the workshop 212. Trailovic Mira and Jovan irilov , both playwrights and directors , are the founders of BITEF. Among contemporary playwrights, one can point Duan Kovaevi , Lyubomir Simovic and Biljana Srbljanovic.

Cinema

Emir Kusturica

The Serbian cinema is one of the largest in Europe and it is truly one of the best in Southern Europe and Central Europe. Before 1945 it only produced 12 feature films. After the Second World War , it became known on the international scene, the filmmakers Goran Markovic , Aleksandar Petrovi , Dusan Makavejev , Slobodan Sijan , Goran Paskaljevic. The director is the most famous Serbian Emir Kusturica , who won two Golden Palms in Cannes for the film Daddy was away on business in 1985 and Underground in 1995. During the filming of Life is a Miracle ( 2004 ), in which the line of railroad Eight of Sargan (in Serbian : and Sarganska osmica) plays a key role, he particularly enjoyed the area Mokra Gora ; ago built the "wooden village" of Kstendorf and in January 2008, it is held the first International Film Festival Kstendorf . Since 1971 , Belgrade is hosting a major film festival (in Serbian: and Beogradska meunarodni Filmski festival, FEST) . Most of the Serbian film industry is in Belgrade.

Among the famous actors of the first half of the twentieth ^century include Stanojevi Ilija (1859-1930), who, in 1911 , also realized the first silent film of Serbia, or Zanka Stokic (1887-1947) and the tragedian Dobrica Milutinovic (1880-1956). Among the actors and actresses of the "new wave Serbian, one can point Miodrag Petrovi kalja , Pavle Vujisi , Zoran Radmilovi , Danilo Bata Stojkovi , Dragan Nikolic , Milena Dravic , Velimir Bata ivojinovi , Ljubisa Samardi , Mira Banjac , Bora Todorovi , Miki Manojlovi , Lazar Ristovski and Mirjana Karanovic.

Music

The instrument of music most popular in Serbia is the Gusla , introduced in ^the eleventh century , the bards of the Serbian Gusla played and sang the epics of Serbian kings and emperors disappeared. Today more than a musical instrument, it is a symbol of culture and memory Serbian. The other musical instrument used in Middle Ages was the flute. Vojvodina and the military confines, the Serbs used instead tamboura and bagpipes. Since the ^twentieth century the instruments most used in popular music are the accordion and trumpet. The trumpeter's most popular in Serbia and throughout the Balkans is Boban Markovic.

Goran Bregovi concert in Tbilisi ( Georgia ), on 3 October 2007

Belgrade hosts an annual International Music Festival (BEMUS) devoted primarily to art music , it has hosted international bands, like the Vienna Philharmonic or orchastres Philharmonic Los Angeles , Berlin , St. Petersburg and Munich ; He also invited the Academy of St Martin in the Fields or the Kronos Quartet and artists like Herbert von Karajan and Zubin Mehta , Mstislav Rostropovich and Mischa Maisky , Sviatoslav Richter and Martha Argerich , Yehudi Menuhin and Maxime Venguerov .

The traditional music remains popular in Serbia, as evidenced by the success of the International Festival Guca trumpet . Internationally, it is found in the songs of Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra and Goran Bregovi , which also serve as Serbian folk music and music gypsy Serbian. In the field of jazz , Bojan Z uses the same basic songs. In the last decades and in all the Balkans , has developed a musical genre called turbo-folk , which blends elements like Serbian folk music in Eastern and elements of gypsy music. Evolving, it became a kind of pop to the Balkan way. The singer Svetlana Ranatovi is a muse of turbo folk.

Among the famous rock bands include Riblja Corba , Ekaterina Velika ("Catherine the Great"), Partibrejkers , Van Gogh and Bajaga i Instruktori.

Serbia is also present on stage at the Hip Hop International, the group Beogradska Sindikat or, more recently, with the group VIP and with rappers like kabo and Marcelo and especially with the label Bassivity Music .

In terms of variety, Marija erifovi won the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 and, as such, Belgrade hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 . Also in 2010 vocalist Milan Stankovic took part in the Eurovision Song Contest in interpreting his song I Ovo Balkan (These are the Balkans!).

Science

Tennis player Novak Djokovic

The Serbian scientist Nikola Tesla

• Nikola Tesla (1856-1943)
• Mihailo Pupin
• Milutin Milankovi
• Mileva Einstein , born Mari

Sport

Tennis

• Ana Ivanovic , tennis player
• Jelena Jankovic , tennis player
• Novak Djokovic , tennis player
• Viktor Troicki , tennis player

Basketball

• Dejan Bodiroga , basketball player
• Dragan Lukovski , basketball player
• Predrag Stojakovi , basketball player
• Vladimir Radmanovic , basketball player
• Vlade Divac , basketball player
• Nenad Krstic , basketball player

Football

• Neven Subotic , football player
• Milos Krasic , football player
• Milan Jovanovic , football player
• Dejan Stankovic , football player
• Branislav Ivanovi , football player
• Nemanja Vidic , football player

Swimming

• Milorad Cavic
• Nadja Higl

Volleyball

• Ivan Miljkovic
• Nikola Grbic
• Andrija Geric

Gastronomy

Serbian dishes are largely composed of pork, poultry, and to a lesser extent, beef, vegetables and fruits such as peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, plum, watermelon, apples earth.

• Ajvar : pureed red pepper and garlic, cooked. Some industrial producers in order to save rajoutent of eggplant or tomato puree peppers but only contains traditional ajvar pepper.
• Gibanica : puff slightly cooked mixed with cheese and eggs. This becomes the burek if we add the minced meat and onions, zeljanica with spinach or the krompirua with potatoes.
• Cevapcici : small slices of beef, cooked over a wood fire and served with onions. The same presentation is with the pljeskavice, national hamburger made of beef and pork.
• Sarma : grape leaves or very thin cabbage leaves containing beef and rice. The paprika punjene often accompany them as they are peppers stuffed with minced meat.
• orba : vegetable soups and rich enough identified pieces of meat (lamb, chicken or pork, depending on the region).
• Medenjaci : honey cakes.
• Burek : puff pastry stuffed with cheese or meat minced beef or pork.
• Pljeskavica : Serbian hamburger consisting of a mixture of lamb and beef, sometimes pork grilled with onions.

Medenjaci, honey cakes

Palainke - Pancakes

Burek with cheese

Cevapcici in preparation

National Holidays

In Serbia, public holidays are defined by the law on national holidays and other holidays in the Republic of Serbia (in Serbian : Zakon o dravnim i drugim praznicima Republic Srbija u). The following festivals are observed throughout the country :

Tourism

In 2007 , 2.2 million tourists visited Serbia, an increase of 15% compared to 2006 .

The church of the monastery of Visoki Decani

A number of major Serbian towns offer tourists many opportunities. Belgrade offers the resources of a large international capital, with many museums , the buildings , public or private, which primarily reflect the architecture of the ^nineteenth and ^twentieth centuries. The Serbian capital is also famous for its festivals, like the International Film Festival (FEST) , the International Theatre Festival (BITEF) , the Summer Festival (BELEF) or the International Festival music (BEMUS) . Belgrade is especially renowned for the quality of its nightlife, with clubs open until dawn around the city along the banks of the Sava and Danube succeed many barges (splavovi) are among The most popular places for nightlife ^{, ,} . Other cities also offer resources in museums, architecture and festivals, such as Novi Sad , the capital of Vojvodina , with its Exit Festival , or the small town of Gua which hosts an annual Festival International Trumpet . Serbia also has several spas frequented as Vrnjacka Banja , Sokobanja and Niska Banja.

The site avolja Varos , near Kursumlija

Besides the architecture of cities, Serbia may also be of interest to history buffs and architecture. The site Roman of Felix Romuliana , where was born and buried the emperor Galerius , was included in 2007 on the World Heritage List of UNESCO . The country retains a particularly large number of a href = "% C3% Liste_des_monast A8res_orthodoxes_serbes" title = "List of Serbian Orthodox monasteries"> Monasteries Orthodox Serbs , mostly dating from the Middle Ages. Some of them are on the World Heritage List of UNESCO , as Sopoani monastery , near Novi Pazar , which has been included along with the ruins of the medieval town of Stari Ras , . Other monasteries or religious complexes, belonging to the history of the Serbian Orthodox Church , located in Kosovo. Among the buildings whose importance has been recognized internationally, it should include the Gracanica Monastery , one of Visoki Decani or the Pec Patriarchate and the Church of the Virgin of Levisa , all inscribed on the World Heritage List . Given the instability of the region, these monuments have been placed on the list of World Heritage in Danger . Other monasteries, which are not listed as World Heritage, provide a certain interest, like Mileseva , which houses one of the most famous ancient frescoes of Serbia, Fresco of the White Angel.

Serbia also offers a number of important sites for nature lovers, especially protected areas that constitute the country's five national parks, one of Djerdap , that of the Kopaonik Mountains , one of Tara Mountains , one of ar Mountains and that of the Fruska Gora. Sites Ramsar Conservation wetlands are also an attraction, like the lake Vlasina. The mountains Golija were designated as a biosphere reserve under the Programme on Man and the Biosphere of UNESCO . In addition to these sites, we can point to other attractions such as Deliblatska pescara in Vojvodina , which is the largest sandy area of Europe , or the natural monument of avolja Varos (the "City of the Devil") near the town of Kursumlija .

Education

Photograph of the Belgrade University in 1890

The beginnings of the Serbian education system date back to the ^eleventh and ^twelfth century with the creation of the first Catholic colleges in Titel and Ba ), in Vojvodina. Education also took its rise with the foundation of many monasteries, Serbian Orthodox , such as Sopoani of Studenica or the Patriarchate of Pec. Serbia's first university was founded in Belgrade in 1808 , when the first revolt against the Turks , created under the name of High School or Graduate School (in Serbian : and Velika kola) is the precursor of Current University of Belgrade. In contrast, the oldest college located within the current borders of Serbia was founded in 1778 in Sombor , then part of the Austrian Empire , and was known as Norma and was the first Slavic teachers college in Southern Europe . The current Serbian educational system is governed by the Serbian Ministry of Education.

The " First School "in Belgrade

In Serbia, the instruction begins in kindergarten from 3 years. Then, from 6 or 7 years old, is an elementary school (in Serbian : and osnovna kola), for an eight-year elementary school that roughly corresponds to the elementary school and college French (until the end of the fourth) . After eight years, a bifurcation occurs. Some students are moving toward high school (in Serbian : and gimnazija), where they take general studies in four years, beginning with a specialization between languages and social sciences on the one hand and mathematics and natural sciences other. After high school, other students are moving towards a vocational school (in Serbian : and struna kola), which while providing a general education offer a more specialized education, studying in these schools they had also four years. Others, finally, entering a school "vocational" (in Serbian : and zanatska kola) studies there were only three years and they are more specialized, particularly in the areas of trade and crafts.

Graduate studies are carried out in universities in the faculties of universities in Serbia or in the various academies of art. The "higher schools" (in Serbian : and visa skola) offer short graduate in two years, just like the colleges in America. Serbia has several universities, among which include the University of Belgrade , the University of Nis , the University of Kragujevac and Novi Sad University. The university course was recently adapted to the Bologna Process , which establishes a three-tier system, license , Masters , PhD . Serbia also has many private higher education institutions.

Infrastructure

Communications

Transport

In 2004 , Serbia had 42,692 km of roads paved , which were added 24,860 km of roads concrete . It also has 3,808 km of railways, which are electrified 1196 (31.4%) ; the entire rail network is managed by the Public Enterprise Railways of Serbia. The preferred corridor for road and rail is the valley of the Morava , which avoids the most mountainous regions of central Serbia.

On the road, the country is crossed by the European routes E65 , E70 , E75 and E80 , and by the European side roads E662 , E761 , E763 , E771 and E851. The greater part of their journey, the E70, which, in Serbia goes id to Belgrade , and the E75 road, which, in Serbia, connects Subotica in Vranje via Belgrade and Nis , are type highway. In 2006 , Serbia officially had 1,511,663 cars , 125,761 trucks and 9,268 buses .

River transport is also represented in Serbia. Besides the Danube , which runs 588 km in Serbia and which connects the Central Europe to the Black Sea , the Sava , the Morava and Tisa , and other rivers too, are totally or partially navigable. Among the waterways, we can still quote the Danube-Tisa-Danube , which flows through the autonomous province of Vojvodina .

Serbia also has two international airports, the airport Nikola Tesla, Belgrade and airport Constantine the Great in Nis. In 2007 , Nikola Tesla airport carried 2,512,890 passengers . The national airline is named Jat Airways .

Codes

Serbia has the code:

• RS , according to the standard ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 (list of country codes)
• . Rs , according to the list of Internet TLDs ( top level domain )
• SR , according to the list of country codes used by NATO , alpha-2 code,
• SRB, according to the standard ISO 3166-1 (list of country codes), code alpha-3,
• SRB, according to the standard list of country codes IOC , code alpha-3
• SRB, according to the list of country codes used by NATO , code alpha-3,
• SRB, according to the list of international license plate codes , code alpha-3,

References