Serbia /ˈsɝːbiə/ (help·info) (Serbian: Србија, Srbija),
officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: Република Србија, Republika Srbija),
is a landlocked country in Central- and Southeastern Europe,
covering the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the central part of the Balkans.
Serbia is bordered by Hungary to the north;
Romania and Bulgaria to the east;
the Republic of Macedonia and Albania to the south;
and Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro to the west.
The country's capital, Belgrade, was titled "City of the Future of South Europe" in 2006.
For centuries, located at, and shaped by, the cultural boundaries between the East and the West, a powerful medieval kingdom – later renamed the Serbian Empire – occupied much of the Balkans.
The Serbian state disappeared by the mid-16th century, torn by domestic feuds, Ottoman-, Venetian-, Hungarian- and later, Austrian occupations.
The success of the Serbian revolution in 1817 marked the birth of the Principality of Serbia, centered in the Šumadija region.
In 1918 the former autonomous Habsburg crownland of Vojvodina proclaimed its secession from Austria-Hungary to unite with the Kingdom of Serbia.
The current borders of the country were established after World War II, when Serbia became a federal unit within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Following the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Serbia once again became an independent state in 2006, after Montenegro left the Serbia and Montenegro union.
In February 2008, the parliament of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia. Serbia's government, as well as the UN Security Council, have not recognized Kosovo's independence.
The response from the international community has been mixed. Presently, Kosovo is recognised by 53 out of 192 member states.
On October 8, 2008, the majority of the UN states backed Serbia in its judicial move on Kosovo, aimed at determining whether the secession was legal.
Serbia is a member of the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the Council of Europe which it presided over in 2007.
It is also a potential candidate for membership in the European Union and a militarily neutral country.
Romania and Bulgaria to the east;
the Republic of Macedonia and Albania to the south;
and Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro to the west.
The country's capital, Belgrade, was titled "City of the Future of South Europe" in 2006.
For centuries, located at, and shaped by, the cultural boundaries between the East and the West, a powerful medieval kingdom – later renamed the Serbian Empire – occupied much of the Balkans.
The Serbian state disappeared by the mid-16th century, torn by domestic feuds, Ottoman-, Venetian-, Hungarian- and later, Austrian occupations.
The success of the Serbian revolution in 1817 marked the birth of the Principality of Serbia, centered in the Šumadija region.
In 1918 the former autonomous Habsburg crownland of Vojvodina proclaimed its secession from Austria-Hungary to unite with the Kingdom of Serbia.
The current borders of the country were established after World War II, when Serbia became a federal unit within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Following the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Serbia once again became an independent state in 2006, after Montenegro left the Serbia and Montenegro union.
In February 2008, the parliament of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia. Serbia's government, as well as the UN Security Council, have not recognized Kosovo's independence.
The response from the international community has been mixed. Presently, Kosovo is recognised by 53 out of 192 member states.
On October 8, 2008, the majority of the UN states backed Serbia in its judicial move on Kosovo, aimed at determining whether the secession was legal.
Serbia is a member of the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the Council of Europe which it presided over in 2007.
It is also a potential candidate for membership in the European Union and a militarily neutral country.
