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Serbia

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LAND & PEOPLE

GEOGRAPHY

Serbia lies at the crossroads of central and southern Europe, nestled in the Balkan region between the four other republics that comprised the former Yugoslavia — Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Macedonia — and Albania, with the disputed province of Kosovo to the south and Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary to the east and north.

The country is landlocked, reliant principally on the Montenegrin port of Bar for access to the sea. Its landmass covers a total of 29,913 square miles (77,474 sq. km) with a total border length of more than 1,259 miles (2,026 km) excluding the disputed province of Kosovo.

The northern third of Serbia is located entirely in the Pannonian Plain, a fertile lowland basin surrounded by mountains, which also encompasses parts of Hungary, Croatia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, and Ukraine. The Serbian part belongs to the autonomous province of Vojvodina, with the capital, Belgrade, lying on the southernmost boundary.

In the north, Europe's second longest river, the Danube, flows through the picturesque Vojvodina flatlands and the national parks of Fruška Gora and Ðerdap, meeting the Sava River at Belgrade. The Danube is important to pan-European trade, being part of a route stretching from Rotterdam on the North Sea to Sulina on the Black Sea, giving Serbia shipping access to these ports. During the 1999 NATO bombing, this artery was disrupted by the destruction of three Serbian bridges; the debris was not cleared until 2002.

Most Serbian rivers drain to the Black Sea by way of the Danube. Along its 368-mile (588-km) course through Serbia (approximately 10 percent of its overall length), the main tributaries are the rivers Tisa, Sava, Tamiš, Morava, Drina, Ibar, and Timok. Together these rivers provide a drainage basin covering the entire Serbian territory.

The rivers caused the flooding that turned Vojvodina into marshy swampland by the end of the sixteenth century. To counter this, as well as for irrigation, navigation, tourism, fishing, and hunting, an elaborate system of canals began to be built in the eighteenth century.

The Danube–Tisa–Danube canal system is the largest in Serbia, and extends the Danube and the Tisa rivers in the Backa and Banat districts of Vojvodina, dominating the region. The canal is 577 miles (929 km) in length, of which 400 miles (664 km) are navigable. Approximately 4 million metric tons of goods, mainly gravel, metals, and ores, are transported on this waterway annually.

The greater part of the rest of Serbia is mountainous. The geology is varied, consisting of limestone basins, rolling hills, and formations of significant mineral deposits. These include lignite, iron, copper, lead, and zinc — indeed, mining was a cornerstone of the regional economy during the Communist period, albeit paralyzed during the subsequent conflicts.

Central Serbia has forested hills and low-to-medium mountains, alternating with picturesque rivers and creeks. Southeast of Belgrade, the Great Morava and South Morava Rivers form the main communication route south toward Niš and Skopje in Macedonia.

Four mountain ranges extend into Serbian territory: the Rilo–Rhodope range stretches along the South Morava River. In the southeast, the Rhodope Mountains meet the Balkan Mountains. Following the course of the Morava River, the Balkan Mountains meet the Southern Carpathian range, which stretches across eastern Serbia and runs through central Europe. Finally, the Dinaric Alps cover western and central Serbia, following the Drina River and the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The region is prone to seismic activity: major earthquakes in the twentieth century ranged between 5.0 and 6.0 on the Richter scale. Transform fault lines in the region can cause shallow, moderate quakes, which luckily have never been devastating. In 2010 there was a 5.4-magnitude earthquake, its epicenter 78 miles (125 km) south of Belgrade.

Midzor peak in the Balkan Mountains is the highest point in eastern Serbia, at 7,113 feet (2,168 m). Further south in disputed Kosovo, the Djeravica peak on Prokletije on the Bulgarian border is the highest point of the Dinaric Alps, at 8,714 feet (2,656 m). There are more than thirty mountains in Serbia higher than 5,000 feet (1,500 m).

The best-known mountain in Serbia is Kopaonik, a world-class tourist ski resort, just over 155 miles (250 km, six hours' journey) from Belgrade. Its highest peak is Pancic (6,617 ft /2,017 m), and its national park covers 46 square miles (118 sq. km). Other noted mountains with major resorts are Stara Planina, Zlatibor, Tara, and Divcibare.

CLIMATE

Mountain ranges of different elevations, large river basins, and proximity to the Adriatic Sea all contribute to Serbia's diverse climate. In the north, along the flatlands of Vojvodina, a continental climate dominates, with hot, humid summers and freezing winters, and ample rainfall for agricultural development. An Adriatic or Mediterranean climate prevails in the south, with hot, dry summers, and cold winters with heavy inland snowfall. The mountains of Serbia naturally experience heavy winter snowfall: January is the coldest month and the ski season generally runs from December to March, although it often snows from early November.

Average temperatures in Serbia range from 14° to 32°F (–10° to 0°C) in winter, and from 59° to 86°F (15° to 30°C) in summer. Although August is the hottest month, autumn is often warmer than spring, making it the most moderate time of year to visit. Peak summer (July/August) is often unbearably hot in Belgrade and Vojvodina, and residents flock to nearby coasts to avoid the stifling heat.

Because of the mountainous territory, various winds also contribute to climate differences in Serbia. The most famous of the Serbian winds is the Košava, a cold, southeastern wind that blows destructively for several days, leaving dry, sunny weather in the summer and freezing subzero temperatures in the winter. Starting in the Carpathian Mountains, the wind spreads from Hungary in the north to Niš in the south via Belgrade. Although there is much talk of harnessing this wind power for renewable energy purposes (along with hydroelectricity, biomass, and solar power), the renewable energy sector is still embryonic.

When traveling in winter, medium-weight clothing with a heavy overcoat and heavy snow boots are necessary. In summer, lightweight clothing is fine, including a light raincoat and sandals or light shoes. In spring and fall there can be considerable variations in temperature in a single day, so it is best to go prepared for both light winter and summer weather if you are traveling at these times.

THE PEOPLE

The population of Serbia is around 7.3 million (2011 estimate), not including the Kosovan population of about 2.1 million. Most people live in urban areas, 1.7 million of these in Belgrade.

Serbia has an aging population and one of the lowest birthrates in Europe. The population has declined over the last twenty years, leading to the degeneration of rural areas and looming political and economic problems regarding pensions. Currently, there are only 1.6 economically active people per pensioner, leaving a massive shortfall in the national pension pot, a problem compounded by a bloated state bureaucracy.

However, in Serbia people do not live as long as their European neighbors; life expectancy is only seventy-one for men and seventy-seven for women.

As a result of its central location in the region, Serbia is home to an assortment of minorities: there are approximately thirty-seven different nationalities. However, net migration is currently minimal, and the wars of the 1990s left the population more Serbian. According to the 2002 census, 83 percent of the population is Serb, 3.9 percent Hungarian, 1.4 percent Romany (Gypsy), 1.8 percent Bosniak, 0.9 percent Montenegrin, and 9.1 percent other.

The official language is Serbian, and 88 percent of the population speak it as a first language. It is virtually identical to the other languages in the region — Croatian, Bosnian, or Montenegrin, for example — by virtue of being simply a regional variation of what was previously the common language of Yugoslavia, formerly labeled "Serbo-Croatian" and now sometimes described internationally as BCS (Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian). Locals often refer to their own dialect as "the local language," meaning that it is also understood in all the former Yugoslav republics. One key difference is that Serbs use the Cyrillic script for their written language, in contrast to the other countries, which use the Latin script.

At school, ethnic minorities often learn their mother tongue as their first language and Serbian only second. Hungarian is the second most widely spoken language in Serbia, with almost 4 percent of people calling it their mother tongue. In Vojvodina, home to the majority of ethnic migrants, Serbian, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovak, Croatian, and Rusyn (also known as Ruthenian) are all official languages.

The dissolution of the former Yugoslavia and the wars of the 1990s have left Serbia with long-lasting refugee problems. Following the wars in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (1991–6), more than 200,000 refugees crossed into Serbia and have been formally integrated and granted citizenship. They were mostly people of Serbian heritage, those with the connections and resources to make it back to the motherland. Approximately two-thirds of them returned from Croatia and a third from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After the 1999 NATO intervention in favor of the Kosovo Albanians, 300,000 people, again those of Serbian heritage and other non-Albanian peoples, fled Kosovo for Serbia. The majority are still of indeterminate status. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Serbia currently has one of the largest displaced populations in Europe. More than 300,000 people of concern are living in Serbia (refugees, asylum seekers, returnees, stateless people, and others); the majority are Kosovars with the status of internally displaced persons.

REGIONS AND CITIES

Serbia has six geographically distinct regions: Vojvodina, Belgrade, Western Serbia, Eastern Serbia, Šumadija, and Southern Serbia.

Vojvodina is the northernmost province, spreading from just north of Belgrade to the borders with Hungary and Romania. Dotted with fields, orchards, and vineyards, the area contains the fertile Pannonian Plain, numerous waterways, and the Fruška Gora, the only mountain on the plain, lying just south of the course of the Danube. It is the agricultural heart of Serbia, with a population of 2 million, or 27 percent of the total.

The region is demographically diverse, and its people are known for their calm and friendly nature, their spicy cuisine, and their folk music, characterized by string orchestras and the tamburitza, a sort of long-necked lute.

As well as the monotonous flatlands of the plain, there are two sandy regions in Vojvodina: the Subotica sands near the border with Hungary, and the larger Deliblato sands. Deliblato is the largest sandy terrain in Europe, and it was once part of a vast prehistoric desert — the "European Sahara" — that emerged with the retreat of the Pannonian Sea. The sand is now anchored with vegetation and has been restored by humans in a planned fashion, but this is nevertheless an area of exceptional beauty and scientific interest, with rich biodiversity and unique undulating dunes.

Novi Sad is the political and cultural capital of Vojvodina and Serbia's second city. Subotica, Zrenjanin, Pancevo, and Sremska Mitrovica are other noted cities in the region. Novi Sad is well-known for its Austro-Hungarian heritage. The old town is often referred to as the "Serbian Athens," with architectural styles including Gothic, Baroque, Art Nouveau, and Neoclassic. These buildings now house official institutions, museums, and galleries, and help make Novi Sad one of the historical treasures of Europe.

Belgrade with its surrounding region is the most developed part of the country. It is located at the confluence of the Danube and Sava Rivers, at the southern edge of the Pannonian Plain. It is home to 1.7 million people (15 percent of the country's population) and is responsible for 40 percent of Serbia's GDP. The area has been continuously populated since Neolithic times, and its strategic location has seen it fought over in more than a hundred wars.

Western Serbia rises from fertile plains and lower mountains to the high peaks of the Dinaric Alps, in particular the mountains of Tara, Zlatibor, and Zlatar. These are Serbia's highest mountains, with dense coniferous forests and rich wildlife — a great place for nature lovers.

"Ethno-villages" (see this page and this page) are scattered around this region, attracting tourists to settlements constructed in the traditional style from wood, with an open fire inside, and often without electricity. The mountainous terrain means there are few major cities in western Serbia. The most prominent are Uzice and Valjevo, industrial towns on the Detinja River that suffered disproportionately during NATO's bombing of the region.

Eastern Serbia is even more sparsely populated and wild. The area is famous for its clean air and medicinal plants, with orchards and vineyards covering the banks of the Danube as it stretches east toward the Black Sea. Gorges, canyons, and caves form the spectacular terrain of the region, the eastern sections of the Carpathian and Balkan Mountains.

The remoteness of eastern Serbia and the unusual geological formations of the Carpathians contribute to a persisting pagan belief system in the area and a general reverence for nature. There is barely a village in eastern Serbia without a local "wise man" (or woman) who can "see" into the supernatural realm.

Šumadija (meaning "forest land") is the central part of Serbia, named after the density of its forests. The Morava and Ibar River valleys dominate this part of the country, along with numerous medium-sized mountains. The first of these, Mount Avala, is loocated just south of Belgrade like a gateway to the city. Lunch on the mount is a matter of prestige among Belgradians, and it is the best place from which to view the whole city.

The villages of central Serbia are rich and fertile, with agricultural production on a smaller and more localized scale than in Vojvodina and with a greater emphasis on fruit than grain crops. In autumn, each village is transformed into an informal factory processing and preserving the produce from the summer harvest into jams, juices, and conserves. The forests are also a rich source of wild foodstuffs, in particular Serbian truffles and mushrooms, which often find their way into the international markets.

The biggest city in this region is Kragujevac, the fourth largest in Serbia. A trading center for centuries, Kragujevac is best known for its automotive and arms manufacturing industries. The formerly state-owned Zastava Automobiles was established here in 1953; it produced the famous "Yugo," sometimes called "the worst car ever," but more objectively a simple, cheap Communist-era vehicle that can still be seen on the roads of eastern Europe. After the industrial depression of the 1990s, Zastava was sold to Fiat in 2008. There are currently high hopes that renewed automobile manufacturing in the region will boost the economy and earn much-needed foreign currency.

Southern Serbia encompasses the area from the city of Niš down to the border with Macedonia, and is one of the least developed regions in the country because of its proximity to Kosovo and the wars that have plagued the area, culminating in Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008.

Around one million people live in southern Serbia, approximately 96 percent Serb and the remainder Albanian. Along the border with Kosovo, the Albanian influence is greatest and power is shared between ethnic Serb and Albanian parties, with education provided in both the Albanian and Serbian languages.

Southern Serbia is mountainous, but some of the highest peaks of the Dinaric range to the south now belong to the Republic of Kosovo rather than to Serbia. On the eastern side, the start of the Rhodope mountain range extends toward Bulgaria and Greece.

The area is dominated by a number of river valleys. The South Morava valley extends south from Serbia to Macedonia, whereas the Nišava valley forms an ancient communication route into Bulgaria and contains the stunning nature reserve of the Sicevo Gorge.

Niš is the major city in this part of Serbia, and the third largest overall. Two major communication lines intersect at Niš — the road connecting Asia Minor to Europe, and the road connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. Niš has been a major center since ancient times, notable for producing three Roman emperors, including the first Christian emperor, Constantine the Great. Fittingly, Niš is home to Serbia's oldest Christian church, dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul and founded in the fourth century. Today Niš is an important industrial center, producing tobacco, machinery, and textiles, among other things.

A BRIEF HISTORY

Early History and the Middle Ages

There is evidence of Neolithic cultures in the Balkan region dating back to 6500 BCE. From around 1000 BCE, Classical peoples such as the Illyrians, Dacians, and Thracians began to inhabit the region. Rome started conquering the Balkans in the second century CE, and the area of modern Serbia encompasses, wholly or in part, the Roman provinces of Moesia, Pannonia, Praevalitana, Dalmatia, Dacia, and Macedonia. Subsequently, with the division of the Roman Empire in 395, these lands became part of the Eastern Roman Empire, later called the Byzantine Empire. In the third to seventh centuries Slav migration started to alter the demography of the region fundamentally.

An official Byzantine history, The Administration of the Empire, written by Emperor Constantine VII (r. 913–59), mentions the "Unknown Archont" who led the Slavic Serbian population from their mythical homeland Bojka, or White Serbia, in the north, to settle in the Balkan region as military allies of the empire around 610 CE.

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Excerpted from Serbia by Lara Zmukic. Copyright © 2016 Lara Zmukic. Excerpted by permission of Bravo Ltd.
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