Map of Serbia
Serbia is a country in Europe with its capital at Belgrade, home to about 6.55 million people across 88,499 km². The interactive map below plots 7 cities and towns, 5 rivers, 1 mountain summits and 1 major dams recorded for Serbia in YearMaps.
- Population
- 6.55 million
- Area
- 88,499 km²
- Capital
- Belgrade
- Continent
- Europe
Interactive Map of Serbia
Centred on Belgrade at 44.8206° N, 20.4660° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About Serbia
Serbia, officially the Republic of Serbia, is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe. It is bordered by Hungary to the north, Romania to the northeast, Bulgaria to the southeast, North Macedonia to the south, Croatia to the northwest, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the west, Montenegro to the southwest, and it also claims a border with Albania through the disputed territory of Kosovo.
Serbia has about 6.5 million inhabitants, with its capital, Belgrade, being its largest city.
Continuously inhabited since the Paleolithic age, the territory of modern-day Serbia, then part of the Roman Empire, experienced Slavic migrations in the 6th century. The first Serb proto-state was established in the 7th century and by the 9th century had developed into a more stable principality, recognized as a tributary state to the Byzantine Empire. The Serbian Kingdom was established in 1217, reaching its territorial apex in 1346 as the Serbian Empire. By the mid-16th century, the Ottoman Empire annexed the entirety of modern-day Serbia; their rule was at times interrupted by the Habsburg Empire, which maintained a foothold in the northern part of the country from the early 18th century. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Serbian Revolution established the Principality of Serbia, which developed into a constitutional monarchy and gained international recognition of its independence in 1878 before being proclaimed a kingdom in 1882. Emerging victorious from World War I, Serbia incorporated the former Habsburg crownland of Vojvodina into its territory in 1918, before uniting that same year with Slovenes and Croats to form the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, ending its existence as a separate political entity. Serbia was re-established after World War II as one of six federal units of socialist Yugoslavia. During the breakup of Yugoslavia, it formed a union with Montenegro, which was dissolved in 2006, subsequently restoring Serbia's independence. In 2008, Kosovo unilaterally declared independence, receiving mixed responses from the international community, while Serbia continues to regard it as part of its sovereign territory.
Serbia is a parliamentary republic, with its constitution ensuring the separation of powers between the executive (with president and government headed by the prime minister), legislative (with unicameral parliament), and judiciary branches. The country is a member of the United Nations and numerous other international organizations and has been negotiating its accession to the European Union.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Serbia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of Serbia
In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. The monarchy remained in power until 1945, when the communist Partisans headed by Josip Broz (aka TITO) took control of the newly created Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). After TITO died in 1980, communism in Yugoslavia gradually gave way to resurgent nationalism. In 1989, Slobodan MILOSEVIC became president of the Republic of Serbia, and his calls for Serbian domination led to the violent breakup of Yugoslavia along ethnic lines. In 1991, Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia declared independence, followed by Bosnia in 1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in 1992, and MILOSEVIC led military campaigns to unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics into a "Greater Serbia." These actions ultimately failed, and international intervention led to the signing of the Dayton Accords in 1995. In 1998, an ethnic Albanian insurgency in the formerly autonomous Serbian province of Kosovo resulted in a brutal Serbian counterinsurgency campaign. Serbia rejected a proposed international settlement, and NATO responded with a bombing campaign that forced Serbian forces to withdraw from Kosovo in June 1999. In 2003, the FRY became the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, a loose federation of the two republics. In 2006, Montenegro seceded and declared itself an independent nation. In 2008, Kosovo also declared independence -- an action Serbia still refuses to recognize. In 2013, Serbia and Kosovo signed the first agreement of principles governing the normalization of relations between the two countries. Additional agreements were reached in 2015 and 2023, but implementation remains incomplete. Serbia has been an official candidate for EU membership since 2012, and President Aleksandar VUCIC has promoted the ambitious goal of Serbia joining the EU by 2025.
- Location
- Southeastern Europe, between Macedonia and Hungary.
- Climate
- 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)
- Terrain
- Extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile plains; to the east, limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast, ancient mountains and hills.
- Highest point
- Midzor 2,169 m.
- Lowest point
- Danube and Timok Rivers 35 m.
- Coastline
- 0 km (landlocked)
- Land borders
- Total: 2,322 km; border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 345 km; Bulgaria 344 km; Croatia 314 km; Hungary 164 km; Kosovo 366 km; North Macedonia 101 km; Montenegro 157 km; Romania 531 km.
- Major rivers
- Dunav (Danube) (shared with Germany [s], Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania [m]) - 2,888 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth.
- Natural resources
- Oil, gas, coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, chromite, gold, silver, magnesium, pyrite, limestone, marble, salt, arable land.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 40.4% (2023 est.); arable land: 31% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 2.5% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 6.6% (2023 est.); forest: 40.4% (2023 est.); other: 27.2% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Destructive earthquakes.
- Geographic note
- Landlocked; controls one of the major land routes from Western Europe to Turkey and the Near East.
- Languages
- Serbian (official) 88.1%, Hungarian 3.4%, Bosnian 1.9%, Romani 1.4%, other 3.4%, undeclared or unknown 1.8% (2011 est.)
- Religions
- Serbian Orthodox 81.1%, unknown 5.3%, Islam 4.2%, Catholic 3.9%, no response 2.5%, atheist 1.1%; less than 1%: other Christians, Protestant, agnostic (2022)
- Ethnic groups
- Serb 83.3%, Hungarian 3.5%, Romani 2.1%, Bosniak 2%, other 5.7%, undeclared or unknown 3.4% (2011 est.)
- Economy
- Upper middle-income Balkan economy; current EU accession candidate; hit by COVID-19; pursuing green growth development; manageable public debt; new anticorruption efforts; falling unemployment; historic Russian relations; energy import-dependent.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
Serbia in Numbers
- Population
- 6.55 million
- GDP
- US$100.0 billion
- GDP per person
- US$15,262
- Life expectancy
- 76.0 years
- Population growth
- -0.57% a year
- Population density
- 75 per km²
- Urban population
- 62.6%
- Surface area
- 88,490 km²
- Forest cover
- 39.2%
- Arable land
- 29.0%
- Access to electricity
- 100.0%
- Internet users
- 87.7%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
Serbia in Depth
History
Archaeological evidence of Paleolithic settlements on the territory of present-day Serbia is scarce. A fragment of a hominid jaw found in Mala Balanica Cave is believed to be up to 525,000 years old.
Around 6500 BC, during the Neolithic, the Starčevo and Vinča cultures were present in the region of modern-day Belgrade. They were widespread across much of Southeast Europe as well as parts of Central Europe and Anatolia. Several important archaeological sites from this era, including Lepenski Vir and Vinča-Belo Brdo, exist along the banks of the Danube.
During the Iron Age, the Greeks encountered local tribes of Triballi, Dardani, and Autariatae as they expanded culturally and politically into the region from the 5th to the 2nd century BC.
Geography
Serbia is situated on the Balkans and in the Pannonian Basin, lying between latitudes 41° and 47° N, and longitudes 18° and 23° E. The country covers a total area of 88,499 km² (34,170 sq mi), including the disputed territory of Kosovo, or 77,589 km² (29,957 sq mi), excluding Kosovo.
With eight neighboring countries, Serbia shares borders with more countries than any other European country except Germany, tying with Austria for second place. Its total border length amounts to 2,027 km (1,260 mi), both with Kosovo included or excluded: Albania 115 km (71 mi), Bosnia and Herzegovina 302 km (188 mi), Bulgaria 318 km (198 mi), Croatia 241 km (150 mi), Hungary 151 km (94 mi), North Macedonia 221 km (137 mi), Montenegro 203 km (126 mi) and Romania 476 km (296 mi).
Economy
Serbia is an upper-middle-income developing mixed economy. It is predominantly a service economy, with the tertiary sector accounting for 58.8% of GDP, followed by the secondary sector with 26.1% and the primary sector with 3.2%. The country has a very high level of human development and moderate levels of income inequality. The official currency is the Serbian dinar, and the central bank is the National Bank of Serbia.
The labour force stands at 3.1 million. The employment rate was 50.9% in 2025; the employment structure shows the characteristics of post-industrial economies, with 60.1% employed in tertiary sector, 28.6% in secondary sector and 11.3% in the primary sector. Unemployment remains a problem, with rate of 7.2% as of 2026.
Demographics
According to the 2022 census, Serbia (excluding Kosovo) had a total population of 6,647,003, ranking 107th in the world. It has a moderate population density of 85.8 inhabitants per square kilometre.
Serbia completed its demographic transition by the 1970s and since the 1990s has experienced a demographic crisis characterized by below-replacement fertility, negative natural increase, population ageing, and net emigration.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Serbia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Serbia: Key Facts
| Currency | Serbian dinar |
|---|---|
| Official language | Serbian |
| Head of state | Ana Brnabić |
| Form of government | parliamentary republic |
| Calling code | +381 |
| Internet domain | .rs |
| Highest point | Velika Rudoka |
| Lowest point | Timok |
| Established | 2006 |
Facts from Wikidata Q403 (CC0).
History of Serbia: Empires and States
The atlas records 28 polities whose mapped territory included part of Serbia, from The Roman Empire in 27 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| The Roman Empire | 27 BCE – 476 CE | Most |
| Eastern Roman Empire | 395–616 CE | A large part |
| The Byzantine Empire | 395–1187 CE | A large part |
| Huns | 407–425 CE | A large part |
| Hunnic Empire | 426–454 CE | A large part |
| Kingdom of the Gepids | 510–566 CE | A large part |
| Avar Khaganate | 569–805 CE | Nearly all |
| Carolingian Empire | 793–799 CE | A large part |
| Kingdom of the Franks | 793–799 CE | A large part |
| First Bulgarian Empire | 806–1017 CE | Nearly all |
| Principality of Hungary | 900–999 CE | A large part |
| Kingdom of Hungary | 1000–1546 CE | Most |
| Second Bulgarian Empire | 1188–1249 CE | A large part |
| Kingdom of Serbia | 1250–1884 CE | A large part |
| Kingdom of Syrmia | 1285–1325 CE | A large part |
| Serbian Empire | 1352–1458 CE | A large part |
| The Holy Roman Empire | 1450–1458 CE | A large part |
| House of Habsburg | 1450–1458 CE | A large part |
| Vassalage of Electorate of Brandenburg to Holy Roman Empire | 1450–1458 CE | A large part |
| The Ottoman Empire | 1459–1814 CE | Nearly all |
| Habsburg Monarchy | 1691–1805 CE | Most |
| Serbs | 1805–1915 CE | A large part |
| Austrian Empire | 1806–1867 CE | A large part |
| Austria-Hungary | 1868–1918 CE | Most |
| Yugoslavia | 1919–1945 CE | Nearly all |
| Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia | 1946–1991 CE | Nearly all |
| Serbia-Montenegro | 1992–2005 CE | Nearly all |
| Republic of Serbia | 2006–2024 CE | Nearly all |
Historical Maps of Serbia
Serbia on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Serbia
Serbia (Serbian: Србија, Srbija) is a Balkan country in Southeastern Europe. It is at the crossroads of European history, and as such is a mix of cultures, ethnicities and religions. It lies on one of the major land routes from Central Europe to the Near East. It was the dominant component of Yugoslavia, and considered to be its natural successor. Despite having developed as a tourist destination much later than neighbouring Croatia, it is also a varied and beautiful nation, offering a mixed scenery: from the plains of Vojvodina that remind one of the scenes from Dr. Zhivago in winter, to many mountains, lakes, and national parks. During the summer tourists love spending their time in Belgrade, seen as one of the up-and-coming capitals of Europe. In winter, they are attracted to the ski resorts, one of the most popular being Kopaonik. There are also many spa resorts. Serbia has a soulfulness and verve, coupled a gusto for good living, that are rare to find, while its people are some of the most hospitable and welcoming.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Serbia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Serbia
7 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgrade | 1.10 million | Grad Beograd | National capital |
| 2 | Niš | 250,000 | Nišavski | Populated place |
| 3 | Novi Sad | 225,457 | Južno-Backi | Admin-0 region capital |
| 4 | Kragujevac | 171,197 | Šumadijski | Populated place |
| 5 | Čačak | 170,000 | Moravicki | Populated place |
| 6 | Subotica | 100,000 | Severno-Backi | Populated place |
| 7 | Zrenjanin | 64,053 | Srednje-Banatski | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in Serbia
1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midzor | 2,168 m | 7,113 ft | Europe |
Midzor
Mountain · 2,168 m
Midzor is a mountain rising to 2,168 metres (7,113 ft) in Bulgaria and Serbia, in the Europe region. The summit stands on the border between them. From PeakBagger.com, with kind permission..
Midžor (Serbian Cyrillic: Миџор, pronounced [mîdʒɔr]) or Midzhur (Bulgarian: Миджур, pronounced [miˈd͡ʒur]) is a peak in the Balkan Mountains, situated on the border between Bulgaria and Serbia. At 2,169 metres (7,116 ft), it is the highest peak of the Western Balkan Mountains, as well as the highest in Serbia.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Midžor (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Elevation
- 2,168 m (7,113 ft)
- Global rank
- #388 of 641 indexed
- Region
- Europe (#38)
- Countries
- Bulgaria, Serbia
- Coordinates
- 43.3901°, 22.6800°
Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Midzor ranks #388 by elevation, below Huanggang Shan (2,170 m) and above Monte Viglio (2,156 m).
- Ranges:
- Balkan Mountains (Europe), Transylvanian Alps (Europe)
- Settlements below:
- Niš (63 km), Kragujevac (158 km), Čačak (197 km)
More about Midzor
Midzor: Key Facts
| Topographic prominence | 1,478 m |
|---|---|
| Mountain range | Balkan Mountains |
Facts from Wikidata Q962856 (CC0).
Major Dams in Serbia
1 dam recorded. Ranked by structural height.
| # | Name | Height | River | Capacity | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iron Gate I Dam | 60 m | Danube | 2,192 MW | 1972 |
Rivers in Serbia
5 rivers recorded. Listed alphabetically. A river is listed where its mapped reach lies, so long rivers appear under more than one country.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Serbia
4 World Heritage Sites recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stari Ras and Sopoćani | 1979 | Cultural | (i) (iii) |
| 2 | Studenica monastery | 1986 | Cultural | (i) (ii) (iv) (vi) |
| 3 | Medieval Monuments in Kosovo | 2004 | Cultural | (ii) (iii) (iv) |
| 4 | Gamzigrad | 2007 | Cultural | (iii) (iv) |
Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Serbia
6 mountain ranges, deserts and other landforms recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.
| # | Name | Area | Type | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Europe | 11.24M km² | Continent | Europe |
| 2 | Carpathian Mountains | 220,248 km² | Range/mtn | Europe |
| 3 | BALKAN Peninsula | 189,639 km² | Pen/cape | Europe |
| 4 | Alföld | 100,263 km² | Plain | Europe |
| 5 | Balkan Mountains | 36,812 km² | Range/mtn | Europe |
| 6 | Dinaric Alps | 3,001 km² | Range/mtn | Europe |
Countries Bordering Serbia
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in Europe
Serbia: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of Serbia?
- The capital of Serbia is Belgrade.
- What is the population of Serbia?
- Serbia has a population of about 6.55 million, the #110 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is Serbia?
- Serbia covers 88,499 km², ranking #114 by area, with about 74 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Serbia in?
- Serbia is in Europe.
- Which countries border Serbia?
- Serbia shares a land or maritime border with Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro.
- What is the largest city in Serbia?
- Belgrade is the largest city in Serbia, with a metropolitan population of about 1.10 million.
- What is the highest mountain in Serbia?
- The highest summit recorded for Serbia in YearMaps is Midzor at 2,168 m (7,113 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.
- What is the tallest dam in Serbia?
- The tallest dam recorded for Serbia is Iron Gate I Dam at 60 m, on the Danube.