- The official name of the country is Република Србија, (Republika Srbija), translated as the Republic of Serbia.
- Geography. Siberia covers the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the central Balkans. Serbia is landlocked. It borders Hungary to the north; Romania and Bulgaria to the east; Macedonia to the south; and Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegroto the west. One third of the country consists of the Pannonian, as well as the Wallachian Plain in the eastern tip of the country. The central part of the country contains many hills and riverw. The southern part of Serbia has many mountains.
- Capital. The capital of Serbia is Belgrade. It is one of the largest cities in Southeast Europe. One of the oldest cities in Europe, Belgrade is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers. Street names can be confusing in the city, as many were re-named during Soviet rule, and now have their pre-1945 names back again. In its long and tumultuous history, the city itself has often changed its names. It has been called Singedon, Nandor, Fehervar, Nandor Alba, Alba Graeca, Grieschisch Weisenburg, Alba Bulgarica, Taurunum. It is the city about which the greatest number of battles had been waged, but also the city with the greatest number of symbolic names: The Hill of Battle and Glory, the Hill for Meditation, the House of Wars, the Egypt of Rumelia, the House of Freedom, the Gateway of the East, and the Gate of the West.
- History. Approximately 8,500 years ago Neolithic, Starčevo, and Vinča people inhabited the area. Over the centuries the area was invaded and inhabited by Thracians, Dacians, Illyrians, Ancient Greeks, Celtic tribes of Scordisci, Eastern and Western Romans, Hungarians, Francs, Avars, Bulgarians, Austrians, Venicians, Byzantines, Gepidae, Sarmatians, Eastern Goths, Slavs, Habsburgs, Ottomans, and Germans. The Serbian Revolution for independence from the Ottoman Empire lasted eleven years, from 1804 until 1815. Serbia was one of the first nations in the Balkans to abolish feudalism. Yugoslavia (including Serbia) was formed and reformed from World War I until it began to break up in 1989. In 1992 Serbia and Montenegro formed a third Yugoslavia, but Montenegro left the union in 2006. Long-standing hositlities with Kosovo continue.
- Etymology. The name Serbia is from the Greek, "Σέρβια", meaning land of the Serbs. The origin of the name Serbs is unknown. Many authorities believe it is from the Old Slavic root "serb-", meaning the same. Another theory is that it is from the Indo-European root "ser-, meaning to watch over or protect. Some believe that the name is of Sarmatian/Iranian origin of an unknown word. Another theory is that name comes from the word "sebar" meaning peasant. It could be from the Latin "Servi”, meaing slaves, from the time when the Romans conquered the area.
- Danube. Almost all of Serbia's rivers drain into the Danube and then into the Black Sea. The Danube passes through Siberia and is the country's largest source of water. It is the second largest river in Europe.
- Fauna. Serbia has wolves, lynx, bears, foxes, deer, rabbits, wild boar, sheep, and about 380 species of birds (imperial eagle, great bustard, corn crake, white-head vulture, and Madagascar pochard). Mount Tara is one of the last regions in Europe where bears still live in the wild.
- Language. The official language is Serbian, a member of the South Slavic language group. Both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets are used. Minority languages include Hungarian, Slovak, Albanian,Romanian, Bulgarian, Rusyn, Bosnian and Croatian. All these languages are in official use in municipalities or cities where the ethnic minority exceeds 15% of the total population.
- Food. Food, especially bread, is a very important part of the Serbian social life, especially during religious holidays and feast days. The cuisine is influenced by Balkan, Medeterranean, Turkish and Central European cooking. It mainly consists of bread, meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. A traditional Serbian welcome is to offer bread and salt to guests. Serbian specialties include grilled ćevapčići (caseless sausages made of minced meat), pljeskavica, sarma, kajmak (a dairy product similar to clotted cream), gibanica (cheese and kajmak pie), proja (cornbread), and kačamak (corn-flour porridge). Serbians claim that rakia (a type of brandy) was invented in their country.
- Sports. The most popular sport in Serbia is football (soccer). They also play lots of basketball, tennis, volleyball, water polo and handball. Milorad Čavić was a world champion and Olympic medalist swimmer. In 2008 he made history wining a silver medal in the olympics racing 100 meters butterfly against American swimmer Michael Phelps.
- Kalemegdan. About 115 battles have been fought over the Kalemegdan Citadel. It has been destroyed more than 40 times. The first time it was built was during the time of the Scordisci. For centuries the Belgrade population lived within its walls. Now the area has many cafes, museums, galleries, churches, parks, sports areas, and an observatory.
FRUA is a service-marked acronym of Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption in use since 1994. It and the full organizational name,
Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption, are not to be used to describe any organization or service not related to FRUA, without permission.
Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption, are not to be used to describe any organization or service not related to FRUA, without permission.
© 2023 Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption Including Neighboring Countries