Serbia is a country located in Eastern Europe. Its official name is the Republic of Serbia. Serbia is bordered by Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Hungary.
Serbia’s total area is 77,474 square kilometers and in comparative size is slightly smaller than Maine. Two major rivers run through Serbia, the Danube and the Sava. The Danube passes through the Carpathian Mountains at the Iron Gate then enters Romania. Serbia is landlocked. The climate varies from north to south; the north and central portions have a continental climate, the interior south has hot, dry summers and cold winters with heavy snow in the mountains.
The form of government of Serbia is a Republic, and its latest constitution was adopted by referendum in 2006. Serbia is one of the countries of the former Yugoslavia. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia under the dictator Josef Broz Tito had seven constituent republics: Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro. In 1992 Serbia, with Montenegro, proclaimed itself as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, after Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia had all seceded from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1991-1992). The Republic of Montenegro declared its independence from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia by popular referendum in 2006. Kosovo declared its independence on February 17, 2008. The capital of Serbia is Belgrade, which is located at the junction of the Danube and Sava Rivers.
The population of Serbia is 10,159,046, which includes the population of Kosovo (July, 2008 estimate). The official language is Serbian, spoken by 82.9% of the population. There are a number of ethnic minorities speaking Hungarian, Bosniak (a variant of Serbian), Romany (Gypsy), Slovak, Ukrainian, Romanian, and Croatian. The latter languages are all official in the Vojvodina region. The dominant religion is Serbian Orthodox, followed by Catholicism, Protestant, Muslim and other or atheist.
Popular pastimes include soccer, skiing, hiking, hunting and fishing, and gardening. Many Serbs have weekend cottages where they enjoy cultivating vegetables and vineyards and entertaining friends. Chess is a popular board game. There are many cultural activities in Belgrade.
Web Sites
- CIA: The World Factbook
- Library of Congress
- National Tourist Organization of Serbia
- U.S. Department of State: Consular Information Sheet
- U.S. Department of State: Country Specific Information
Catalog
Search the library's catalog for Milosovic, Serbia, Tito, Yugoslavia.
Databases
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