Serbia

Belgrade serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Serbia, positioned in Southeast Europe. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Novi Sad, Niš — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Belgrade sits at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers — a strategic position that has made it one of the most frequently besieged cities in European history, captured and destroyed over 40 times — and the Kalemegdan fortress at that junction now operates as a public park where families walk above the walls that centuries of armies failed to hold permanently.

With a population of approximately 6.8M, Serbia is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Serbian, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Serbia is reached via the dialling code +381. Serbs observe Slava, the celebration of a family's patron saint passed from father to son across generations — a practice unique to Serbian Orthodoxy in which each household maintains its own liturgical calendar date, making January through December a continuous procession of family-specific religious feasts.

Serbia spans 77,589 km², in the Southeast Europe subregion of Europe. Geographically centred around 44.0°N, 21.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Europe convention.

The official currency is the Serbian dinar (дин.), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Serbia's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+01:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.

The emblematic dish of Serbia is Ćevapi. Food culture in Serbia is deeply tied to local identity — shared meals and markets are central to daily life and social gatherings across the country.

Tennis / Football holds a special place in the heart of Serbia's national identity. Novak Djokovic's 24 Grand Slam singles titles — more than any player in tennis history — have turned a country with no prior tennis tradition into a nation that fills Belgrade's Tašmajdan Stadium for Davis Cup ties and names its airport after him.

The highest point in Serbia is Midžur, rising to 2,169 metres above sea level. The Tara mountain plateau in western Serbia contains Perućac Lake, deep canyons of the Drina River, and the last remaining stands of Pančić's spruce — a tree rediscovered in the 1870s after being thought extinct, now protected in a national park that constitutes one of central Europe's most intact forest ecosystems.