Serbia

Serbia is a landlocked country located in Southeast and Central Europe. It sits within the Balkan Peninsula.

Because it is landlocked, it has no direct access to an ocean. Instead, it is surrounded by several neighboring nations. Hungary borders Serbia to the north. Romania sits to the northeast. Bulgaria is to the southeast. North Macedonia is to the south. Croatia lies to the northwest. Bosnia and Herzegovina are to the west. Montenegro is to the southwest.

Serbia also claims a border with Albania through the disputed territory of Kosovo.

The history of this region stretches back to the Paleolithic age. Archaeological evidence shows that humans inhabited the area for a very long time. In the Neolithic period, around 6,500 BC, the Starčevo and Vinča cultures existed.

These cultures were centered near modern-day Belgrade. They were influential across Southeast and parts of Central Europe. Important archaeological sites like Lepenski Vir and Vinča-Belo Brdo remain near the Danube River. Later, various tribes like the Triballi and Dardani lived in the region. The Celtic Scordisci tribe also settled here during the 3rd century BC. They built fortifications at Singidunum, which is now Belgrade.

The Roman Empire eventually conquered much of the territory. By the 2nd century BC, the Romans had established control. They created several provinces, including Illyricum and Moesia Superior. The region also included parts of Pannonia, Dacia, and Macedonia. Interestingly, seventeen Roman emperors were born in this area.

This is second only to contemporary Italy. The most famous was Constantine the Great. He was the first Christian emperor and issued an edict for religious tolerance. After the Roman Empire divided in 395, much of the land remained under Byzantine rule. By the 6th century, South Slavic migrations changed the population significantly. These migrants merged with the local Romanized people.

During the Middle Ages, the Serbian state grew in power. The Nemanjić dynasty ruled between 1166 and 1371. Under their leadership, Serbia became a kingdom in 1217.

It reached its greatest size as the Serbian Empire in 1346.

This expansion occurred under the rule of Stefan Dušan. The Serbian Orthodox Church also became organized during this era. Sava, the country's patron saint, helped establish the archbishopric in 1219. However, the empire later fragmented into smaller principalities. This decline led to the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 against the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottoman conquest was completed by 1459 when Smederevo fell.

Ottoman rule lasted for several centuries and brought many changes. The native nobility was removed, and many peasants were enserfed. The Ottoman system treated Christians as an inferior class. They were also subject to heavy taxes. Some people experienced Islamisation. Through the devshirme system, boys from Christian families were forcibly converted to Islam to serve as Janissaries. Despite this, Serbian culture survived through the Millet system. Resistance continued in northern regions like Vojvodina. The Habsburg Empire also competed for control in these areas. During the late 17th century, wars between the Habsburgs and Ottomans caused great hardship. This led to the Great Migration of 1690, when tens of thousands of Serbs fled north to Hungary.

Modern Serbia began to take shape through the Serbian Revolution. This movement lasted from 1804 to 1815.

It established the nation-state as a constitutional monarchy. After World War I, the Kingdom of Serbia joined with other South Slavic nations. They formed the state of Yugoslavia in 1918.

Yugoslavia existed in different political forms until the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s.

Following the breakup, Serbia and Montenegro formed a union. This union was peacefully dissolved in 2006. This event restored Serbia as a sovereign, independent state. In 2008, Kosovo declared independence. Serbia continues to claim Kosovo as part of its own territory.

Today, Serbia is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic. It has a population of approximately 6.6 million people, excluding Kosovo. Belgrade serves as the capital and the largest city.

The country has an upper-middle income economy. The government provides universal health care to its citizens. It also provides free primary and secondary education. Serbia is a member of the United Nations and the Council of Europe. It is also negotiating to join the European Union.

The nation formally follows a policy of military neutrality. This means it does not join military alliances. The government operates from the National Assembly building.