Serbia and Montenegro is located in southeastern Europe, bordering Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia. Its landmass is approximately 102,136 square kilometers (39,435 square miles). The capital of Serbia is Belgrade, and that of Montenegro is Podgorica. Common government institutions are situated in Belgrade. The population was estimated at 10,825,900 in July 2004. Estimated per capita income in 2003 was $2,300.

In 2001 the United Nations (UN) admitted Serbia and Montenegro under the name Yugoslavia. In February 2003 Serbia and Montenegro created a loose confederation under their constitutional charter and abandoned that name. Each constituent republic is entitled to independence subject to a voter referendum that was scheduled to be held no earlier then May 2005. Serbia and Montenegro is also a member of the Council of Europe (CoE).

After liberation from Ottoman rule in the early twentieth century and a short period of...