Background: The Kingdom of Serbs Croats and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Various paramilitary bands resisted Nazi Germany's occupation and division of Yugoslavia from 1941 to 1945 but fought each other and ethnic opponents as much as the invaders. The military and political movement headed by Josip TITO (Partisans) took full control of Yugoslavia when German and Croatian separatist forces were defeated in 1945. Although Communist TITO's new government and his successors (he died in 1980) managed to steer their own path between the Warsaw Pact nations and the West for the next four and a half decades. In 1989 Slobodan MILOSEVIC became president of the Serbian Republic and his ultranationalist calls for Serbian domination led to the violent breakup of Yugoslavia along ethnic lines. In 1991 Croatia Slovenia and Macedonia declared independence followed by Bosnia in 1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in April 1992 and under MILOSEVIC's leadership Serbia led various military campaigns to unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics into a 'Greater Serbia.' These actions led to Yugoslavia being ousted from the UN in 1992 but Serbia continued its - ultimately unsuccessful - campaign until signing the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. MILOSEVIC kept tight control over Serbia and eventually became president of the FRY in 1997. In 1998 a small-scale ethnic Albanian insurgency in the formerly autonomous Serbian province of Kosovo provoked a Serbian counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive expulsions of ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo by FRY forces and Serb paramilitaries. The MILOSEVIC government's rejection of a proposed international settlement led to NATO's bombing of Serbia in the spring of 1999 and to the eventual withdrawal of Serbian military and police forces from Kosovo in June 1999. UNSC Resolution 1244 in June 1999 authorized the stationing of a NATO-led force (KFOR) in Kosovo to provide a safe and secure environment for the region's ethnic communities created a UN Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to foster self-governing institutions and reserved the issue of Kosovo's final status for an unspecified date in the future. In 2001 UNMIK promulgated a constitutional framework that allowed Kosovo to establish institutions of self-government and led to Kosovo's first parliamentary election. FRY elections in September 2000 led to the ouster of MILOSEVIC and installed Vojislav KOSTUNICA as president. A broad coalition of democratic reformist parties known as DOS (the Democratic Opposition of Serbia) was subsequently elected to parliament in December 2000 and took control of the government. The arrest of MILOSEVIC by DOS in 2001 allowed for his subsequent transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague to be tried for crimes against humanity. (MILOSEVIC died at The Hague in March 2006 before the completion of his trial.) In 2001 the country's suspension from the UN was lifted and it was once more accepted into UN organizations. In 2003 the FRY became Serbia and Montenegro a loose federation of the two republics with a federal level parliament. Violent rioting in Kosovo in 2004 caused the international community to open negotiations on the future status of Kosovo in January 2006. In May 2006 Montenegro invoked its right under the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro to hold a referendum on independence from the state union. The referendum was successful and Montenegro declared itself an independent nation on 3 June 2006. Two days later Serbia declared that it was the successor state to the union of Serbia and Montenegro. In October 2006 the Serbian parliament unanimously approved - and a referendum confirmed - a new constitution for the country.

Geographic coordinates: 44 00 N 21 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 88,361 km²
Land: 88,361 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than South Carolina

Land boundaries
Total: 2,027 km
Border countries: (8) Albania 115 km; , Bosnia and Herzegovina 302 km; , Bulgaria 318 km; , Croatia 241 km; , Hungary 151 km; , Macedonia 221 km; , Montenegro 203 km; , Romania 476 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: in the north continental climate (cold winters and hot humid summers with well distributed rainfall); in other parts continental and Mediterranean climate (relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot dry summers and autumns)

Terrain: extremely varied; to the north rich fertile plains; to the east limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast ancient mountains and hills

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: NA
Extremes highest point: Daravica 2,656 m

Natural resources: oil gas coal iron ore copper lead zinc antimony chromite nickel gold silver magnesium pyrite limestone marble salt arable land

Land use
Arable land: NA
Permanent crops: NA
Other: NA

Irrigated land: NA

Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes

Geography
Note: controls one of the major land routes from Western Europe to Turkey and the Near East

Population: 10,150,265 (July 2007 est.)
Below poverty line note: data covers the former Serbia and Montenegro (1999 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Serb
Adjective: Serbian

Ethnic groups: Serb 82.9% Hungarian 3.9% Romany (Gypsy) 1.4% Yugoslavs 1.1% Bosniaks 1.8% Montenegrin 0.9% other 8% (2002 census)

Languages
Note: Romanian, Hungarian, Slovak, Ukrainian, and Croatian all official in Vojvodina; Albanian official in Kosovo

Religions: Serbian Orthodox 85% Catholic 5.5% Protestant 1.1% Muslim 3.2% unspecified 2.6% other unknown or atheist 2.6% (2002 census)

Median age
Total: 37.3 years
Male: 35.9 years
Female: 38.8 years (2007 est.)

Environment
Current issues: air pollution around Belgrade and other industrial cities; water pollution from industrial wastes dumped into the Sava which flows into the Danube
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.06 years
Male: 72.49 years
Female: 77.86 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.69 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 96.4%
Male: 98.9%
Female: 94.1% (2003 census)
Note: includes Montenegro but excludes Kosovo

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Serbia
Conventional short form: Serbia
Local long form: Republika Srbija
Local short form: Srbija
Former: People's Republic of Serbia, Socialist Republic of Serbia

Government type: republic

Capital
Name: Belgrade
Geographic coordinates: 44 50 N, 20 30 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions
Serbia proper: Beograd: Barajevo, Cukavica, Grocka, Lazarevac, Mladnovac, Novi Beograd, Obrenovac, Palilula, Rakovica, Savski Venac, Sopot, Stari Grad, Surcin, Vozdovac, Vracar, Zemun, Zrezdara; Borski Okrug: Bor, Kladovo, Majdanpek, Negotin; Branicevski Okrug: Golubac, Kucevo, Malo Crnice, Petrovac, Pozarevac, Veliko Gradiste, Zabari, Zagubica; Jablanicki Okrug: Bojnik, Crna Trava, Lebane, Leskovac, Medvedja, Vlasotince; Kolubarski Okrug: Lajkovac, Ljig, Mionica, Osecina, Ub, Valjevo; Macvanski Okrug: Bogatic, Koceljeva, Krupanj, Ljubovija, Loznica, Mali Zvornik, Sabac, Vladimirci; Moravicki Okrug: Cacak, Gornkji Milanovac, Ivanjica, Lucani; Nisavski Okrug: Aleksinac, Doljevac, Gadzin Han, Merosina, Nis, Razanj, Svrljig; Pcinjski Okrug: Bosilegrad, Bujanovac, Presevo, Surdulica, Trgoviste, Vladicin Han, Vranje; Pirotski Okrug: Babusnica, Bela Palanka, Dimitrovgrad, Pirot; Podunavski Okrug: Smederevo, Smederevskia Palanka, Velika Plana; Pomoravski Okrug: Cuprija, Despotovac, Jagodina, Paracin, Rckovac, Svilajnac; Rasinski Okrug: Aleksandrovac, Brus, Cicevac, Krusevac, Trstenik, Varvarin; Raski Okrug: Kraljevo, Novi Pazar, Raska, Tutin, Vrnjacka Banja; Sumadijski Okrug: Arandjelovac, Batocina, Knic, Kragujevac, Lapovo, Raca, Topola; Toplicki Okrug: Blace, Kursumlija, Prokuplje, Zitoradja; Zajecarski Okrug: Boljevac, Knjazevac, Sokobanja, Zalecar; Zlatiborski Okrug: Arilje, Bajina Basta, Cajetina, Kosjeric, Nova Varos, Pozega, Priboj, Prijepolje, Sjenica, Uzice;
Vojvodina autonomous province: Juzno-Backi Okrug: Backi Petrovac, Beocin, Novi Sad, Sremski Karlovci, Temerin, Titel, Zabalj; Juzno Banatski Okrug: Alibunar, Bela Crkva, Kovacica, Kovin, Opovo, Pancevo, Plandiste, Vrsac; Severno-Backi Okrug: Backa Topola, Mali Idjos, Subotica; Severno-Banatski Okrug: Ada, Coka, Kanjiza, Kikinda, Novi Knezevac, Senta; Srednjo-Banatski Okrug: Nova Crnja, Novi Becej, Secanj, Zitiste, Zrenjanin; Sremski Okrug: Indjija, Irig, Pecinci, Ruma, Sid, Sremska Mitrovica, Stara Pazova; Zapadno-Backi Okrug: Apatin, Kula, Odzaci, Sombor;
Kosovo and metojia autonomous province: Kosovski Okrug: Glogovac, Kacanik, Kosovo Polje, Lipljan, Obilic, Podujevo, Pristina, Stimlje, Strpce, Urosevac; Kosovsko-Mitrovacki Okrug: Kosovska Mitrovica, Leposavic, Srbica, Vucitrn, Zubin Potok, Zvecan; Kosovsko-Pomoravski Okrug: Gnjilane, Kosovska Kamenica, Novo Brdo, Vitina; Pecki Okrug: Decani, Djakovica, Istok, Klina, Pec; Prizrenski Okrug: Gora i Opolje, Orahovac, Prizren, Suva Reka

Independence: 5 June 2006 (from Serbia and Montenegro)

National holiday: National Day 15 February

Constitution: adopted 8 November 2006; effective 10 November 2006

Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Boris TADIC (since 11 July 2004); Kosovo - President Fatmir SEJDIU (since 10 February 2006)
Head of government: Prime Minister Vojislav KOSTUNICA (since 3 March 2004); Kosovo - Prime Minister Agim CEKU (since 10 March 2006)
Cabinet: Federal Ministries act as cabinet; Kosovo - ministry heads act as cabinet; some ministry functions are controlled by the UNMIK
Elections: president elected by direct vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 27 June 2004 (next to be held in 2007 due to constitutional changes); prime minister elected by the Assembly; Kosovo - president is elected by the Assembly for a three-year term; prime minister and proposed cabinet are elected by the Assembly
Election results: Boris TADIC elected president in the second round of voting; Boris TADIC received 53% of the vote

Legislative branch
Elections: last held on 21 January 2007 (next to be held in 2011); Kosovo - last held on 17 November 2007(next to be held in 2010)
Election results: Serbia National Assembly: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SRS 81, DSS 64, DSS-NS 47, G17 Plus 19, SPS 16, LDP Coalition 15, SVM 3, KZS 2, URS 1, KAPD 1, RP 1; Kosovo Assembly: percent of vote by party - PDK 34.3%, LDK 22.6%, Alliance for New Kosovo 12.3%, Democratic League of Dardania-Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo 10%, AAK 9.6%, other 11.2%; seats by party - PDK 37, LDK 25, The Alliance for New Kosovo 13, the Democratic League of Dardania-Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo 11, AAK 10, other 4

Judicial branch
Note: Ministry of Justice was created on 20 December 2004; UNMIK appoints all judges and prosecutors; UNMIK is working on transferring competencies

Political parties and leaders: Coalition of Albanians of the Presevo Valley or KAPD [Riza HALIMI]; Coalition for Sandzak or KZS [Sulejman UGLJANIN]; Democratic Party of Serbia or DSS [Vojislav KOSTUNICA]; Democratic Party or DS [Boris TADIC]; G17 Plus [Mladjan DINKIC]; League of Vojvodina Hungarians or SVM [Jozsef KASZA]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Cedomir JOVANOVIC]; New Serbia or NS [Velimir ILIC]; Roma Party or RP [Srdjan SAJN]; Serbian Radical Party or SRS [Vojislav SESELJ (currently on trial at The Hague) but Tomislav NIKOLIC is acting leader]; Socialist Party of Serbia or SPS [Ivica DACIC]; Union of Roma of Serbia or URS [Rajko DJURIC]; Kosovo Albanian Christian Democatic Party or PShDK [Mark KRASNIQI]; Alliance for the Future of Kosovo or AAK [Rmuch HARADINAJ]; Citizens' Initiative of Gora or GIG [Rustem IBISI]; Coalition Vakat; Democratic Ashkali Party of Kosovo or PDAK [Sabit RRAHMANI]; Democratic League of Kosovo or LDK [Fatmir SEJDIU]; Democratic Party of Kosovo or PDK [Hashim THACI]; Justice Party or PD [Sylejman CERKEZI]; Kosovo Democratic Turkish Party of KDTP [Mahir YAGCILAR]; Liberal Party of Kosovo or PLK [Gjergi DEDAJ]; New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo or IRDK [Xhevdet NEZIRAJ]; Ora Citizens' List or Ora [Veton SURROI]; Party of Democratic Action or SDA [Numan BALIC]; Popular Movement of Kosovo or LPK [Emrush XHEMAJLI]; Serb List for Kosovo and Metohija or SLKM [Oliver IVANOVIC]; Serb Democratic Party or SDS KiM [Slavisa PETKOVIC]; United Roma Party of Kosovo or PREBK [Zylfi MERXHA]

International organization participation: ABEDA BIS BSEC CE CEI EBRD FAO G-9 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICRM IDA IFAD (suspended) IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA MONUC NAM (observer) OAS (observer) OIF (observer) OPCW OSCE PCA PFP SECI UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNMIL UNOCI UNWTO UPU WCL WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ivan VUJACIC
In the us chancery: 2,134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 332-0333
In the us fax: [1] (202) 332-3,933
In the us consulates general: Chicago, New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Cameron MUNTER
From the us embassy: Kneza Milosa 50, 11,000 Belgrade
From the us mailing address: 5,070 Belgrade Place, Washington, DC 20,521-5,070
From the us telephone: [381] (11) 361-9,344
From the us fax: [381] (11) 361-8,230
From the us note: there is a branch office in Pristina at 30 Nazim Hikmet 38,000 Prstina, Kososvo; telephone: [381] (38) 5,959-3,000; FAX:[381] (38) 549-890

Flag description: three equal horizontal stripes of red (top) blue and white; charged with the coat of arms of Serbia shifted slightly to the hoist side

Economy overview
Note: economic data for Serbia currently reflects information for the former Serbia and Montenegro, unless otherwise noted; data for Serbia alone will be added when available

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Note: data for Serbia includes Kosovo (2006 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 5.9% for Serbia alone (excluding Kosovo) (2005 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $4,400 for Serbia (including Kosovo) (2005 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 16.6%
Industry: 25.5%
Services: 57.9% (2005 est.)

Agriculture products: wheat maize sugar beets sunflower beef pork milk

Industries: sugar agricultural machinery electrical and communication equipment paper and pulp lead transportation equipment

Industrial production growth rate: 1.4% (2006 est.)

Labor force: 2.961 million for Serbia (including Kosovo) (2002 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 30%
By occupation industry: 46%
By occupation services: 24%
By occupation note: excluding Kosovo and Montenegro (2002)

Unemployment rate
Note: unemployment is approximately 50% in Kosovo (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line
Note: data covers the former Serbia and Montenegro (1999 est.)

Budget
Revenues: $11.45 billion
Expenditures: $11.12 billion
Note: figures are for Serbia and Montenegro; Serbian Statistical Office indicates that for 2006 budget, Serbia will have revenues of $7.08 billion (2005 est.)

Public debt: 53.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 15.5% (2005 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $5.409 billion (2005)

Current account balance: $-2.451 billion (2005 est.)

Exports: $4.553 billion (excluding Kosovo and Montenegro) (2005 est.)
Commodities: manufactured goods food and live animals machinery and transport equipment

Imports: $10.58 billion (excluding Kosovo and Montenegro) (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $5.35 billion (2005 est.)

Debt external: $15.43 billion (including Montenegro) (2005 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $NA

Exchange rates: Serbian dinars per US dollar - 58.6925

Electricity
Production: 33.87 billion kWh (excludes Kosovo and Montenegro) (2004)
Consumption: NA
Exports: 12.05 billion kWh (excludes Kosovo; exported to Montenegro) (2004)
Imports: 11.23 billion kWh (excluding Kosovo; imports from Montenegro) (2004)

Natural gas
Production: 650 million m³ (2005 est.)
Consumption: 2.55 billion m³ (2005 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2005 est.)
Imports note: includes Montenegro (2004 est.)
Proven reserves: 46.17 billion m³ (1 January 2006)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 2.719 million (2006)
Mobile cellular: 6.644 million (2006)

Telephone system
General assessment: modernization of the telecommunications network has been slow as a result of damage stemming from the 1999 war and transition to a competitive market-based system; network was only 65% digitalized in 2005
Domestic: teledensity remains below the average for neighboring states; GSM wireless service, available through 2 providers with national coverage, is growing very rapidly; best telecommunications service limited to urban centers
International: country code - 381

Internet
Country code: .rs; note - former ccTLD .yu will remain in service until the end of 2006
Hosts: NA
Users: 1.4 million (2006)

Military service age and obligation: 19-35 years of age for compulsory military service; under a state of war or impending war conscription can begin at age 16; conscription is to be abolished in 2010; 9-month service obligation with a reserve obligation to age 60 for men and 50 for women (2007)

Airports: 39 (2007)
With paved runways total: 16
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 4 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 23
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 12 (2007)

Heliports: 2 (2007)

Pipelines: gas 3,177 km; oil 393 km (2006)

Railways
Total: 3,800 km
Standard gauge: 3,800 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified 1,195 km) (2006)

Roadways
Total: 37,887 km
Paved: 23,937 km
Unpaved: 13,950 km (2002)

Waterways: 587 km (primarily on Danube and Sava rivers) (2005)

Disputes international: as the final status of the Serbian province of Kosovo approaches resolution through the six-nation contact group the several thousand peacekeepers from UNMIK since 1999 continue to keep the peace between Kosovar Albanians overwhelmingly supporting Kosovo independence and the Serb minority in Kosovo and Serbian officials in Belgrade who oppose independence for the province; ethnic Albanians in Kosovo oppose demarcation of the boundary with Macedonia based on the 2000 Macedonia-Serbia and Montenegro delimitation agreement; Serbia delimited about half of the boundary with Bosnia and Herzegovina but sections along the Drina River remain in dispute

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 100,651 (Croatia), 46,951 (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Idps: 228,000 (mostly ethnic Serbs and Roma who fled Kosovo in 1999) (2006)

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin moving to Western Europe on the Balkan route; economy vulnerable to money laundering