Serbia at a Glance

Capital:	Belgrade (Beograd)
Land:	77,474 sq km
Currency (code):	Serbian dinar (RSD)
Exchange rates:	Serbian dinars per US dollar - 54.5 (2007), 59.98 (2006)
Population:	10,159,046
Age structure:	Not Available
Population growth rate:	Not Available
Religions:	Serbian Orthodox 85%, Catholic 5.5%, Protestant 1.1%, Muslim 3.2%, unspecified 2.6%, other, unknown, or atheist 2.6% (2002 census)
Climate:	The climate is central continental. Serbian winters are cold, averaging 32°F (0°C) in January; summers are warm, averaging 75°F (23°C)in July. Central Serbia is susceptible to strong winds (košava) that pick up speed on the plain of Vojvodina.
Language:	The principal language is Serbian, a Slavic tongue virtually identical to Croatian. In addition to Serbian, several other languages have official status in Vojvodina: Hungarian, Romanian, Slovak, Ruthenian, and Croatian.
General Attitudes:	Serbs consider themselves principally to be a heroic and proud people. Based on a history of resisting Turks, Austrians, and Germans, many Serbs view themselves as liberators and as warrior peoples. They honor the memory of military conquests, such as the 14th century Battle of Kosovoin which the Turks defeated the Serbs. This battle has been ingrained in the national consciousness as the time when Christian Serbs tragically but heroically chose to die at the hands of Muslim Turks rather than surrender. Serbs are openly emotional and are not a very private people. They share their lives with extended family, neighbors, and friends. They tend to be pessimistic and sometimes fatalistic about events that surround them. They value family, country, and honesty. Serbs also have a sense of humor that allows them to laugh at their own faults.
Greetings:	When strangers are introduced to each other, they shake hands and say their last name, followed by Drago mi je (I am pleased). If people already know each other, they shake hands or kiss (often three times on alternating cheeks) and say Zdravo (Hello) or Dobar dan (Good day). Widely popular among younger groups is the greeting Ciao (Hello), taken from Italian. In greeting someone older, the younger person must rise. Men rise when greeting women. Adults are addressed by professional (i.e., “Dr.,” “Professor”)or conventional titles and their last names. Gospodin (Mr.), Gospodja (Mrs.), and Komšija (neighbor) are common conventional titles. Tetka (auntie) and čika (uncle) are reserved for older people who are not family but for whom “Mr.” and “Mrs.” are too formal. For example, one might use these terms for family friends or for a friend’s parents. People never refer to others, except close friends and family, by their first names. Likewise, they use vi (“you” formal) to address others, especially initially. Moving from vi to ti (“you” informal) must be initiated by the older person, or if two people are the same age, by the female, but this practice is changing with the younger generation.
Labor force:	2.961 million (2002 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:	agriculture: 30% industry: 46% services: 24% (2002)
Unemployment rate:	18.8% (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):	6.8% (2007)
Natural resources:	oil, gas, coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, chromite, gold, silver, magnesium, pyrite, limestone, marble, salt, arable land
Exports:	$8.824 billion (2007 est.)
Exports – commodities:	manufactured goods, food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment
Exports - partners:
Imports:	$18.35 billion (2007 est.)
Imports – commodities:
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