Subdivisions of Serbia
Encyclopedia
The territorial organization of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

is regulated by the Law on Territorial Organization, adopted by the National Assembly of Serbia
National Assembly of Serbia
The National Assembly of Serbia is the unicameral parliament of Serbia. It is composed of 250 proportionally elected deputies elected in general elections by secret ballot, on 4 years term. The National Assembly elects the President of the National Assembly who presides over the sessions...

 on 29 December 2007. Under the Law, the units of the territorial organization are: municipalities
Municipalities of Serbia
Serbia is divided into 150 municipalities and 24 cities , which are the basic units of local self-government. The city may and may not be divided into city municipalities . Five cities, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, Kragujevac and Požarevac comprise several city municipalities, divided into "urban" ...

, cities and autonomous provinces.

Serbia is also divided into 29 districts
Districts of Serbia
Districts , officially called administrative districts are the administrative units of Serbia, comprising several municipalities and/or cities each. They are defined by the Government of Serbia's Enactment of 29 January 1992. Districts are regional centers of state authority and they do not have...

 under the Government's Enactment of 29 January 1992.

Autonomous provinces

Serbia has two autonomous provinces: Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...

 in the north (39 municipalities and 6 cities) and Kosovo and Metohija in the south (28 municipalities and 1 city). The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (or just Kosovo for short) has been transferred to the UN administration of UNMIK since June 1999. In February 2008, the Government of Kosovo
Government of Kosovo
The Cabinet of Kosovo is the collection of Kosovo institutions that exercises executive authority in Kosovo. It is headed by the Prime Minister of Kosovo, and also includes the deputy prime ministers as well as various ministers.The Prime Minister is elected by the Assembly of the Republic...

 declared its independence
2008 Kosovo declaration of independence
The 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence was adopted on 17 February 2008 by individual members of the Assembly of Kosovo acting in personal capacity and not binding to the Assembly itself...

, a move recognized by, as of September 2011, 81 countries (most of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 and USA) but not recognized by Serbia or the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

.

The province of Vojvodina has its own assembly and government. It enjoys autonomy on certain matters, such as infrastructure, science, education and culture.

The area that lies between Vojvodina and Kosovo was called Central Serbia
Central Serbia
Central Serbia , also referred to as Serbia proper , was the region of Serbia from 1945 to 2009. It included central parts of Serbia outside of the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina. The region of Central Serbia was not an administrative division of Serbia as such; it was under the...

 before 2009. Central Serbia was not an administrative division (unlike the autonomous provinces), and it did not had regional authority of its own. In 2009-2010, territory of Central Serbia was divided into 3 statistical regions and it is no longer regarded as a single statistical unit by the Serbian government.

Statistical regions

In 2009, Serbian National Assembly of Serbia
National Assembly of Serbia
The National Assembly of Serbia is the unicameral parliament of Serbia. It is composed of 250 proportionally elected deputies elected in general elections by secret ballot, on 4 years term. The National Assembly elects the President of the National Assembly who presides over the sessions...

 adopted the Law on Equal Territorial Development that formed 7 statistical regions in the territory of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

. The Law was amended on 7 April 2010, so that the number of regions was reduced to 5. The Eastern Serbia was merged with Southern Serbia and Šumadija
Šumadija
Šumadija is a geographical region in Serbia. The area is heavily covered with forests, hence the name...

 was merged with Western Serbia.

The five statistical regions are:
  • Vojvodina
    Vojvodina
    Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...

  • Belgrade
    Belgrade
    Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...

  • Šumadija and Western Serbia
    Šumadija and Western Serbia
    Šumadija and Western Serbia is one of the five statistical regions of Serbia. It was formed in 2010.-Formation:In July 2009, The Serbian parliament adopted a new law in which Serbia was divided into seven statistical regions...

  • Southern and Eastern Serbia
    Southern and Eastern Serbia
    Southern and Eastern Serbia is one of five statistical regions of Serbia. It is formed in 2010.-Formation:In July 2009 Serbian parliament adopted a law which divided Serbia into seven statistical regions...

  • Kosovo and Metohija
    Kosovo
    Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...


Municipalities, cities and districts

Serbia is divided into 150 municipalities
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 and 24 cities, which form the basic units of local self-government
Local self-government
Local self-government is a form of public administration, such that the inhabitants of a certain territory form a community that is recognized by the central government and has a specific legal status and was originated by the Anglo-Saxons.-See also:...

.

Municipalities

Like in many other countries, municipalities are the basic entities of local self-government in Serbia. Each municipality has an assembly, elected every 4 years on local elections, a municipal president, public service property and a budget. Municipalities usually have more than 10,000 inhabitants.

Municipalities comprise local communities
Local community
A local community is a group of interacting people sharing an environment. In human communities, intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, risks, and a number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness.- Overview...

, which mostly correspond to settlements (villages) in the rural areas (several small villages can comprise one local community, and large villages can contain several communities). Urban areas are also divided into local communities. Their roles include communication of elected municipal representatives with citizens, organization of citizen initiatives related with public service and communal issues. They are presided with councils, elected on semi-formal elections, whose members are basically volunteers. Role of local communities is far more important in rural areas; due to proximity to municipal centers, many urban local communities are defunct.

Cities

Cities are another type of local self-government. Territory with the status of "city" usually have more than 100,000 inhabitants, but is otherwise very similar to municipality. There are 23 cities, each having an assembly and budget of its own. Only cities have mayors, although the presidents of the municipalities are often referred to as "mayors" in everyday usage.

The city may and may not be divided into "city municipalities". Five cities, Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...

, Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....

, Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...

, Požarevac
Požarevac
Požarevac is a city and municipality in eastern Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Braničevo District of Serbia...

 and Kragujevac
Kragujevac
Kragujevac is the fourth largest city in Serbia, the main city of the Šumadija region and the administrative centre of Šumadija District. It is situated on the banks of the Lepenica River...

 comprise several municipalities, divided into urban and suburban areas. Competences of cities and their municipalities are divided. Of those, only Novi Sad did not undergo the full transformation, as the newly formed municipality of Petrovaradin
Petrovaradin
Petrovaradin , is part of the agglomeration of Novi Sad in Serbia...

 exists only formally; thus, the Municipality of Novi Sad is largely equated to City of Novi Sad (and the single largest municipality in the country, with around 300,000 residents).

Districts

Municipalities and cities are gathered into districts, which are regional centers of state authority, but have no assemblies of their own; they present purely administrative divisions, and host various state institutions such as funds, office branches and courts. Districts are not defined by the Law on Territorial Organisation, but are organised under the Government's Enactment of 29 January 1992.

Serbia is divided into 29 districts (17 in Central Serbia, 7 in Vojvodina and 5 in Kosovo), while the city of Belgrade presents a district of its own.

Middle Ages

The Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...

 called the lands of the South Slavs "Sclaviniaes" (from the Sclaveni, the Southwestern branch), and they were initially out Imperial control, however by the second half of the 7th century, most of the Slavs in proximity with Byzantium had recognized the Emperor's supreme rule.

The Serbs had, by the 10th century, a Kingdom that had 2 geographical divisions, the Maritime
Pomorje
Pomorje or Primorje is a term used in historical contexts to describe one of the two geographical divisions that constituted Serbia in the Middle Ages...

and the Hinterlands, composed of several regions (principalities):
Domains (9th century)
Name Significant place
Rascia
Rascia
Rascia was a medieval region that served as the principal province of the Serbian realm. It was an administrative division under the direct rule of the monarch and sometimes as an appanage. The term has been used to refer to various Serbian states throughout the Middle Ages...

 (Raška)
Stari Ras
Bosnia
Bosnia (region)
Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...

 (Bosna)
Vrhbosna
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....

Travunia
Travunia
Travunia was a medieval region, administrative unit and principality, which was part of Medieval Serbia , and in its last years, the Bosnian Kingdom . The county became hereditary in a number of noble houses, often kin to the ruling dynasty. The region came under Ottoman rule in 1482...

 (Travunija)
Trebinje
Trebinje
Trebinje is the southernmost municipality and town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is administratively part of the Republika Srpska entity and is located in southeastern Herzegovina, some from the Adriatic Sea....

Doclea
Duklja
Doclea or Duklja was a medieval state with hereditary lands roughly encompassing the territories of present-day southeastern Montenegro, from Kotor on the west to the river Bojana on the east and to the sources of Zeta and Morača rivers on the north....

-Zeta
Principality of Zeta
Zeta was a medieval state, which territory encompassed parts of present-day Montenegro and Northernwestern Albania. From 1360. to 1421. Zeta was independent state administered by local noble family Balšić. From 1185. to 1360. and from 1421. - 1451, Zeta was province of medieval Serbia...

 (Duklja)
Duklja
Duklja (town)
Duklja or Doclea was once the principal city of the state of Duklja . The city was situated about three kilometers north from today’s Podgorica, Montenegro's capital.-History:...

Pagania (Paganija) Omiš
Omiš
Omiš is a town and port in the Dalmatia region of Croatia, and is a municipality in the Split-Dalmatia County. The town is situated approximately south-east of Croatia's second largest city, Split. Its location is where the emerald-green Cetina River meets the Adriatic Sea...

Zachlumia
Zachlumia
Zachlumia or Zahumlje was a medieval principality located in modern-day regions of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia...

 (Zahumlje)
Ston
Ston
Ston is a village and municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located at the south of isthmus of the Pelješac peninsula. The town of Ston is the center of the Ston municipality.- Demographics :...



Konavle
Konavle
Konavle is a small region and municipality located southeast of Dubrovnik, Croatia.It is administratively part of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County and forms a municipality with its center at Gruda with a total population of 8,250 people split in 32 villages, in which 96.5% are Croats...

 was of a status lower than the states, and higher than the Zhupas, considered part of Travunia
Travunia
Travunia was a medieval region, administrative unit and principality, which was part of Medieval Serbia , and in its last years, the Bosnian Kingdom . The county became hereditary in a number of noble houses, often kin to the ruling dynasty. The region came under Ottoman rule in 1482...

.

Modern

1974-1990

Socialist Republic of Serbia
Socialist Republic of Serbia
Socialist Republic of Serbia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It is a predecessor of modern day Serbia, which served as the biggest republic in the Yugoslav federation and held the largest population of all the Yugoslav...

, and then the Republic of Serbia
Republic of Serbia (federal)
The Republic of Serbia was a federal unit of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1990 to 1992, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1992 to 2003 and the state union of Serbia and Montenegro between 2003 and 2006...

 (from September 28, 1990) had a complex administrative division of its Central Serbia
Central Serbia
Central Serbia , also referred to as Serbia proper , was the region of Serbia from 1945 to 2009. It included central parts of Serbia outside of the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina. The region of Central Serbia was not an administrative division of Serbia as such; it was under the...

 part. It was subdivided into nine Intermunicipal Regional Communities (Međuopštinske regionalne zajednice - MRZ). These were:


  1. South Morava (Južnomoravska MRZ, administrative centre in Leskovac
    Leskovac
    Leskovac is a city and municipality in southern Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Jablanica District of Serbia...

    ),

  2. MRZ Kraljevo
    Kraljevo
    Kraljevo is a city and municipality in central Serbia, built beside the river Ibar, 7 km west of its confluence with the Western Morava. It is located in the midst of an upland valley, between the mountains of Kotlenik in the north, and Stolovi in the south.In 2011 the city has population of...

     (administrative centre in Kraljevo
    Kraljevo
    Kraljevo is a city and municipality in central Serbia, built beside the river Ibar, 7 km west of its confluence with the Western Morava. It is located in the midst of an upland valley, between the mountains of Kotlenik in the north, and Stolovi in the south.In 2011 the city has population of...

    ),

  3. MRZ Niš
    Niš
    Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...

     (administrative centre in Niš
    Niš
    Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...

    ),

  4. Podrinje-Kolubara (Podrinjsko-kolubarska MRZ, administrative centre in Valjevo
    Valjevo
    Valjevo is a city and municipality located in western Serbia. It is the center of the Kolubara District, which includes five other smaller municipalities with a total population of almost 180,000 people...

    ),

  5. Podunavlje
    Podunavlje
    Podunavlje is the name of the Danube river basin parts located in Serbia and Croatia .-History:...

     (Podunavska MRZ, administrative centre in Smederevo
    Smederevo
    Smederevo is a city and municipality in Serbia, on the right bank of the Danube, about 40 km downstream of the capital Belgrade. According to official results of the 2011 census, the city has a population of 107,528...

    ),

  6. Šumadija
    Šumadija
    Šumadija is a geographical region in Serbia. The area is heavily covered with forests, hence the name...

     and Pomoravlje
    Pomoravlje (region)
    Pomoravlje , is a general term which in its widest sense marks valleys of any of three Morava rivers in Serbia: West Morava , Južna Morava and Great Morava . In the narrow sense, term is applied only to the Greater Pomoravlje...

     (MRZ Šumadije i Pomoravlja, administrative centre in Kragujevac
    Kragujevac
    Kragujevac is the fourth largest city in Serbia, the main city of the Šumadija region and the administrative centre of Šumadija District. It is situated on the banks of the Lepenica River...

    ),

  7. MRZ Titovo Užice
    Užice
    Užice is a city and municipality in western Serbia, located at the banks of the Đetinja river. It is the administrative center of the Zlatibor District...

     (administrative centre in Titovo Užice
    Užice
    Užice is a city and municipality in western Serbia, located at the banks of the Đetinja river. It is the administrative center of the Zlatibor District...

    ), and

  8. MRZ Zaječar
    Zajecar
    Zaječar is a city and municipality in the eastern part of Serbia. According to the 2011 census the town has a population of 36,830, and its coordinates are 43.91° North, 22.30° East...

     (administrative centre in Zaječar
    Zajecar
    Zaječar is a city and municipality in the eastern part of Serbia. According to the 2011 census the town has a population of 36,830, and its coordinates are 43.91° North, 22.30° East...

    ).



The City of Belgrade (on the map numbered as 1) was considered the capital city area of Serbia and officially designated as the Collectivity of City Municipalities of Belgrade, also known as the Greater Belgrade (or Metropolitan Area of Belgrade) in geographical literature.

MRZs existed officially up to December 31, 1990.

Subdivisions of Kosovo

Although the Serbian laws treat Kosovo as every other part of Serbia, and divide it into 5 districts, 28 municipalities and 1 city, the UNMIK administration adopted new territorial organisation of Kosovo in 2000. This move is not recognized by Serbia, but is recognized by the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo
Republic of Kosovo
Kosovo , officially the Republic of Kosovo is a partially recognised state and a disputed territory in the Balkans...

. According to the new subdivision, Kosovo is divided into 7 (new) districts
Districts of Kosovo
A District is the highest administrative division level of both the Kosovo protectorate and the partially recognized Republic of Kosovo, over the territory of the Serbian Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija having been an administrative unit in the latter...

and 37 municipalities
Municipalities of Kosovo
A Municipality is the basic administrative division in Kosovo.-List of Municipalities:The first name is Serbian and the second one is Albanian:* Dečani / Deçan* Dragaš / Dragash* Đakovica / Gjakovë* Glogovac / Gllogovc * Gnjilane / Gjilan...

 (8 new municipalities were created: Mališevo
Mališevo
Mališevo is a town and municipality in the Prizren District of central Kosovo...

, Đeneral Janković, Gračanica
Gracanica, Kosovo
Gračanica is a town and municipality in central Kosovo, and a Serb enclave centered around the Gračanica monastery, located ten kilometers away from Pristina...

, Junik
Junik
Junik is a municipality and small town in the Đakovica district of western Kosovo. It is located in the west Metohija between Dečani and Đakovica along Kosovo's mountainous border with Albania. It is populated with ethnic Albanians...

, Klokot-Vrbovac
Klokot-Vrbovac
Klokot or Kllokot , officially Klokot-Vrbovac , is a municipality in Kosovo and a Serb enclave, centered around the towns of Klokot and Vrbovac. It became municipality in 2008, previously being part of the Vitina Municipality. The seat of the municipality is in Klokot...

, Mamuša
Mamuša
Mamuša or Mamusha is a town in Kosovo. In 2008 it became a municipality. Prior to that it was part of Prizren municipality. Of all municipal units in Kosovo, this one is by far the smallest in terms of area.-Location:...

, Parteš
Parteš
Parteš is a town and one of the new municipalities in Kosovo. It is a Serb enclave. It is located south-west of Gnjilane.-Settlements in Municipality:There are only three settlements in the municipality.* Parteš* Pasjane* Budriga...

 and Ranilug
Ranilug
Ranilug is a town and Serb enclave in Kosovo. It is set to become a municipality.In 2011, Ranilug was part of a group of 17 villages with a population of 3,785 Serbs surrounded by Albanian-populated areas...

). The "Serb" districts function in the areas where Kosovo Serbs live, but are only recognized by Serbs, while the "UNMIK" districts, which function in all of Kosovo, are recognized only by Kosovo Albanians.

See also

  • Districts of Serbia
    Districts of Serbia
    Districts , officially called administrative districts are the administrative units of Serbia, comprising several municipalities and/or cities each. They are defined by the Government of Serbia's Enactment of 29 January 1992. Districts are regional centers of state authority and they do not have...

  • Municipalities and cities of Serbia
  • Statistical regions of Serbia
    Statistical regions of Serbia
    Serbia is divided into five statistical regions in accordance to NUTS 2, which are in turn grouped into two higher NUTS 1 statistical units ....

  • ISO 3166-2:RS
    ISO 3166-2:RS
    ISO 3166-2:RS is the entry for Serbia in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Serbia, ISO 3166-2 codes are...

  • Kosovo Serb enclaves
    Kosovo Serb enclaves
    Kosovo Serb Enclaves are the areas of Kosovo where Serbs form a majority, except for North Kosovo. While North Kosovo is connected to the rest of Serbia and mostly functions as a part of it, the enclaves are surrounded with areas of Albanian majority....

  • Table of administrative divisions by country
  • Proposed Administrative divisions of Serbia
    Proposed Administrative divisions of Serbia
    -Proposed administrative divisions:Before formation of statistical regions in Serbia in 2009, there were several proposal for creation of new administrative units in Serbia. Most notable proposals were made by the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina, Democratic Party of Serbia, League For...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK