Serbia

• 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)

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

arable land:

NA

permanent crops:

NA

other:

NA

party to:

Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

at birth:

1.065 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1 male(s)/female; 65 years and above:; 0.7 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

degree of risk:

intermediate

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea

vectorborne disease:

Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)

noun:

Serb(s)

adjective:

Serbian

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

name:

Belgrade (Beograd)

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

• based on civil law system;
• accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations;
• note - Serbia is working to reform its justice sector and harmonize its judicial systems with EU standards

chief of state:

President Boris TADIC (since 11 July 2004)

head of government:

Prime Minister Mirko CVETKOVIC (since 7 July 2008)

cabinet:

Republican Ministries act as cabinet; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president elected by direct vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 3 February 2008 (next to be held in 2013);
• prime minister elected by the National Assembly

election results:

Boris TADIC elected president in the second round of voting; Boris TADIC received 51.2% of the vote and Tomislav NIKOLIC 48.8%

• courts of general jurisdiction (municipal courts, district courts, Appellate Courts, the Supreme Court of Cassation);
• courts of special jurisdiction (commercial courts, the High Commercial Court, the High Magistrates Court, the Administrative Court)

• Coalition for Sandzak or KZS [Sulejman UGLJANIN];
• Democratic Party or DS [Boris TADIC];
• Democratic Party of Albanians or PDSh [Ragmi MUSTAFA];
• Democratic Party of Serbia or DSS [Vojislav KOSTUNICA];
• Democratic Union of the Valley or BDL [Skender DESTANI];
• Force of Serbia Movement or PSS [Bogoljub KARIC];
• G17 Plus [Mladjan DINKIC];
• League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina or LSV [Nenad CANAK];
• League of Vojvodina Hungarians or SVM [Istvan PASTOR];
• Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Cedomir JOVANOVIC];
• Movement for Democratic Progress or LPD [Jonuz MUSLIU];
• New Serbia or NS [Velimir ILIC];
• Party of Democratic Action or PVD [Riza HALIMI];
• Party of United Pensioners of Serbia or PUPS [Jovan KRKOBABIC];
• People's Party or NS [Maja GOJKOVIC];
• Roma Party or RP [Srdjan SAJN];
• Sandzak Democratic Party or SDP [Resad HODZIC];
• Serbian Progressive Party or SNS [Tomislav NIKOLIC];
• Serbian Radical Party or SRS [Vojislav SESELJ (currently on trial at The Hague), with Dragan TODOROVIC as acting leader];
• Serbian Renewal Movement or SPO [Vuk DRASKOVIC];
• Social Democratic Party of Serbia or SDPS [Rasim LJAJIC];
• Socialist Party of Serbia or SPS [Ivica DACIC];
• Union of Roma of Serbia or URS [Rajko DJURIC];
• United Serbia or JS [Dragan "Palma" MARKOVIC]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Vladimir PETROVIC

chancery:

2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 332-0333

FAX:

[1] (202) 332-3933

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Mary WARLICK

embassy:

Kneza Milosa 50, 11000 Belgrade

mailing address:

5070 Belgrade Place, Washington, DC 20521-5070

telephone:

[381] (11) 361-9344

FAX:

[381] (11) 361-8230

• three equal horizontal stripes of red (top), blue, and white - the Pan-Slav colors representing freedom and revolutionary ideals;
• charged with the coat of arms of Serbia shifted slightly to the hoist side;
• the principal field of the coat of arms represents the Serbian state and displays a white two-headed eagle on a red shield;
• a smaller red shield on the eagle represents the Serbian nation, and is divided into four quarters by a white cross;
• a white Cyrillic "C" in each quarter stands for the phrase "Only Unity Saves the Serbs";
• a royal crown surmounts the coat of arms

note: the Pan-Slav colors were inspired by the 19th-century flag of Russia

name:

"Boze pravde" (God of Justice)

lyrics/music:

Jovan DORDEVIC/Davorin JENKO

note: adopted 1904; the song was originally written as part of a play in 1872 and has been used as an anthem by the Serbian people throughout the 20th and 21st centuries

agriculture:

23.9%

industry:

20.5%

services:

55.6% (October 2009)

general assessment:

replacements of, and upgrades to, telecommunications equipment damaged during the 1999 war has resulted in a modern telecommunications system more than 95% digitalized in 2009

domestic:

• wireless service, available through multiple providers with national coverage, is growing very rapidly;
• best telecommunications services are centered in urban centers;
• 3G mobile network launched in 2007

international:

country code - 381 (2009)

total:

3,379 km

country comparison to the world: 52

standard gauge:

3,379 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified 1,254 km) (2006)

total:

36,884 km

country comparison to the world: 92

paved:

31,938 km

unpaved:

4,946 km (2007)

• 17 years of age for male compulsory military service;
• 18 years of age for voluntary service;
• conscription to be abolished effective 2011;
• 6-month service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 60 for men and 50 for women (2010)

males age 16-49:

1,405,391

females age 16-49:

1,368,207 (2010 est.)

male:

43,925

female:

41,342 (2010 est.)

• Serbia with several other states protest the U.S. and other states' recognition of Kosovo's declaring itself as a sovereign and independent state in February 2008;
• ethnic Serbian municipalities along Kosovo's northern border challenge final status of Kosovo-Serbia boundary;
• several thousand NATO-led KFOR peacekeepers under UNMIK authority continue to keep the peace within Kosovo between the ethnic Albanian majority and the Serb minority in Kosovo;
• Serbia delimited about half of the boundary with Bosnia and Herzegovina, but sections along the Drina River remain in dispute

refugees (country of origin):

• 71,111 (Croatia);
• 27,414 (Bosnia and Herzegovina);
• 206,000 (Kosovo), note - mostly ethnic Serbs and Roma who fled Kosovo in 1999 (2007)