Serbia is a landlocked country in Southeastern Europe, bordered by Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It has a population of 10,159,046 and a high unemployment rate. The cuisine includes dishes like musaka, sarma, and stuffed peppers, and local drinks include plum and grape brandy and beer. The official language is Serbian, and the majority of the population is Serbian Orthodox. Kosovo declared independence in 2008 after tensions with Serbia, and Montenegro became independent in 2006.
Serbia is a nation in Southeastern Europe. It borders Hungary to the north, Romania and Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo and Macedonia to the south and Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro to the west. It is a landlocked country with an area of 29,912.88 square miles (77,474 sq km).
Serbia as it stands now is a very young nation, with the most recent major change being the independence of Kosovo, which dates back to February 17, 2008. Part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes since 1918, it became part of Yugoslavia when that entity came into being in 1929.
In 1989, during Slobodan Milosevic’s presidency of the Republic of Serbia, Yugoslavia split along ethnic lines, with Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia declaring independence in 1991 and Bosnia in 1992. A new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was formed from Serbia and Montenegro in 1992, and Milosevic’s attempts to unite the Serbs in “Greater Serbia” resulted in his expulsion from the United Nations.
Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo eventually resulted in NATO bombing of Serbia in 1999 and the stationing of a NATO security force in Kosovo. After Milosevic’s ouster and arrest for crimes against humanity in 2001, the country was readmitted to the United Nations.
In 2003, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia became Serbia and Montenegro. Montenegro seceded in 2006 and became independent in June 2004 of that year, and Serbia declared itself the successor to the united state. The violence of XNUMX led to Kosovo’s eventual declaration of independence.
The estimated population of Serbia was 10,159,046 as of July 2008, including the population of Kosovo. According to the 2002 census, this includes 82.9% Serbs, 3.9% Hungarians, and smaller numbers of Gypsies, Yugoslavs, Bosniaks and Montenegrins, among others. The majority of the population (85%) is Serbian Orthodox, with 5.5% Catholics, 3.2% Muslims and 1.1% Protestants.
While 88.3% of the population speaks the official language, which is Serbian, 3.8% speak Hungarian, with fewer people speaking Bosnian, Roma and other languages. The population has a literacy rate of 96.4%, but this 2003 figure includes Montenegro.
The capital of the Republic of Serbia is Belgrade, and it is divided into 161 municipalities. Serbia has a high unemployment rate and the majority of workers are employed in industry (46%) followed by agriculture (30%) and the service sector (24%). Agricultural products include beef and pork, milk, wheat and corn, sugar beets, raspberries and sunflowers. Industries include sugar, machinery and equipment.
The cuisine of Serbia includes a baked dish called musaka made from minced meat, eggs and potatoes; stuffed cabbage, called sarma; stuffed peppers; various doughs wrapped in shortcrust pastry; and meatballs. Plum and grape brandy and beer are produced locally.
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