Overview

Located in the southeast portion of the former Yugoslavia, Serbia, which occupies 34,116 square miles, is the largest of the former Yugoslavia's six republics. Included in its territory are the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina. Serbia is bordered by Hungary to the north, Romania and Bulgaria to the east, Macedonia and Albania to the south, Bosnia-Herzegovina to the west, and Croatia to the northwest. Serbia's population of 11.2 million consists of 64 percent Serbs, 14 percent Albanians (mostly in the Kosovo region), 6 percent Montenegrins, and 4 percent Hungarians. Other groups include Germans, Gypsies, Romanians, Slovenians, and Turks. About 65 percent of the population belongs to the Eastern Orthodox church, 19 percent are Muslim, and 5 percent are Christian. The country's flag consists of three equal horizontal stripes: blue, white, and red (from top to bottom). The capital city is Belgrade. The official language is Serbian.

History

The Serbs settled in the Balkans...