Serbia

Positioned on the Balkan Peninsula in SE Europe, with an area of around 88 thousand km2 and a population of over 7 million people, Serbia is considered one of the smaller countries in Europe. Despite the size and constant historical turbulence it is a country rich in cultural heritage, great natural beauty and world famous hospitality. Serbia gave the world some of the greatest people on the planet-from the Roman emperor Constantin the Great, via scientific genius Nikola Tesla, to sport star Novak Djoković. 

Landlocked in South East Europe which covers part of the Pannonian Plain and Central and Western Balkan Peninsula, Serbia borders Hungary to the north, Romania and Bulgaria to the east, North Macedonia to the south, and Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro to the west.

The landscape is extremely varied: from the flat and fertile Pannonian Plain in the north, to the Dinaric Alps/Carpathian mountains in the west, east and south. The great river Danube traverses Serbia from north to east.

A parliamentary republic, Serbia today is a fascinating mixture of modern and traditional. The capital Belgrade, a home to nearly 2 million inhabitants, is a vibrant city with a flourishing economy and rich culture. Located on the confluence of Danibe and Sava rivers, presided over by the old Roman fortress, the “white city” also ranks high among the party destinations in the world. 

Rich in cultural heritage, several of the Serbian medieval monasteries such as Studenica, Dečani, Gračanica, Sopoćani, the Patriarchy in Peć and the Old Fortress of Ras, feature on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites. Serbia was also the origin of Miroslav’s Gospel - one of the oldest surviving manuscript in the world. It is recognized by the UNESCO as a World Documentary Heritage. The ancient city of Sirmium (today’s Sremska Mitrovica) which was one of the four Roman Capitals, was situated in Serbia.

No less than 17 of the great Roman emperors were born on the territory of today’s Serbia. The widely celebrated Roman emperor Constantine the Great, was born in today’s city of Niš. He was the first to declare Christianity as an official religion. 

Regardless of its turbulent past, Serbia has produced some scientific geniuses. Nikola Tesla, who was one of the greatest pioneers of science & technology was a Serbian. Besides Tesla, Mihajlo Pupin (physicist and physical chemist), Milutin Milanković (mathematician, astronomer), Vuk Stefanović Karadžić (philologist and linguist) and Mihailo Petrović Alas (mathematician and inventor) are some of the renowned scientists from Serbia.

Serbia is know as the country of sports. Despite small population it has been winning medals at major championships in basketball, volleyball, handball, waterpolo… and is a birthplace of many famous sportsman: Novak Djoković - tennis player; Nikola Jokić, Vlade Divac-basketball players; Nemanja Vidić, Siniša Mihajlović - footbal players and many, many more.

Fun Facts:

• The impeccable hospitality standards can be traced back to the ancient Slavic belief that the gods will not favor the host if someone wasn’t hospitable to a guest. 

• The word ‘Vampire’ is derived from the Serbian word ‘Vampir’. It is the most widely used Serbian word throughout the world.

• Serbia is the second largest exporter of raspberries in the world. Besides raspberries, Serbia is the leading exporter of plums, prunes, apples and pears in Europe.

• The Djerdap Gorge in Serbia is Europe’s largest gorge. The mighty Danube river flows trough the Djerdap Gorge, known as Iron Gates.

• Belgrade is one of the oldest cities in Europe - archeological excavations have proven that human settlements had existed in Belgrade for more than 7000 years. 

• Most Serbian last names end on "ić" - the most common suffix of the Serbian last names. The suffix "ić" is a genuine Serbian patronymic and can be roughly translated as "the offspring".