Serbia
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{{Infobox Country
| native_name = <span style="line-height:1.33em;">''Република Србија <br/> Republika Srbija''</span>
| conventional_long_name = Republic of Serbia
| common_name = Serbia
|
|<!--- Flag navigation: Preceding and succeeding entities p1 to p5 and s1 to s5 --->
|p1 = Yugoslavia
|flag_p1 = Flag_of_Serbia_and_Montenegro.png
|s1 =
|flag_s1 =
|
| demonym = Serbian
| image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
| image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
| image_map = Europe_location_SRB.png
| map_caption = {{map caption |region=Europe |legend=European location legend en.svg}}
| national_anthem = <span style="line-height:1.25em;">''[[Bože pravde|Боже правде / Bože pravde]]''<small><br/> "Lord Give Us Justice"</small></span>
| official_languages = '''[[Serbian language|Serbian]]'''
| regional_languages = [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]], [[Slovak language|Slovak]], [[Romanian language|Romanian]], [[Croatian language|Croatian]], <br />[[Rusyn language|Rusyn]] {{smallsup|1}} [[Albanian language|Albanian]] {{smallsup|2}}
| capital = [[Belgrade]]
| latd=44 |latm=48 |latNS=N |longd=20 |longm=28 |longEW=E
| largest_city = capital
| government_type = [[Parliamentary Democracy]]
| leader_title1 = [[President of Serbia|President]]
| leader_title2 = [[Prime Minister of Serbia|Prime Minister]]
| leader_title3 = [[National Assembly of Serbia|President of Parliament]]
| leader_title4 = [[Supreme Court|Supreme Court President]]
| leader_name1 = [[Boris Tadić]]
| leader_name2 = [[Mirko Cvetković]]
| leader_name3 = [[Slavica Đukić Dejanović]]
| leader_name4 = [[Vida Petrović-Škero]]
| area_rank = 113th
| area_magnitude = 1 E10
| area_km2 = 88 361
| area_sq_mi = 34 116
| percent_water = 0.13
| population_estimate = 10,159,046
| population_estimate_year = 2008
| population_census = 7,498,000{{smallsup|6}}
| population_census_year = 2002
| population_density_km2 = 115
| population_density_sq_mi = 297
| population_density_rank = 94th
| GDP_PPP_year = 2008
| GDP_PPP = $81.982 billion (IMF)
| GDP_PPP_rank =
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = $10 985
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank =
| GDP_Nominal_year = 2008
| GDP_Nominal = $48.816 billion
| GDP_Nominal_rank = 73rd
| GDP_Nominal_per_capita = $6 500
| GDP_Nominal_per_capita_rank = 76th
| Gini = .24
| Gini_year = 2007
| Gini_category = <font color="#009900">low</font>
| sovereignty_type = [[History of Medieval Serbia|Establishment]]
| established_event1 = [[Raška (state)|First state]]
| established_event2 = [[Serbian Empire]]
| established_event3 = [[Independence lost]]
| established_event4 = {{nowrap|[[First Serbian Uprising]]}}{{smallsup|5}}(Modern Statehood)
| established_event5 = [[Principality of Serbia|''De facto'' independence]]
| established_event6 = [[Congress of Berlin|''De jure'' independence]]
| established_event7 = [[Banat, Backa and Baranja|Unification]]
| established_event8 = Republic of Serbia
| established_date1 = 7th century
| established_date2 = 1345
| established_date3 = 1540<ref>http://www.zvrk.co.yu/Mskola/Istorija/srpskaistorija/srpskadespotovina/03.htm</ref><ref>http://books.google.com/books?id=ANdbpi1WAIQC&pg=PA391&lpg=PA391&dq=serbian+despotate+in+hungary&source=web&ots=tPM9rVBZAL&sig=oM5DGxSEYhBSeuh3pcF2q0pJiWE&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=7&ct=result#PPA400,M1</ref>
| established_date4 = [[February 15]], [[1804]]
| established_date5 = [[25 March]] [[1867]]
| established_date6 = [[13 July]] [[1878]]
| established_date7 = [[25 November]] [[1918]]
| established_date8 = [[6 June]] [[2006]]
| currency = [[Serbian dinar]]{{smallsup|7}}
| currency_code = RSD
| country_code = RS
| time_zone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset = +1
| time_zone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST = +2
| cctld = [[.rs]] ([[.yu]]){{smallsup|8}}
| calling_code = 381
| ISO_3166-1_alpha2 = RS
| ISO_3166-1_alpha3 = SRB
| ISO_3166-1_num = 688
| alt_sport_code = SRB
| vehicle_code = SRB
| footnotes = <sup>1</sup> All spoken in [[Vojvodina]]. <br /><sup>2</sup> Spoken in [[Kosovo]]. <br /><sup>3</sup> ''[[Serbian Kingdom|Raška]]'', preceded by ''[[Duklja|Kingdom of Duklja]]'' (1077) <br /><sup>4</sup>To the Ottoman Empire and Kingdom of Hungary <br /><sup>5</sup>''[[The Proclamation]]'' (of independence, 1809)<br /><sup>6</sup> excluding [[Kosovo]] <br /><sup>7</sup> The [[Euro]] is used in Kosovo alongside the Dinar. <br /><sup>8</sup> [[.rs]] became active in September 2007. Suffix [[.yu]]<br /> will exist until September 2009.
}}
'''Serbia''' ({{lang-sr|Србија, ''Srbija''}}), officially the '''Republic of Serbia''' ({{lang-sr|Република Србија, ''Republika Srbija''}}, {{Audio|Republika Srbija.ogg|listen}}), is a [[landlocked]] [[country]] in [[Central Europe|Central]] and [[Balkans|Southeastern]] [[Europe]], covering the southern part of the [[Pannonian Plain]] and the central part of the [[Balkans|Balkan Peninsula]]. Serbia is bordered by [[Hungary]] to the north; [[Romania]] and [[Bulgaria]] to the east; the [[Republic of Macedonia]] and [[Albania]]<ref>http://www.unmikonline.org/press/reports/N9917289.pdf</ref> to the south; and [[Croatia]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] and [[Montenegro]] to the west. The capital is [[Belgrade]].
For centuries, located at, and shaped by, the cultural boundaries between the [[Eastern world|East]] and the [[Western world|West]], a powerful medieval [[History of Medieval Serbia|kingdom]] – later renamed the [[Serbian Empire]] – occupied much of the [[Balkans]]. Torn by domestic feuds, [[Ottoman]]-, [[Hungarian]]- and later, [[Austrian]] incursions, the Serbian state collapsed by the mid-16th century. The success of the [[Serbian revolution]] in 1817 marked the birth of [[Principality of Serbia|modern Serbia]]. Within a century it reacquired [[Kosovo]], [[Raška (region)|Raška]] and [[Vardar Macedonia]] from the [[Ottoman Empire]]. Likewise, in 1918 the [[Serbian Voivodship and Tamiš Banat|former autonomous Habsburg crownland]] of [[Vojvodina]] proclaimed its [[Banat, Bačka and Baranja|secession]] from [[Austria-Hungary]] to unite with the [[Kingdom of Serbia|Serbia]], preceded by the [[Syrmia|Syrmia region]].
The current borders of the country were established after [[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|union]] that formed after the [[Breakup of Yugoslavia|dissolution of Yugoslavia]] in 1990s.
In February 2008, the parliament of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia. Serbia's government, as well as the [[United Nations Security Council|UN Security Council]], have not recognized Kosovo's independence. The [[International reaction to the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence|response from the international community]] has been mixed.
Serbia is a member of the [[United Nations]], the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]], and the [[Council of Europe]], and is an [[Stabilization and Association Agreement|associate member]] of the [[European Union]].
{{see also|Controversy over Kosovo independence|}}
==Geography==
{{main|Geography of Serbia}}
Serbia is at the crossroads between [[Central Europe|Central]], [[Southern Europe|Southern]] and [[Eastern Europe]], between the [[Balkan peninsula]] and the [[Pannonian plain]]. The country is intersected by several major navigable rivers: the [[Danube]] (2850km), [[Sava]] (945 km), [[Tisza|Tisa]] (1358km), joined by the [[Timiş River]] (350 km) and [[Begej]] (254 km), all of which connect Serbia with ''Northern'' and ''Western Europe'' (through the [[Rhine-Main-Danube Canal]] – [[North Sea]] route), to ''Eastern Europe'' (via the Tisa–, [[Timiş River|Timiş]]–, [[Begej]] – and Danube – [[Black sea]] routes) and to ''Southern Europe'' (via the Sava river). Two largest Serbian cities- [[Belgrade]]<ref>Belgrade has a harbour on Sava as well</ref> and [[Novi Sad]]- are major regional [[Danube|Danubian]] harbours.
[[Image:Serbia mountain ranges.png|thumb|left|210px|Mountain ranges and major rivers of Serbia.]]
The northern third of the country is located entirely within the Central European [[Pannonian plain]]. The easternmost tip of Serbia extends into the [[Wallachian Plain]]. The north eastern border of the country is determined by the [[Carpathian Mountain range]],<ref>[http://www.carpathians.pl/carpathians01.html ABOUT THE CARPATHIANS - Carpathian Heritage Society<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> which runs through the whole of [[Central Europe]]. The [[Southern Carpathians]] meet the [[Balkan Mountains]], following the course of the [[Velika Morava]], a 500 km long (partially navigable) river. The [[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 opposite shore in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]].
Over a quarter of Serbia's overall landmass (27%) is covered by forest.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ptica.org/engl/birds/serbia.htm |title=Finding birds in Serbia |accessdate= |date=2005 |publisher=League for the Ornithological Action of Serbia |language=English}}</ref>
===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 exposure to the winds account for climate differences.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-92892/Serbia |title=Serbia :: Climate |accessdate= |date=2007 |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica Online |pages=p.5 of 71 |language=English}}</ref>
[[Vojvodina]] possesses typical continental climate, with air masses from [[Northern Europe|Northern]] and [[Western Europe]] which shape its climatic profile. South and South-west Serbia is subject to Mediterranean influences. However the [[Dinaric Alps]] and other mountain ranges contribute to the cooling down of most of the warm air masses. Winters are quite harsh in [[Sandžak]] because of the mountains which encircle the plateau.<ref>Radovanović, M and Dučić, V, 2002, [http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002EGSGA..27.2283R 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</ref>
The verage annual air temperature for the period 1961–90 for the area with an altitude of up to 300m is 10.9 [[°C]]. The areas with an altitude of 300m to 500m have an average annual temperature of around 10.0 °C, and over 1000 m of altitude around 6.0 °C.<ref name="RHMZ">{{cite web |url=http://www.hidmet.sr.gov.yu/eng/meteorologija/klimatologija_srbije.php |title=Basic Climate Characteristics for the Territory of Serbia |accessdate= |publisher=Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia |language=English}}</ref>
===National parks===
Serbia has 5 [[national park]]s:
*[[Fruška Gora]] (250 km²)
*[[Kopaonik]] (120 km²)
*[[Tara National Park|Tara]] (220 km²)
*[[Đerdap]] (640 km²)
*[[Šar Mountains]] (390 km²)
==History==
{{main|History of Serbia}}
===Early history===
Serbia's strategic location between two continents has subjected it to invasions by many peoples. [[Belgrade]] is believed to have been razed to the ground by 40 different armies in recorded history.<ref>http://www.beograd.rs/cms/view.php?id=320</ref> Contemporary Serbia comprises the [[Classical Greece|classical]] regions of [[Moesia]], [[Pannonia]], parts of [[Dalmatia]], [[Dacia]] and [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]].<ref>[[Macedonia (region)]]</ref> Under nominal [[Serbs|Serbian rule]] since the 7th century (having been allowed to settle in [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantium]] by its emperor [[Heraclius]] after their victory over the [[Eurasian Avars|Avars]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rastko.org.yu/rastko-bl/istorija/corovic/istorija/1_3_l.html |title=Istorija srpskog naroda: Sloveni naseljavaju Balkan |accessdate= |author=Vladimir Corovic |publisher=Projekat Rastko: Biblioteka srpske kulture |language=Serbian}}</ref> through early history various parts of the territory of modern Serbia have been colonized, claimed or ruled by: the [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]] and [[Roman Empire|Romans]] (conquered the indigenous [[Celts]] and [[Illyrians]]); the [[Western Roman Empire|Western]]- and the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman Empires]] (challenged by the incursions of the [[Hun Empire|Huns]], the [[Ostrogoths]], the [[Gepid Kingdom|Gepidae]], the [[Sarmatians]], the [[Avar Khanate|Avars]], the [[Serbs]], the [[Frankish Kingdom]], the [[Great Moravia]], the [[Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarians]]). No less than 17 [[Roman Emperor]]s were born in the land that is now Serbia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://brendovisrbije.com/vesti/ave-srbijo.html |title=Ave, Srbijo! |accessdate= |author=Aleksandra Krsmanović |publisher=Brendovi Srbije |language=Serbian}}</ref>
===Medieval Serb kingdoms and the Serbian Empire===
[[Image:Loza nemanjica.jpg|thumb|left|180px|The House of Nemanjić, fresco from [[Visoki Dečani monastery]]]]
[[Image:Golubac.JPG|thumb|right|225px|[[Golubac fortress]] overlooking the [[Danube]] river]]
[[Serbs]] formed their first unified state under the [[Vlastimirovic dynasty]] by 812, at times disrupted by the wars with the aforementioned states. By the beginning of the 14th century [[Serbs]] lived in four distinctly independent kingdoms- [[Duklja|Dioclea]], [[Raška (state)|Rascia]], [[Bosnia (region)|Bosnia]] and [[Syrmia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.njegos.org/medieval/mihailo.htm |title=Fresco of King Mihailo |accessdate= |publisher=Serb Land of Montenegro |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.serbianunity.net/culture/history/Serb_History/nemanjici.html |title=Serbian Medieval History |accessdate= |date=2006 |publisher=Serbian Unity Congress |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rastko.org.yu/rastko-bo/istorija/srednjivek/nserovic-tvrtko_l.html |title=Stefan Tvrtko I Kotromanić |accessdate= |author=Nenad Šerović |publisher=Projekat Rastko: Biblioteka srpske kulture |language=Serbian}}</ref>
At first heavily dependent on the [[Byzantine Empire]], to which it rendered tribute, in time the most powerful of the Serb states - [[Rascia|Raška]] (''Rascia'') achieved full independence, overtaking the Kingdom of [[Duklja]], which had previously dominated the Serbian lands between 11-12th centuries. The centre of the Serb world (Raska, Duklja, Travunia, Zahumlje, Pagania and Bosnia) moved northwards, further from the [[Adriatic sea|Adriatic coast]]. Although fully converted to Christianity as early as 865 AD,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.njegos.org/medieval/zeta.htm |title=Serb Medieval State of Zeta |accessdate= |author=Encyclopaedia Britannica |date= |publisher=Serb Land of Montenegro |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.snaga.org.yu/ilustrovana_istorija_srba/tekst/engleski/01/01-06-doseljavanje-slovena.html |title=The Arrival of Slavs, the Adoption of Christianity and the Serbian State of Stefan Nemanja |accessdate= |date=1999 |publisher=Snaga |language=English}}</ref> this relocation to the north and east also meant a shift towards the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] rather than the [[Catholic]] faith (initially predominant in the south following the [[East-West Schism]]).
The Serbian apogee in economy, law, military matters, and religion was reached during the rule of the [[House of Nemanjić]] between 1166 and 1371; the [[Serbian Kingdom]] was proclaimed in 1217, joined later by the [[Kingdom of Syrmia]], [[Banovina of Macva|Banovina of Mačva]] and [[Bosnia (region)|Bosnia]]; finally, the [[Serbian Empire]] of [[Emperor Dusan|Stefan Dušan]] was formed in 1346. Under Dušan's rule, Serbia reached its [[territory (country subdivision)|territorial]] peak, becoming one of the larger states in [[Europe]]. The renowned [[Dušan's Code]], a universal system of laws, was enforced.
[[Image:Paja Jovanović-Krunisanje Cara Dušana.jpg|left|thumb|[[Emperor Dusan]] crowning in [[Skoplje]] in [[1346]]]]
As a result of internal struggle between rival noble families, and heavy losses inflicted by the [[Ottomans]] in the epic [[Battle of Kosovo]], the [[Serbian Empire]] had dissolved into many statelets by the beginning of the 15th century. Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, constant struggles took place between various Serbian kingdoms on the one hand, and the [[Ottoman Empire]] on the other. The [[Serbian Despotate]] fell in 1459 following the siege of the "temporary" capital [[Smederevo]], followed by [[Bosnia (region)|Bosnia]] a few years later, and [[Herzegovina]] in 1482. [[Montenegro]] was overrun by 1499. [[Belgrade]] was the last major Balkan city to endure Ottoman onslaughts, when it joined the Catholic [[Kingdom of Hungary]]. [[Serbs]], [[Hungarians]] and European [[crusader]]s heavily defeated the Turkish in the [[Siege of Belgrade]] of 1456. Several Serbian [[Despot (court title)|despot]]s ruled in parts of [[Vojvodina]] as vassals of the Hungarian kings with the title of Hungarian barons.
After repelling Ottoman attacks for over 70 years, [[Belgrade]] finally fell in 1521, along with the greater part of the Kingdom of Hungary. Conversion to [[Islam]] was increased, especially in the southwest ([[Raška (region)|Raška]], Kosovo and [[Bosnia Province, Ottoman Empire|Bosnia]]).
===Ottoman and Austrian rule===
{{see also|Great Serb Migrations|Ottoman Serbia|Habsburg Serbia}}
[[Image:Bacs2.jpg|thumb|left|220px| Medieval fortress of [[Bač, Serbia|Bač]], [[Vojvodina]]]]
The [[Early modern period]] saw the [[Serbian Despotate|loss of Serbia's independence]] to the [[Kingdom of Hungary]] and the [[Ottoman Empire]], interrupted briefly by the revolutionary state of the [[Emperor Jovan Nenad]] in the 16th century. [[Modern times]] witnessed the rise of the [[Habsburg Monarchy]] (known as the [[Austrian Empire]], later [[Austria-Hungary]]), which fought many wars against the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]] for supremacy over Serbia. Three [[Austrian Empire|Austrian]] invasions and numerous rebellions (such as the [[Banat Uprising]]) constantly challenged Ottoman rule. [[Vojvodina]] endured a century long Ottoman occupation before being ceded to the [[Habsburg Empire]] in the 17th-18th centuries under the terms of the [[Treaty of Karlowitz]] (''Sremski Karlovci''). As the [[Great Serb Migrations]] depopulated most of [[Kosovo]] and [[Serbia proper]], the [[Serbs]] sought refuge in more prosperous (and Christian) [[Vojvodina|North]] and [[Military Frontier|West]] were granted imperial rights by the Austrian crown (under measures such as the ''Statuta Wallachorum'' in 1630). The [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] persecutions of[[Serbian Orthodox Church|Christians]] culminated in the abolition and plunder of the [[Patriarchate of Peć]] in 1766.<ref>[http://www.rastko.org.yu/kosovo/crucified/cr_heritage.html Crucified Kosovo: Ljubisa Folic: Crucified Heritage<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> As Ottoman rule in the [[Pashaluk of Belgrade|South]] grew ever more brutal, the
[[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold I]] formally granted the [[Serbs]] the right to their autonomous crown land, speeding up their [[Great Serb Migrations|migrations into Austria]].
===The Serbian Revolution and independence (Principality of Serbia)===
[[Image:Kara-Djordje Petrovic.jpg|thumb|left|170px|[[Karađorđe Petrović]], leader of the [[First Serbian uprising]] in 1804]]
[[Image:Zastava 1ustanak.jpg|thumb|right|170px|Flag of [[First Serbian Uprising|revolutionary Serbia]]]]
The quest for independence of Serbia began during the [[Serbian revolution|Serbian national revolution]] (1804-1817), and it lasted for several decades. During the [[First Serbian Uprising]] led by [[Karadjordje|Karađorđe Petrović]], Serbia was independent for almost a decade before the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman army]] was able to reoccupy the country. Shortly after this, the [[Second Serbian Uprising]] began. Led by [[Miloš Obrenović]], it ended in 1815 with a compromise between the [[Second Serbian Uprising|Serbian revolutionary army]] and the Ottoman authorities. The famous German historian [[Leopold von Ranke]] published his book "The Serbian revolution" (1829).<ref> English translation: Leopold Ranke, A History of Servia and the Servian Revolution. Translated from the German by Mrs Alexander Kerr (London: John Murray, 1847)</ref> They were the easternmost bourgeois revolutions in the 19th-century world.<ref>[http://www.royalfamily.org/ustanak/USTANAK_ENG.htm 200 godina ustanka<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Likewise, [[Principality of Serbia]] abolished [[feudalism]]- second in [[Europe]] after [[France]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nbs.bg.ac.yu/view_file.php?file_id=57 |title=Bibliotekarstvo i menadžment: Moguća paralela |accessdate= |author=Gordana Stokić |date=January 2003 |format=PDF |publisher=Narodna biblioteka Srbije |language=Serbian}}</ref>
The Convention of Ackerman (1828), the Treaty of Adrianople (1829) and finally, the [[Hatt-i Sharif|Hatt-i Sharif of 1830]], recognised the [[suzerainty]] of [[Principality of Serbia|Serbia]] with [[Miloš Obrenović I]] as its hereditary [[Miloš Obrenović I|Prince]].<ref>[http://www.rastko.org.yu/rastko-bl/istorija/corovic/istorija/7_8.html Vladimir Corovic: Istorija srpskog naroda<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>L. S. Stavrianos, The Balkans since 1453 (London: Hurst and Co., 2000), p. 248-250.</ref> The struggle for liberty, a more modern society and a [[nation-state]] in Serbia won a victory under [[Miloš Obrenović I, Prince of Serbia|first constitution in the Balkans]] on [[15 February]] [[1835]]. It was replaced by a more conservative Constitution in 1838. [[Image:MilosObrenovic 1848.jpg|thumb|left|170px|[[Miloš Obrenović I]], leader of the [[Second Serbian uprising]] in 1815]]
In the two following decades (temporarily ruled by the [[Karadjordjevic dynasty]]) the [[Principality of Serbia|Principality]] actively supported the neighbouring [[Serbian Voivodship and Tamiš Banat|Habsburg Serbs]], especially during the [[Revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas|1848 revolutions]]. Interior minister [[Ilija Garašanin]] published ''The Draft'' (for South Slavic unification), which became the standpoint of Serbian foreign policy from the mid-19th century onwards. The government thus developed close ties with the [[Illyrian movement]] in [[Croatia-Slavonia]] ([[Austria-Hungary]]).
Following the clashes between the Ottoman army and civilians in [[Belgrade]] in 1862, and under pressure from the [[Great Powers]], by 1867 the last Turkish soldiers left the [[Principality of Serbia|Principality]]. By enacting a new constitution without consulting the Porte, [[Jovan Ristic|Serbian diplomats]] confirmed the ''de facto independence'' of the country. In 1876, [[Montenegro]] and Serbia declared war on the [[Ottoman Empire]], proclaiming their unification with [[Bosnia (region)|Bosnia]]. The formal independence of the country was internationally recognized at the [[Congress of Berlin]] in 1878, which formally ended the [[Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78]]; this treaty, however, prohibited Serbia from uniting with [[Principality of Montenegro]], and placed [[Bosnia (region)|Bosnia]] and [[Sanjak of Novi Pazar|Raška region]] under [[Austro-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian occupation]] to prevent unification.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.royalfamily.org/ustanak/USTANAK_ENG.htm |title=The First Serbian Uprising |accessdate= |author=Čedomir Antić |date=1998 |publisher=The Royal Family of Serbia |language=English}}</ref>
=== Kingdom of Serbia ===
[[Image:Serbia02.png|170px|thumb|right|Two autonomous Serbias - [[Vojvodina|Austrian]] and [[Principality of Serbia|Ottoman Serbia]], 1849]]
From 1815 to 1903, Serbia was ruled by the [[House of Obrenović]] (except from 1842 to 1858, when it was led by Prince [[Alexander Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia|Aleksandar Karađorđević]]). In 1882, Serbia, ruled by [[King of Serbia|King]] [[Milan of Serbia|Milan]], was proclaimed a [[Kingdom of Serbia|Kingdom]]. In 1903, the [[House of Karađorđević]], (descendants of the revolutionary leader [[Đorđe Petrović]]) assumed power. Serbia was the only country in the region that was allowed by the [[Great Powers]] to be ruled its own domestic dynasty. During the [[Balkan Wars]] (1912-1913), the [[Kingdom of Serbia]] tripled its territory by acquiring part of Macedonia,<ref>[http://www.historyofmacedonia.org/PartitionedMacedonia/BalkanWars.html The Balkan Wars and the Partition of Macedonia<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[Kosovo]], and parts of Serbia proper.
As for Vojvodina, during the [[Revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas|1848 revolution in Austria]], [[Serbs of Vojvodina]] with the help of[[Croatia-Slavonia]] established an autonomous region known as [[Serbian Vojvodina]]. As of 1849, the region was transformed into a new Austrian crown land known as the [[Serbian Voivodship and Tamiš Banat]]. Although abolished in 1860, Habsburg emperors claimed the title [[Grosswojwod|Großwoiwode der Woiwodschaft Serbien]] until the end of the monarchy and the creation of Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918.
===World War I and the birth of Yugoslavia===
[[Image:Kralj Petar I Karadjordjevic.jpg|170px|thumb|left|[[Peter I of Yugoslavia|King Petar I Karađorđević]] leader of the [[Serbian Campaign (WWI)]]]]
[[Image:WWI end.jpg|180px|thumb|right|[[Entente|Military alliances]]<ref>http://www.dean.usma.edu/history/web03/atlases/great%20war/great%20war%20%20pages/great%20war%20map%2002.htm</ref> in [[Europe]] at the end of WWI]] <!-- 1914 is WRONG, just see Italy and Romania -->
On [[June 28]], [[1914]] the [[Assassination in Sarajevo|assassination]] of [[Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria]] at [[Sarajevo]] in [[History of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1878–1918)|Bosnia-Herzegovina]] by [[Gavrilo Princip]] (a South Slav unionist, Austrian citizen and member of [[Young Bosnia]]) led to [[Austria-Hungary]] declaring war on [[Kingdom of Serbia]]. In defense of its ally Serbia the [[Russian Empire]] started to mobilize its troops , which resulted in the [[German Empire]] declaring war on Russia (in support of [[Austria-Hungary]]). The retaliation by Austria-Hungary against Serbia activated a series of [[military alliance]]s that set off a [[causality|chain reaction]] of war declarations across the continent, leading to the outbreak of [[World War I]] within a month.
[[Image:Monument to the Unknown Hero Avala1.jpg|180px|thumb|right|[[Monument to the Unknown Hero]] - in memory of the Serb soldiers who fell in [[WWI]]]]
The [[First Army (Serbia)|Serbian Army]] won several major victories against Austria-Hungary at the beginning of [[World War I]], such as the ''[[Battle of Cer]]'' and ''[[Battle of Kolubara]]'' - marking the first [[Allies|Allied]] victories against the [[Central Powers]] in [[WWI]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.yu/Bilteni/Engleski/b230804_e.html |title=Daily Survey |accessdate= |date=[[August 23]], [[2004]] |publisher=The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia |language=English}}</ref> Despite initial success it was eventually overpowered by the joint forces of the [[German Empire]], [[Austria-Hungary]] and [[Bulgaria]] in 1915. Most of its army and some people went into exile to [[Greece]] and [[Corfu]] where they recovered, regrouped and returned to [[Macedonian front (World War I)]] to lead a final breakthrough through enemy lines on [[September 15]], [[1918]], freeing Serbia again and defeating [[Austro-Hungarian]] Empire and [[Bulgaria]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archives.org.yu/ |title=Arhiv Srbije - osnovan 1900. godine |accessdate= |language=Serbian}}</ref> Serbia (with its major [[Serbian Campaign (World War I)|campaign]]) was a major [[Allies of World War I|Balkan Entente Power]]<ref>[http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/bulgariaatwar_radoslavov.htm First World War.com - Primary Documents - Vasil Radoslavov on Bulgaria's Entry into the War, 11 October 1915<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> which contributed significantly to the Allied victory in the [[Balkans]] in November 1918. The country was militarilly classified as a ''minor Entente power''.<ref>[http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/minorpowers_serbia.htm The Minor Powers During World War One - Serbia]</ref>
=====Casualties=====
[[Image:WorldWarI-MilitaryDeaths-EntentePowers-Piechart.svg|180px|thumb|left|[[Serbian Army|Serbian soldiers]] were 8% of the total of combatants killed [[Allies of World War I|Entente]] in [[World War I|WWI]].]]
Prior to the war, the Kingdom of Serbia had 4.5 million inhabitants.<ref>[http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWinSerbia.htm Serbia in 1914]</ref> According to the [[New York Times]], in 1915 alone 150,000 people are estimated to have died during the worst [[typhus|typhus epidemics]] in world history. With the aid of the [[American Red Cross]] and 44 foreign governments, the outbreak was brought under control by the end of the year.<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C07E5DA1239E333A2575AC2A9669D946496D6CF Tells of typhus in Serbia]</ref> According to ''FirstWorldWar.com'', the number of civilian deaths is estimated at 650,000, primarily due to the [[typhus|typhus outbreak]] and [[famine]], but also direct clashes with the occupiers.<ref>[http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/minorpowers_serbia.htm The Minor Powers During World War One - Serbia]</ref> [[Kingdom of Serbia]] ranked first among the Entente powers by the percentage of military deaths; 8% of the ''total'' Entente military deaths or 58% of the [[First Army (Serbia)|Serbian Army]] (420,000 strong) has perished during the conflict.<ref>[http://www.vojska.net/eng/world-war-1/serbia/organization/1914/ Serbian army, August 1914]</ref> The total number of casualties ranges anywhere between 700,000 and 900,000- over 20% of Serbia's prewar size, and over ⅓ of its male population. ''L.A.Times'' and ''N.Y.Times'' placed the figure at over one million in their respective articles.<ref>[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/337249982.html?dids=337249982:337249982&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&date=Jun+30%2C+1918&author=PIERRE+LOTI.+Special+Contributor+to+%22The+Times.%22&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=FOURTH+OF+SERBIA'S+POPULATION+DEAD.&pqatl=google Fourth of Serbia's population dead.]</ref><ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9A06E5D81E3FE433A25756C0A9629C946996D6CF Asserts Serbians face extinction]</ref>
The extent of the Serbian demographic disaster can be illustrated by the statement of the Bulgarian Prime Minister [[Vasil Radoslavov]]: "Serbia ceased to exist" (''New York Times'', summer 1917).<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=990CEFDC113BEE3ABC4D53DFB7678383609EDE&oref=slogin Serbia restored]</ref> In July 1918 the [[United States Secretary of State|US Secretary of State]] [[Robert Lansing]] urged the [[United States|Americans]] of all religions to pray for [[Serbian Campaign (World War I)|Serbia]] in their respective churches.<ref>http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9F02E7D7143EE433A2575BC2A9619C946996D6CF&oref=slogin</ref><ref>http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9406E4D8143EE433A25754C2A9619C946996D6CF</ref>
{{History of Serbia}}
=====Kingdom of Yugoslavia ("First Yugoslavia")=====
{{see also|Kingdom of Yugoslavia|}}
*[[Syrmia]] region was the first among former [[Austria-Hungary|Habsburg lands]] to declare union with the [[Kingdom of Serbia]] on [[November 24]], [[1918]].
*[[Banat, Bačka and Baranja]]- (''[[Vojvodina]]'')- joined the Kingdom on the next day.
**On [[November 26]], [[1918]], the [[Kingdom of Montenegro]] declared its unification with the [[Kingdom of Serbia]].
***[[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] announces the unification with Serbia after a referendum{{Fact|date=June 2008}}
****On [[December 1]], [[1918]], the [[State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs]] and the [[Kingdom of Serbia]] joined the unitary [[Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes]] (later [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]]). [[Peter I of Serbia|King Peter I of Serbia]] became [[Peter I of Serbia|King Peter I of Yugoslavia]].
===World War II===
=====Invasion of Yugoslavia=====
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was in a precarious position in [[World War II]]. Fearing an invasion by [[Nazi Germany]], the Yugoslav Regent, [[Prince Paul of Yugoslavia|Prince Paul]], signed the [[Tripartite Pact]] with the [[Axis powers]] on [[25 March]] [[1941]], triggering massive demonstrations in [[Belgrade]]. On [[March 27]], [[Prince Paul of Yugoslavia|Prince Paul]] was overthrown by a military [[coup d'état]] (with British support) and replaced by the 17-year-old [[Peter II of Yugoslavia|King Peter II]]. General Dušan Simović became Peter's [[Prime Minister]] and the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] withdrew its support for the [[Axis powers|Axis]].
In response to this [[Adolf Hitler]] launched an [[invasion of Yugoslavia]] on [[April 6]]. By [[April 17]], unconditional surrender was signed in [[Belgrade]]. After the invasion, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was dissolved and, with Yugoslavia partitioned, the remaining portion of Serbia became part of the [[Serbia (1941-1944)|Military Administration of Serbia]], under a joint German-Serb government, with military power controlled by the German armed forces, while a Serb civil government led by [[Milan Nedić]] was permitted to try to draw Serbs away from their opposition to the Axis occupation of Yugoslavia.
Not all of what is present-day Serbia was included as part of the military administration. Some of the contemporary [[Republic of Serbia]] was occupied by the [[Independent State of Croatia|Kingdom of Croatia]], the [[Kingdom of Hungary (1920-1944)|Kingdom of Hungary]], the [[Kingdom of Bulgaria]], the [[Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946)|Fascist Italy's]] Balkan [[protectorate]]s, the [[Albania under Italy|Albanian Kingdom]] and the [[Kingdom of Montenegro (1941-1944)|Kingdom of Montenegro]]. In addition to being occupied by the (''[[Wehrmacht]]''), from 1941 to 1945, Serbia was the scene of a [[civil war]] between [[Monarchism|Royalist]] [[Chetniks]] commanded by [[Draža Mihailović]] and [[Communist]] [[Partisans (Yugoslavia)|Partisans]] commanded by [[Josip Broz Tito]]. Against these forces were arrayed Nedić's units of the [[Serbian Volunteer Corps]] and [[Serbian State Guard]].
=====Genocide of Serbs by the Ustase regime in Croatia=====
{{main|Jasenovac concentration camp}}
[[Image:Jasenovac victims.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Memorial to Serb victims of the genocide in present day [[Republika Srpska]]]]
Serbia's society was profoundly affected by the events that took place in the neighboring [[Independent State of Croatia]] (''Nezavisna Država Hrvatska'', NDH) during [[World War II]]. [[Serbs]], [[Jews]], and [[Romani people|Roma]] in the neighboring [[Independent State of Croatia]] (''Nezavisna Država Hrvatska'', NDH) were subjected to large-scale persecution and killings, particularly in the [[Jasenovac concentration camp]]. The stimated number of Serbian children who died is between 35,000 and 50,000. United States Holocaust Encyclopedia<ref>[http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005449 Jasenovac<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and Jewish Virtual Library<ref>[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Jasenovac.html Jasenovac<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> estimate that there were between Serb victims in Jasenovac and between {{formatnum:330000}} and {{formatnum:390000} . The Yad Vashem center reports that over {{formatnum:500000}} Serbs were killed overall in the NDH.<ref>http://www1.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%205930.pdf</ref>, with some {{formatnum:600000}} people of many nationalities and ethnicities murdered in one camp Jasenovac. <ref>http://www1.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%206358.pdf</ref> After the war, official Yugoslav sources estimated over {{formatnum:700000}} victims, mostly Serbs. Misha Glenny suggests that the numbers of Serbs killed in the genocide was more than 400,000.<ref>Glenny, Misha. Balkans: Nationalism, War and the Great Powers, 1804-1999. New York, USA: Penguin Books, 2001. Pp. 431
USTASHE. "With the financial assistance of Italian government, Pavelic set about the construction of two main training camps, one in Hungary, one in Italy..." </ref>
The atrocities that took place in Croatia against Serbs has led to a deep sense of antagonism by Serbs towards Croats, which a number of governments have attempted to lessen. Reconciliation between the two peoples was attempted under [[Joseph Broz Tito]]'s policy of [[Brotherhood and Unity]], but this was destroyed with the outbreak of the [[Yugoslav wars]] in the 1990s. The most recent attempt was made at the commemoration to the Serb casualties of the Jasenovic concentration camp in April 2003, when the Croatian president [[Stjepan Mesic]] apologized to the [[Jasenovac concentration camp|victims of Jasenovac]].<ref>[http://www.religioustolerance.org/genocide2.htm/ Mass crimes against humanity and genocides: A list of atrocities from 1450 CE until the end of World War II]</ref> In 2006, on the same occasion, he added that to every visitor to Jasenovac it must be clear that the "''Holocaust, genocide and war crimes''" took place there.<ref>[http://vijesti.hrt.hr/ShowArticles.aspx?ArticleId=9465 Commemoration held for victims of Jasenovac death camp]</ref>
===Socialist Yugoslavia ("Second Yugoslavia")===
On [[November 29]], [[1945]], the constitutional assembly established by the Yugoslav Communist party proclaimed the abolition of the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|Serbian-led monarchy of Yugoslavia]].<ref>[http://www.danas.co.yu/20031209/dijalog1.html Danas<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> - and the royal family banned from returning to the country.<ref>[http://www.beograd.org.yu/cms/view.php?id=1239 Grad Beograd - Važne godine u istoriji grada<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.politika.co.yu/rubrike/Tema-nedelje/Srbija-u-ustavima/t8829.lt.html Tema nedelje : Srbija u ustavima : Kardeljeve norme : POLITIKA<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> A communist regime was established under a dictatorship led by Yugoslav Communist leader [[Joseph Broz Tito]]. Serbia was one of 6 federal units of the state, the [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] (''[[Socijalistička Federativna Republika Jugoslavija]]'', or SFRJ). Serbia was controversially internally divided with the creation of the autonomous provinces of [[Kosovo]] and [[Vojvodina]], in which the Serbian parliament held no control over the political affairs of the two provinces, and technically only held power over [[Central Serbia]]. The action was taken due to pressure on the communist regime by the other republics, which claimed that Yugoslavia's political structure was subject to Serb hegemony. Many Serbs, including those in the Yugoslav Communist party, resented the powers held by the autonomous provinces. At the same time, a number of Kosovo Albanians in the 1980s began to demand that Kosovo be granted the right to be a republic within Yugoslavia, thus giving it the right to separate, a right which it did not have as an autonomous province. The ethnic tensions between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo would eventually have a major influence in the collapse of the SFRY.
====Collapse of Communist Yugoslavia====
In 1989, the [[League of Communists of Serbia]] selected [[Slobodan Milošević]] to become the [[President of Serbia]]. Milošević was controversial in Yugoslavia because he opposed Kosovo's autonomy and because his rise to power through the [[Anti-bureaucratic revolution]] was achieved through mass protests, which pushed out the leadership of the autonomous provinces and also the republic of Montenegro which installed politicians allied to Milošević. Milošević also aggravated the situation in post-Tito Yugoslavia by alleging that certain politicians in Yugoslavia were anti-Serb. His pressure to change the constitution to limit Kosovo's autonomy and bring in a one-member-one-vote system in the Yugoslav League of Communists congress (thus giving a numerical majority to the Serbs) worsened relations in the League of Communists, which broke up along republican lines. [[Slovenia]], [[Croatia]], [[Republic of Macedonia|Macedonia]], and [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] all elected governments which supported secession from Yugoslavia and referendums on independence resulted in majorities supporting independence in those republics. The only remaining political leadership willing to govern the SFRY was made up of Serbian and Montenegrin politicians. The federal leadership from 1991 to 1992 was heavily influenced by the Serbian President Milošević who led the SFRY's largest of the two republics still committed to union.
===Federation of Serbia and Montenegro ("Third Yugoslavia") and the Kosovo War===
By 1992, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina had all declared independence from Yugoslavia, resulting in the collapse of the SFRJ and the outbreak of war. In response, Serbia and Montenegro formed the [[Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] (''Savezna Republika Jugoslavija'', or SRJ). The Serbian government initially supported the [[Serbs of Croatia]] and the [[Bosnian Serbs]] in the [[Yugoslav wars]] fought from 1991 to 1995. This period of political turmoil marked a rise in ethnic tensions and [[xenophobia]] between Serbs and other ethnicities of the former Communist Yugoslavia as most of the other ethnicities demanded independence while Serbs saw the secessions as tearing apart the Serb nation which had a heavy populace in Bosnia & Herzegovina and Croatia.<ref>Baumgartl, Bernd; Favell, Adam. 1995. New Xenophobia in Europe. Martinus Nijhoff
Publishers. Pp. 52</ref> [[International sanctions|Sanctions]] were imposed by the [[United Nations]], which led to political isolation and economic decline of the SRJ.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.srpska-mreza.com/bookstore/voices/voices6.htm |title=6) The role of sanctions in the destruction of Yugoslavia |accessdate= |author=Richard Becker |date=1995 |publisher=Serbian Network |language=English}}</ref>
In 1995, the [[Dayton Agreement]] was signed in [[Paris]], [[France]]. This agreement ended the [[war in Bosnia and Herzegovina]] and the [[Croatian War of Independence|war in Croatia]]. For the time being, the SRJ was officially at peace.
Between 1998 and 1999, Serbia's official peace was broken when the situation in Kosovo worsened with continued clashes in Kosovo between the Serbian and Yugoslavian security forces on one side and the ethnic Albanian [[Kosovo Liberation Army]] (KLA) on the other. What became known as the [[Kosovo War]] prompted "[[Operation Allied Force]]." This operation included aerial bombardment of Serbia by forces of the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO). The bombings lasted for 78 days. The bombings were ended following negotiations on the border between the [[Republic of Macedonia]] and the SRJ. The negotiations were held between NATO spokesperson [[Mike Jackson]] and SRJ officials speaking on behalf of Milošević. It was agreed that Milošević would order the withdrawal of all SRJ security forces, including the military and the police, and agree to have them replaced by a body of international police. The agreement upheld Yugoslavian (later Serbian) sovereignty over Kosovo but replaced Serbian government of the province with a UN administration, the [[United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo]] ([[UNMIK]]). NATO also agreed to end its demand to station NATO troops across the whole of the SRJ. This had been one of its demands at the Rambouillet negotiations prior to the bombing campaign.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.commondreams.org/views/031400-107.htm |title=Another Way For Kosovo? |accessdate= |author=Noam Chomsky |date=[[March 14]], [[2000]] |publisher=Le Monde diplomatique |language=English}}</ref>
===Democratic transition===
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]] (''Demokratska opozicija Srbije'', or DOS). The DOS was a broad coalition of anti-Milošević parties. On [[5 October]], the [[5th October Overthrow|fall of Milošević]] led to end of the international isolation Serbia suffered during the Milošević years. Serbia's new leaders announced that Serbia would seek to join the [[European Union]] (EU). In October 2005, the EU opened negotiations with Serbia for a [[Stabilization and Association Agreement]] (SAA), a preliminary step towards joining the [[EU]].
From 2003 to 2006, Serbia has been part of the "State Union of Serbia and Montenegro." This union was the successor to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SRJ).
On [[May 21]], [[2006]], Montenegro held a referendum to determine whether or not to end its union with Serbia. The next day, state-certified results showed 55.4% of voters in favor of independence. This was just above the 55% required by the referendum.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/05/22/montenegro.independence/ |title= Montenegro chooses independence |accessdate= |date=[[May 22]], [[2006]] |publisher=CNN International |language=English}}</ref>
===Republic of Serbia===
On [[June 5]], [[2006]], following the referendum in [[Montenegro]], the [[National Assembly of Serbia]] declared the "Republic of Serbia" to be the legal successor to the "State Union of Serbia and Montenegro."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5083690.stm |title=Montenegro gets Serb recognition |accessdate= |date=[[15 June]] [[2006]] |publisher=BBC News |language=English}}</ref> Serbia and Montenegro became separate nations. However, the possibility of a dual citizenship for the [[Serbs of Montenegro]] is a matter of the ongoing negotiations between the two governments.
In April 2008 Serbia was invited to join the [[Intensified Dialogue|intensified dialogue]] programme with [[NATO]] despite the diplomatic rift with the Alliance over [[Kosovo]].<ref>[http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=04&dd=03&nav_id=49084 B92 - News - Politics - NATO offers "intensified dialogue" to Serbia<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==Government and politics==
{{main|Politics of Serbia}}
{{see also|Government of Serbia|President of Serbia|Foreign relations of Serbia|Elections in Serbia|Human rights in Serbia|Constitutional status of Kosovo}}
[[Image:DomNarodneskupstine.jpg|thumb|225px|right|[[National Assembly of Serbia]]]]
On [[February 4]], [[2003]] the [[Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro|parliament of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] 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 [[October 5]], [[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)|Democratic Party]] (DS) in overall control.
Serbia held a two-day [[Serbian constitutional referendum, 2006|referendum]] on [[October 28]] and [[October 29]], [[2006]], that ratified a new constitution to replace the Milošević-era constitution.
The current [[President of Serbia]] is [[Boris Tadić]], leader of the center-left [[Democratic Party (Serbia)|Democratic Party]] (DS). He was reelected with 50,5% of the vote in the second round of the [[Serbian presidential election, 2008|Serbian presidential election]] held on [[February 4]], [[2008]].
Serbia held Parliamentary elections on [[January 21]], [[2007]]. The right-wing [[Serbian Radical Party]] claimed victory, but no party has won an absolute majority. 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=05&dd=11&nav_category=93&nav_id=41168 |title=Tadić, Koštunica reach cabinet deal |accessdate= |date=[[11 May]] [[2007]] |publisher=B92 |language=English}}</ref>
On [[March 13]], [[2008]] the Serbian government collapsed when "President Boris Tadic dissolved parliament Thursday and called early elections for May 11"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ht_7vfkgabZISraA88ZmCJu0VaQw| title=Serbia calls snap vote over EU, Kosovo dispute|date=[[14 March]] [[2008]]|publisher=AFP|language=English}}</ref> citing the growing rift between himself and nationalist Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica over membership in the EU and Kosovo's Independence. The government's collapse came less than a month after ethnic Albanian majority Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia, which considers the territory its historic heartland.
===Administrative subdivisions===
{{main|Subdivisions of Serbia}}
[[Image:2006 Serbia-CIA WFB Map.png|thumb|right|220px|Serbia's borders (recognized by [[UN]]<ref>http://www.unmikonline.org/press/reports/N9917289.pdf</ref>)]]
Serbia is divided into 24 [[districts of Serbia|districts]] plus the [[City of Belgrade]]. The districts and the City of Belgrade are further divided into [[municipalities of Serbia|municipalities]]. Serbia has 2 autonomous provinces: [[Vojvodina]] with (7 districts, 46 municipalities) and [[Kosovo and Metohija]]. Kosovo has declared independence but is still presently under the administration of the [[UNMIK|United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo]]; international negotiations began in 2006 to determine its final status (''See [[Kosovo status process]]''); Kosovo declared its independence on [[February 17]], [[2008]], which Belgrade opposes.
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|English]] this region is often called "[[Serbia proper]]" to denote "the part of the Republic of Serbia not including the provinces of Vojvodina and Kosovo", as the [[Library of Congress]] puts it.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/yugoslavia/yu_glos.html |title=Glossary -- Yugoslavia |accessdate= |author=Library of Congress |authorlink=Library of Congress |language=English}}</ref> 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 ==
{{main|Demographics of Serbia}}
{{see also|Demographic history of Serbia|Demographic history of Vojvodina|Demographic history of Kosovo}}
[[Image:Census 2002 Serbia, ethnic map (by municipalities).png|thumb|250px|Ethnic map of Serbia according to the 2002 Census]]
*Serbia (Census 2002, excluding Kosovo): 7,498,001<ref>[http://webrzs.statserb.sr.gov.yu/axd/Zip/VJN3.pdf Microsoft Word - Delovi_knjiga_III.doc<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
**[[Central Serbia]]: 5,466,009
**[[Vojvodina]]: 2,031,922
<!-- **[[Kosovo]]: 2,126,708 according to CIA factbook-->
{{bar box
| width=300px
| title=Serbia <small>(excluding Kosovo)</small> in 2002
| titlebar=#ddd
| bars=
{{bar percent|Serbs|brown|82.86}}
{{bar percent|Hungarians|orange|3.91}}
{{bar percent|Bosniaks|black|1.82}}
{{bar percent|Roma|purple|1.44}}
{{bar percent|Yugoslavs|blue|1.08}}
{{bar percent|Other|red|9.79}}
}}
Serbia is populated mostly by [[Serbs]]. Significant [[minority|minorities]] include [[Magyars|Hungarians]], [[Bosniaks]], [[Roma people|Roma]], [[Croats]], [[Czechs]] and [[Slovaks]], [[Montenegrins]], [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonians]], [[Bulgarians]], [[Romanians]], etc. The northern province of [[Vojvodina]] is ethnically and religiously diverse.
According to the last official census<ref name="statserb">{{cite web |url=http://www.statserb.sr.gov.yu/ |title=Statistical office of the Republic of Serbia |accessdate= |language=Serbian}}</ref> data collected in 2002, ethnic composition of Serbia is:
*Total: 7,498,001
**[[Serbs]]: 6,212,000 (82.86%)
**[[Hungarians]]: 293,172 (3.91%)
**[[Bosniaks]]: 136,464 (1.82%)
**[[Roma people|Roma]]: 107,971 (1.44%)
**[[Yugoslavs]]: 80,978 (1.08%)
**[[Croats]]: 70,602 (0.94%)
**[[Slovaks]]: 57,900 (0.89%)
**Others (each less than 1%): 474,323 (6.33%)
According to the poll conducted on January 1, 2006 by the Yugoslav Survey Society Serbia had 7,395,600 inhabitants - a 1.5% decrease comparing to the 2002 Census.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yusurvey.co.yu/products/ys/showSummaryArticle.php?prodId=2580&groupId=8279&PHPSESSID=109f05cc951e8a60c6f93fe9680a221a |title=The Population of Serbia, 1991-2005 |accessdate= |date=2005 |publisher=Yugoslav Survey |language=Serbian}}</ref>
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 1,350,000 inhabitants, of whom 90% are Albanians, 8% Serbs and others 2%.There are also around 200,000 Serbian and other refugees,who are expelled from Kosovo. [[Refugees]] and IDPs in Serbia form between 7% and 7.5% of its population – about half a million refugees sought 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)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rb.html |title=Serbia |accessdate= |author=The World Factbook |authorlink=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |language=English}}</ref> Serbia has the largest refugee population in [[Europe]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.b92.net/eng/news/society-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=10&dd=22&nav_id=44785 |title=Serbia's refugee population largest in Europe |accessdate= |accessmonthday= |author=Tanjug |authorlink=Tanjug |date=[[22 October]] [[2007]] |publisher=B92 |language=English}}</ref>
; Cities:
{{main|List of cities in Serbia}}
[[Image:NoviBG Nov30 2005.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Belgrade]], the capital city]]
[[Image:Nisgradnocu.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The main square in [[Niš]]]]
Officially recognized cities (over 100,000 on municipal level) — 2002 census data (2005/2006 data for Novi Sad/Belgrade<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zis.bg.gov.yu/upload/BeogradUBrojkama%202006%20S.pdf |title=Beograd u brojkama |accessdate= |date=2006 |format=PDF |publisher=City of Belgrade Institute for Informatics and Statistics |language= Serbian}}</ref>).
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!rowspan="2"|City || colspan="2"|Population
|-
!Urban || Metropolitan
|-
| [[Belgrade]] || align="right"| 1,576,124 || align="right"|1,689,667
|-
| [[Novi Sad]] || align="right"|255,071 || align="right"|333,895
|-
| [[Niš]] || align="right"|236,722 || align="right"|252,131
|-
| [[Kragujevac]] || align="right"|175,473 || align="right"|211,580
|-
| [[Subotica]] || align="right"|99,471 || align="right"|147,758
|-
| [[Zrenjanin]] || align="right"|79,545 || align="right"|131,509
|-
| [[Leskovac]] || align="right"|78,030 || align="right"|156,252
|-
| [[Smederevo]] || align="right"|77,808 || align="right"|109,867
|-
| [[Pančevo]] || align="right"|77,087 || align="right"|127,162
|-
| [[Kruševac]] || align="right"|75,256 || align="right"|131,368
|-
| [[Čačak]] || align="right"|73,217 || align="right"|117,012
|-
| [[Užice]] || align="right"|63,577 || align="right"|83,022
|-
| [[Valjevo]] || align="right"|61,035 || align="right"|96,761
|-
| [[Kraljevo]] || align="right"|57,411 || align="right"|121,707
|-
| [[Šabac]] || align="right"|55,240 || align="right"|122,893
|-
| [[Vranje]] || align="right"|55,052 || align="right"|87,288
|-
| [[Novi Pazar]] || align="right"|54,604 || align="right"|85,249
|-
| [[Sombor]] || align="right"|51,471 || align="right"|97,263
|-
| [[Sremska Mitrovica]] || align="right"|39,041 || align="right"|85,605
|-
|}
* Large cities in the contested province of [[Kosovo and Metohija]] like [[Priština]], [[Prizren]], [[Peć]] and [[Kosovska Mitrovica]] were not subjected to the 2002 Census.
===Religion===
{{main|Religion in Serbia}}
{{bar box
| title=Serbia <small>(excluding Kosovo)</small> in 2002
| titlebar=#ddd
| left1=religion
| right1=percent
| float=right
| bars=
{{bar percent|Eastern Orthodoxy|violet|84.1}}
{{bar percent|Roman Catholicism|red|6.24}}
{{bar percent|Islam|green|4.82}}
{{bar percent|Protestantism|blue|1.44}}
}}For centuries straddling the religious boundary between [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodoxy]] and [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]], joined up later by the penetration of [[Islam]], Serbia remains one of the most diverse countries on the continent. Centuries on, different regions of Serbia remain heavily cosmopolitan: [[Kosovo]] province houses a 90% [[Muslim]] community, [[Vojvodina]] province is 25% [[Catholic]] or [[Protestant]], while [[Central Serbia]] and [[Belgrade]] regions are over 90% [[Serbian Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christian]].
[[Image:STUDENICA MONASTERY.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Studenica monastery]]]]
Among the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox churches]], the [[Serbian Orthodox Church]] is the westernmost. According to the 2002 Census,<ref name="statserb"/> 82% of the population of Serbia (excluding [[Kosovo]]) or 6,2 million people declared their nationality as [[Serbs|Serbian]], who are overwhelmingly adherents of the [[Serbian Orthodox Church]]. Other [[Orthodox Christian]] communities in Serbia include [[Montenegrins]], [[Romanians]], [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonians]], [[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 (minority 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 in the northern province.
[[Protestantism]] accounts for about 1.5 % of the country's population.
[[Islam]] has a strong historic following in the southern regions of Serbia - [[Sandzak|Raska]] and several municipalities in the south-east. [[Bosniaks]] are the largest [[Muslim]] community in Serbia at about 140,000 (2%), followed by [[Albanians]] (1%), [[Turkish people|Turks]], [[Arabs]] etc.
With the exile of [[Judaism|Jews]] from Spain during the infamous [[Inquisition]] era, thousands of escaping families and individuals 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 Yugoslavia{{huh}} and Austria-Hungary.
==Economy==
{{main|Economy of Serbia}}
[[Image:World Bank income groups.svg|thumb|[[World Bank]] economy estimates for 2007]]
With a GDP for 2008 estimated at $81.892 billion ($10,985 per capita [[Purchasing Power Parity|PPP]]), [[Republic of Serbia]] is considered an upper-middle income economy by the [[World Bank]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/DATASTATISTICS/0,,contentMDK:20421402~pagePK:64133150~piPK:64133175~theSitePK:239419,00.html#Upper_middle_income |title=Upper-middle-income economies |accessdate= |publisher=The World Bank |language=English}}</ref> FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in 2006 was [[US dollar|$]]5.85 billion or [[€]]4.5 billion. FDI for 2007 reached [[US dollar|$]]4.2 Billion while real GDP per capita figures are estimated to have reached $6 600 (October 2007).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seenews.com/news/latestnews/serbiaeyes7_0pctincreaseingdpfor2007-164617/ |title=Serbia Eyes 7.0 Pct Increase in GDP for 2007 |accessdate= |date= [[September 27]], [[2007]] |publisher=SeeNews |language=English}}</ref> The GDP growth rate showed increase by 6.3% (2005),<ref>[http://webrzs.statserb.sr.gov.yu/axd/en/drugastrana.php?Sifra=0001&izbor=odel&tab=30 Gross Domestic Product of the Republic of Serbia 1997–2005], Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia</ref> 5.8% (2006),<ref>[http://webrzs.statserb.sr.gov.yu/axd/en/index1.php?SifraV=157&Link= Economic Trends in the Republic of Serbia 2006], Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia</ref> reaching 7.5% in 2007 as the fastest growing economy in the region.<ref>[http://webrzs.statserb.sr.gov.yu/axd/index1.php?SifraVesti=233&Link= REPUBLICKI ZAVOD ZA STATISTIKU - Republike Srbije<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
At the beginning of the process of economic transition (1989), its favorable economic outlook in the region was hampered by [[politics]], its economy being gravely impacted by the [[UN]] [[economic sanctions]] of 1992–95, as well as the sizable infrastructure and industry damage, suffered during the [[Kosovo war]]. Its problems were only augmented by losing the ex-[[Yugoslavia]] and [[Comecon]] markets. After the ousting of former Federal Yugoslav President Milošević in October 2000, the country experienced faster economic growth, and has been preparing for membership in the [[European Union]], its most important trading partner.
[[Image:100RSD front.jpg|right|thumb|[[Nikola Tesla]] on 100 [[Serbian dinar]] banknote]]
The recovery of the economy still faces many problems, among which unemployment (18.1%)<ref>[http://webrzs.statserb.sr.gov.yu/axd/index1.php?SifraVesti=233&Link= REPUBLICKI ZAVOD ZA STATISTIKU - Republike Srbije<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> high export/import trade deficit and considerable national debt are most prominent. The country expects some major economic impulses and high growth rates in the next years. Serbia has been occasionally called a "Balkan tiger" because of its recent high economic growth rates, which averaged 6.6 % (in the past three years), with FDI at its record levels.
Serbia grows about one-third of the world's [[raspberry|raspberries]] and is the leading frozen fruit exporter.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.invest-in-serbia.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=66 |title=Rebranding Serbia: A Hobby Shortly to Become a Full-Time Job?! |accessdate= |author=Borka Tomic |date=2006-04-13 |publisher=Invest-in-Serbia |language=English}}</ref>
===Infrastructure===
====Communications====
{{main|Communications in Serbia}}
{{Expand-section|date=September 2007}}
89% of households in Serbia have fixed telephone lines, and 90% of the population have cell phones, accounting to 8 million users ([[Telekom Srbija]] – 5 million, [[Telenor Serbia|Telenor]] and [[Vip mobile]] sharing the rest). 49% of households have computers, 27% use the internet, and 42% have cable TV.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.novosti.co.yu/code/navigate.php?Id=5&status=jedna&vest=103744&datum=2007-05-15 |title=U Srbiji baš zvoni |accessdate= |date=2007-05-15 |publisher=Večernje novosti |language=Serbian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://webrzs.statserb.sr.gov.yu/axd/drugastrana.php?Sifra=0005&izbor=odel&tab=47 |title=Telekomunikacije |accessdate= |date=2007 |publisher=Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia |language=Serbian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.poslovnimagazin.biz/magazin/u-srbiji-27-odsto-gradjana-koristi-internet-33-279 |title=U Srbiji 27 odsto gradjana koristi Internet |accessdate= |date=10. Maj 2007 |publisher=Poslovni Magazin |language=Serbian}}</ref>
====Transportation====
{{main|Transportation in Serbia}}
[[Image:Jatserbio.jpg|thumb|left|260px| [[Jat Airways]], the national airline of Serbia]]
Serbia is proud of the fact that it owns one of the world's oldest airline carriers, the [[Jat Airways]], founded in 1927.<ref>http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/14/business/EU-FIN-ECO-Serbia-JAT-Airways.php</ref> There are 3 international airports in Serbia: [[Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport]], [[Niš Constantine the Great Airport]] and the [[Vrsac Airport|Vršac international airport]].
The country, especially the valley of the [[Great Morava|Morava]], is often described as "the crossroads between East and West", which is one of the primary reasons for its turbulent history. The Morava valley route, which avoids mountainous regions, is by far the easiest way of traveling overland from continental [[Europe]] to [[Greece]] and [[Asia Minor]]. Modern Serbia was the first among its neighbours to acquire railroads- in 1869 the first train arrived to [[Subotica]], then [[Austria-Hungary]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.subotica.org.yu/new/yu/o_gradu/index.php |title= Geografski položaj |accessdate= |date=2006 |publisher=City of Subotica |language=Serbian}}</ref> (by 1882 route to [[Belgrade]] and [[Nis]] was completed). The railway system is operated by [[Serbian Railways]].
[[European routes]] [[E65]], [[E70]], [[E75]] and [[E80]], as well as the E662, E761, E762, E763, E771, and E851 pass through the country. The [[E70 in Serbia|E70 westwards]] from Belgrade and [[E75 in Serbia|most of the E75]] are modern highways of [[motorway]] / [[autobahn]] standard or close to that. As of 2005, Serbia has 1,481,498 registered cars, 16,042 motorcycles, 9,626 buses, 116,440 trucks, 28,222 special transport vehicles, 126,816 tractors, and 101,465 trailers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://webrzs.statserb.sr.gov.yu/axd/drugastrana.php?Sifra=0005&izbor=odel&tab=46 |title=Registrovana drumska motorna i priključna vozila |accessdate= |date=2007 |publisher=Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia |language=Serbian}}</ref>
The Danube River, [[central Europe]]'s connection to the [[Black Sea]], flows through Serbia. Through Danube-Rhine-Mein canal the [[North Sea]] is also accessible. [[Tisza]] river offers a connection with [[Eastern Europe]] while the [[Sava]] river connects her to western former yugoslav republics near the [[Adriatic Sea]].
====Tourism====
{{main|Tourism in Serbia}}
[[Image:Romuliana.jpg|thumb|left|260px| [[Felix Romuliana]] imperial palace, one of 8 [[List of World Heritage Sites in Europe|UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in Serbia]]
Tourism in Serbia is mostly focused on the villages and mountains of the country. The most famous mountain resorts are [[Zlatibor]], [[Kopaonik]], and the [[Tara Mountain|Tara]]. There are also many spas in Serbia, one the biggest of which is [[Vrnjačka Banja]]. Other spas include [[Soko Banja]] and [[Niška Banja]]. There is a significant amount of tourism in the largest cities like [[Belgrade]], [[Novi Sad]] and [[Niš]], but also in the rural parts of Serbia like the volcanic wonder of [[Djavolja varos|Đavolja varoš]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.new7wonders.com/nature/en/nominees/europe/c/DavoljaVarosRockFormation/ |title=Davolja Varos, Rock Formation |accessdate= |date=[[July 7]], [[2007]] |publisher=New7Wonders |language=English}}</ref> [[pilgrimage|Christian pilgrimage]] across the country<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.infohub.com/vacation_packages/6508.html |title=Pilgrimage of Saint Sava |accessdate= |publisher=Info Hub |language=English}}</ref> and the cruises along the [[Danube]], [[Sava]] or [[Tisza]]. There are several popular festivals held in Serbia, such as the [[EXIT (festival)|EXIT Festival]] (proclaimed the best [[Europe|European festival]] by UK Festival Awards 2007 and Yourope, the European Association of the 40 largest festivals in Europe) and the [[Guča|Guča trumpet festival]]. 2,2 million tourists visited Serbia in 2007, a 15% increase compared to 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.serbia-tourism.org/srpski/vesti2/v3_vest.php?&id=080109220053 |title=Turistički promet u Republici Srbiji u periodu januar-novembar 2007. godine |accessdate= |date=2007 |publisher=National Tourism Organisation of Serbia |language=Serbian}}</ref>
==Culture==
{{main|Serbian culture}}
[[Image:Miroslavs Gospel.jpg|200px|thumb|left|[[Miroslav Gospels]], one of the oldest surviving documents written in [[Serbian language|Serbian Church Slavonic]]]]
[[Image:Meister von Mileseva 001.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The [[White Angel]] in [[Mileševa monastery]], 1230s, [[Latin]] period of [[Byzantine art]]]]
Serbia is one of [[Europe|Europe's]] most culturally diverse countries. The borders between large empires ran through the territory of today's Serbia for long periods in history: between the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern]] and [[Western Roman Empire|Western]] halves of the [[Roman Empire]]; between [[Kingdom of Hungary]], [[Bulgarian Empire]], [[Frankish Kingdom]] and [[Byzantium]]; and between the [[Ottoman Empire]] and the [[Austrian Empire]] (later [[Austria-Hungary]]). As a result, while the north is culturally "[[Mitteleuropa|Central European]]", the south is rather more "[[Oriental]]". Of course, both regions have influenced each other, and so the distinction between north and south is artificial to some extent.
The [[Byzantine Empire]]'s influence on Serbia was perhaps the greatest. Serbs are [[Eastern Orthodox Christianity|Orthodox Christians]] 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 [[List of Serb Orthodox monasteries|monasteries of Serbia]], built largely in the [[Middle Ages]], are one of the most valuable and visible traces of [[History of Medieval Serbia|medieval Serbia's]] association with the Byzantium and the Orthodox World, but also with the Romanic (Western) Europe that Serbia had close ties with back in Middle Ages. Most of Serbia's queens still remembered today in [[History of Serbia|Serbian history]] were of foreign origin, including [[Hélène d'Anjou]] (a cousin of [[Charles I of Sicily]]), Anna Dondolo (daughter of the [[Doge of Venice|Doge]] of [[Republic of Venice|Venice]], [[Enrico Dandolo]]), Catherine of Hungary, and Symonide of [[Byzantium]].
Serbia has eight cultural sites marked on the [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage list]]: [[Stari Ras]] and [[Sopoćani]] monasteries (included in 1979), [[Studenica monastery|Studenica]] Monastery (1986), the Medieval Serbian Monastic Complex in Kosovo, comprising: [[Dečani Monastery]], [[Our Lady of Ljeviš]], [[Gračanica Monastery|Gračanica]] and [[Pecka Patrijarsija|Patriarchate of Pec]]- (2004, put on the endangered list in 2006), and [[Gamzigrad|Gamzigrad - Romuliana, Palace of Galerius]], added in 2007. Likewise, there are 2 [[Unesco|literary]] memorials added on the [[UNESCO]]'s list as a part of the [[Memory of the World Programme]]: [[Miroslav Gospels]], handwriting from the 12th century (added in 2005), and [[Nikola Tesla]]'s archive (2003).
===Education===
{{main|Education in Serbia}}
[[Image:Belgrade University Buildings.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Headquarters of the [[Belgrade University]], pictured in 1890]]
Education in Serbia is regulated by the Ministry of Education. Education starts in either pre-schools or elementary schools. Children enroll in elementary schools ({{lang-sr|''Osnovna škola'' / Основна школа}}) at the age of seven, and remain there for eight years.
The roots of the Serbian education system date back to the 11th and 12th centuries when the first Catholic colleges were founded in Vojvodina ([[Titel]], [[Bač (Serbia)|Bač]]). Medieval Serbian education, however, was mostly conducted through the Serbian Orthodox monasteries ([[Sopocani]], [[Studenica monastery|Studenica]], [[Patriarchate of Pec]]) starting from the rise of [[Raška (state)|Raska]] in 12th century, when [[Serbs]] overwhelmingly embraced Orthodoxy rather than Catholicism.
The first university in Serbia was founded in revolutionary [[Belgrade]] in 1808 as a ''Great Academy'', the precursor of the contemporary [[University of Belgrade]]. The oldest college (faculty) within current borders of Serbia dates back to 1778; founded in the city of [[Sombor]], then [[Habsburg Empire]], it was known under the name ''Norma'' and was the oldest [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] Teacher's college in [[Southern Europe]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.soinfo.org/so_istorija.php?mode=datumi&language=english |title=Sombor: History by dates |accessdate= |publisher=SOinfo.org |language=English}}</ref>
===Holidays===
All holidays in Serbia are regulated by the Law of national and other holidays in Republic of Serbia (''Zakon o državnim i drugim praznicima u Republici Srbiji''). The following holidays are observed state-wide:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://savetnik.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=49|title=Zakon o državnim i drugim praznicima u Republici Srbiji|language=Serbian|date=2007-11-06|accessdate=2008-03-13}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Name
! Notes
|-
| [[January 1]] / [[January 2]]
| [[New Year's Day]] (''Nova Godina'')
| non-working holiday
|-
| [[January 7]]
| [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] [[Christmas]] (''Božić'')
| non-working holiday
|-
| [[January 27]]
| Saint Sava's Day - Spirituality day (''Savindan'' - ''Dan Duhovnosti'')
| working holiday (in memory on the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church)
|-
| [[February 15]]
| [[Statehood Day (Serbia)|Statehood day]] - [[Candlemas]] (''Dan državnosti'' - ''Sretenje'')
| non-working holiday (in memory on the First Serbian Uprising)
|-
| [[April 25]]
| Orthodox [[Great Friday]] (''Veliki petak'')
| non-working holiday (date for 2008 only)
|-
| [[April 26]]
| Orthodox Great Saturday (''Velika subota'')
| non-working holiday (date for 2008 only)
|-
| [[April 27]]
| Orthodox [[Easter]] (''Vaskrs'')
| non-working holiday (date for 2008 only)
|-
| [[April 28]]
| Orthodox [[Easter Monday]] (''Veliki ponedeljak'')
| non-working holiday (date for 2008 only)
|-
| [[May 1]] / [[May 2]]
| [[Labour Day]] (''Dan rada'')
| non-working holiday
|-
| [[May 9]]
| [[May 9|Victory Day]] (''Dan pobede'')
| working holiday
|-
| [[June 28]]
| Saint Vitus' Day - Day of the fallen for the fatherland (''[[Vidovdan]] - Dan Srba palih za otadžbinu'')
| working holiday (in memory of the [[Battle of Kosovo]] in 1389)
|}
Also, members of other religions have the right not to work on days of their holidays.
==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Bibloteka Kombëtare e Kosovës.jpg|National Public Library in Priština.
</gallery>
==See also==
*[[Timeline of Serbian history]]
*[[Military history of Serbia]]
*[[List of Serbian monarchs]]
*[[Serbian revolution]]
*[[Serbian Campaign (World War I)]]
*[[Military of Serbia]]
*[[List of Serbs]]
==References==
<!-- ----------------------------------------------------------
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for a
discussion of different citation methods and how to generate
footnotes using the<ref>, </ref> and <reference /> tags
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*{{loc}}
*{{factbook}}
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{sisterlinks|Serbia}}
*[http://www.eurovision.tv/page/explore-belgrade Serbia, host to the Eurovision Song Contest 2008]
*[http://www.srbija.sr.gov.yu/?change_lang=en Serbian Government]
*[http://www.tenderi.com Doing Business in Serbia]
*[http://www.euprava.gov.yu/language/en/ e-Government Portal of Serbia]
*[http://www.predsednik.yu/default.asp?lng=eng President of the Republic of Serbia]
*[http://www.parlament.sr.gov.yu/content/eng/index.asp National Assembly of Serbia]
*[http://www.mfa.gov.yu/ Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia]
*[http://www.seio.sr.gov.yu/code/navigate.asp?Id=20 The EU Integration Office]
*[http://www.serbia.travel/ National Tourist Organization of Serbia]
*[http://www.belgradenet.com/ Belgrade Travel Guide, Serbia]
*[http://www.nbs.yu/export/internet/english/ National Bank of Serbia]
*[http://www.siepa.sr.gov.yu/site/en/home/ Serbia Investment and Export Promotion Agency]
*[http://webrzs.statserb.sr.gov.yu/axd/en/index.php Statistical Office of Serbia]
*[http://www.serbia-business.com Serbia Business Country Gateway]
*[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rb.html Serbia: CIA World FactBook 2008]
<br/>{{Political divisions of Serbia}}
{{Template group
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{{Countries of Europe}}
{{Danube}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Serbia}}
{{Slavic-speaking nations}}
{{Republics and autonomous provinces of the former Yugoslavia}}
}}
{{Template group
| title = International organizations
| list =
{{Council of Europe members}}
{{European Union candidates|state=collapsed}}
{{CEFTA}}
{{Black Sea Economic Cooperation countries}}
{{Non-Aligned Movement}}
{{La Francophonie}}
}}
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[[th:ประเทศเซอร์เบีย]]
[[vi:Serbia]]
[[tg:Сербия]]
[[tr:Sırbistan]]
[[uk:Сербія]]
[[vec:Servia]]
[[vo:Särbän]]
[[war:Serbia]]
[[wo:Seerbi]]
[[wuu:赛尔皮亚]]
[[yi:סערביע]]
[[yo:Serbia]]
[[zh-yue:塞爾維亞]]
[[diq:Sırbıstan]]
[[bat-smg:Serbėjė]]
[[zh:塞尔维亚]]