Serbia

1. Republic of Serbia KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY-KNOW YOUR WORLD

2. Speaker:

3. Serbia is located in Southeastern Europe in a region known as the Balkans. The geography is diverse, with plains in the north and mountains in central and south Serbia. It is landlocked and borders 8 countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo, and Montenegro.

4. Country Quick Facts Full Name: Republic of Serbia Population: about 7.2 million (July 2014) Capital: Belgrade Largest City: Belgrade Official Language: Serbian Major Religion: Serbian Orthodox (84.6%) Life Expectancy: Male- 72.17, Female- 78.07 Monetary Unit: Serbian Dinar Main Exports: iron & steel, rubber, clothes, wheat, fruit & vegetables, metals & metal products, electric appliances, weapons & ammunition, automobiles GNI per capita: $12,480

5. Serbian History in Brief Serbian history goes back about 8,500 years ago By the 2nd century BC the Romans ruled over the region of Serbia However, the beginning of the Serbian state did not happen until the Slavic people arrived in the 7th century AD and its received its independence in 850 AD under the Byzantine Empire By the 1300s, the Serbian Empire had become the most powerful state in the Balkans Shortly after, the Serbian Empire fell under the rule of the Ottoman Turks

6. History continued Serbia fought for and eventually gained independence from the Ottomans in late 1800s Serbia suffered in WWI and then WWII, when it was under Nazi Germany rule Communists then took over after the war and it became part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia In 1990s Yugoslavia broke apart and wars resulted that lasted into the early 2000s The Republic of Serbia that exists today was officially formed on June 6, 2006

7. These pictures are from the Skull Tower in Nis, Serbia. In the 1800s, during the Ottoman Turk rule, the skulls of many deceased Serbian rebels who fought against the Ottoman Empire were placed in this tower by their enemies.

8. Language HELLO: /Zdravo GOODBYE: /Dovienja) YES: / Da NO: / Ne THANK YOU: /Hvala YOURE WELCOME: /Molim PLEASE: /Molim I LOVE YOU: /Volim te HOW ARE YOU: ? /Kako si?

9. Belgrade Main shopping street (left), Belgrade Fortress (bottom left), and Kalemegdan Park (below)

10. Government President: Tomislav Nikoli Prime Minister: Aleksandar Vui Government structure: parliamentary republic Voting Age: 18 years, 16 if employed Nikoli Vui

11. Current Issues Still lots of displaced persons from the war Corruption in government Economic instability High unemployment Slow judicial system Ethnic clashes within the country and with some neighbors, especially over territory Protests Kosovos declaration of independence from Serbia which is accepted by the U.S. and many other countries in Europe and the world

12. Economy Free market economy still recovering from communist past and war in the 1990s Became a candidate country for the European Union in 2012 Economy relies on manufacturing and exports driven mostly by foreign investment Main industries: Chemical, electrical, food processing, hydroelectric power, machinery, mining, clothing, automobiles

13. Currency Serbian Dinar 1 US Dollar= 108.27 Serbian Dinar (July 2015)

14. Traditional Dance and Dress https://youtu.be/Ja8sarGSbYM

15. Traditional Food Serbia has lots of delicious Balkan dishes as part of their traditional cuisine and also has a mix from many different cultures including Turkish, Austrian, Hungarian, and Greek Burek- flaky pastry filled with cheese, meat, and/or vegetables Sarma- cabbage filled with minced meat Stuffed peppers Grilled meats like evapii (grilled minced meat usually eaten with plain onions and bread) Burek evapii Sarma

16. Fun Facts Serbia is the largest raspberry exporter worldwide with 1/3 being from Serbia Constantine the Great, the Roman Emperor, was born in Serbia St. Sava Church in Belgrade, Serbia is the largest Orthodox Church currently in use The only word from the Serbian language used throughout the world today is vampire

17. St. Sava Church in Belgrade (above) and a Serbian raspberry farm (right) Constantine the Great (above)

18. Links http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/c ountrys/europe/rs.htm https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/ the-world-factbook/geos/ri.html http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/trav el/countries/serbia-facts/ http://serbia.usembassy.gov/

Serbia

Education

s serbia

serbian empire

serbian state

region of serbia

south serbia

republic of serbia population

currency serbian dinar

brief serbian history