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Background:
The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its name was
changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Occupation by Nazi Germany in 1941 was
resisted by various paramilitary bands that fought each other as well as
the invaders. The group headed by Josip TITO took full control of
Yugoslavia upon German expulsion in 1945. Although Communist, his new
government and its successors (he died in 1980) managed to steer their own
path between the Warsaw Pact nations and the West for the next four and a
half decades. In the early 1990s, post-TITO Yugoslavia began to unravel
along ethnic lines: Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, and Bosnia and
Herzegovina were recognized as independent states in 1992. The remaining
republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a new "Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia" (FRY) in April 1992 and, under President Slobodan MILOSEVIC,
Serbia led various military intervention efforts to unite ethnic Serbs in
neighboring republics into a "Greater Serbia." These actions led to
Yugoslavia being ousted from the UN in 1992, but Serbia continued its
campaign until signing the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. In 1998-99,
massive expulsions by FRY forces and Serb paramilitaries of ethnic
Albanians living in Kosovo provoked an international response, including
the NATO bombing of Belgrade and the stationing of a NATO-led force (KFOR),
in Kosovo. Federal elections in the fall of 2000, brought about the ouster
of MILOSEVIC and installed Vojislav KOSTUNICA as president. The arrest of
MILOSEVIC in 2001 allowed for his subsequent transfer to the International
Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague to be tried for
crimes against humanity. In 2001, the country's suspension from the UN was
lifted, and it was once more accepted into UN organizations under the name
of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Kosovo has been governed by the UN
Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) since June 1999, under the
authority of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, pending a determination
by the international community of its future status. In 2002, the Serbian
and Montenegrin components of Yugoslavia began negotiations to forge a
looser relationship. In February 2003 lawmakers restructured the country
into a loose federation of two republics called Serbia and Montenegro. The
Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro includes a provision that
allows either republic to hold a referendum after three years that would
allow for their independence from the state union. In 2003 Svetozar MAROVIC
was elected president of Serbia and Montenegro.
Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Albania and Bosnia
and Herzegovina
Geographic coordinates:
44 00 N, 21 00 E
Area:
total: 102,350 sq km
Land boundaries:
total: 2,246 km
Coastline:
199 km
Climate:
in the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid summers with
well distributed rainfall); central portion, continental and Mediterranean
climate; to the south, Adriatic climate along the coast, hot, dry summers
and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall inland
Terrain:
extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile plains; to the east, limestone
ranges and basins; to the southeast, ancient mountains and hills; to the
southwest, extremely high shoreline with no islands off the coast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
Natural resources:
oil, gas, coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, antimony, chromite,
nickel, gold, silver, magnesium, pyrite, limestone, marble, salt,
hydropower, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 33.18%
Irrigated land:
320 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets, especially in
tourist-related areas such as Kotor; air pollution around Belgrade and
other industrial cities; water pollution from industrial wastes dumped into
the Sava which flows into the Danube
Geography - note:
controls one of the major land routes from Western Europe to Turkey and the
Near East; strategic location along the Adriatic coast
Population:
10,832,545 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 17.9% (male 1,003,313/female 932,885)
Median age:
total: 37 years
Population growth rate:
0.03% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
12.11 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
10.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.52 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.95 years
Total fertility rate:
1.68 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
10,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Serb(s); Montenegrin(s)
Ethnic groups:
Serb 62.6%, Albanian 16.5%, Montenegrin 5%, Hungarian 3.3%, other 12.6%
(1991)
Religions:
Orthodox 65%, Muslim 19%, Roman Catholic 4%, Protestant 1%, other 11%
Languages:
Serbian 95%, Albanian 5%
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Country name:
conventional long form: Serbia and Montenegro
Government type:
republic
Capital:
Belgrade
Administrative divisions:
2 republics (republike, singular - republika); and 2 nominally autonomous
provinces (autonomn pokrajine, singular - autonomna pokrajina)(both in the
republic of Serbia)* ; Kosovo* (temporarily under UN administration, per UN
Security Council Resolution 1244), Montenegro, Serbia, Vojvodina*
Independence:
27 April 1992 (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or FRY - now Serbia and
Montenegro - formed as self-proclaimed successor to the Socialist Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia or SFRY)
National holiday:
National Day, 27 April
Constitution:
4 February 2003
Legal system:
based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Suffrage:
16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age, universal
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (126 seats - 91 Serbian, 35 Montenegrin - filled by
nominees of the two state parliaments for the first two years, after which
the Constitutional Charter calls for direct elections
Judicial branch:
The Court of Serbia and Montenegro; judges are elected by the Serbia and
Montenegro Parliament for six-year terms
Economy - overview:
MILOSEVIC-era mismanagement of the economy, an extended period of economic
sanctions, and the damage to Yugoslavia's infrastructure and industry
during the NATO airstrikes in 1999 left the economy only half the size it
was in 1990. After the ousting of former Federal Yugoslav President
MILOSEVIC in October 2000, the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS)
coalition government implemented stabilization measures and embarked on an
aggressive market reform program. After renewing its membership in the IMF
in December 2000, a down-sized Yugoslavia continued to reintegrate into the
international community by rejoining the World Bank (IBRD) and the European
Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). A World Bank-European
Commission sponsored Donors' Conference held in June 2001 raised $1.3
billion for economic restructuring. An agreement rescheduling the country's
$4.5 billion Paris Club government debts was concluded in November 2001 -
it wrote off 66% of the debt - and the London Club of private creditors
forgave $1.7 billion of debt, just over half the total owed, in July 2004.
The smaller republic of Montenegro severed its economy from federal control
and from Serbia during the MILOSEVIC era and continues to maintain its own
central bank, uses the euro instead of the Yugoslav dinar as official
currency, collects customs tariffs, and manages its own budget. Kosovo's
economy continues to transition to a market-based system, and is largely
dependent on the international community and the diaspora for financial and
technical assistance. The euro and the Yugoslav dinar are both accepted
currencies in Kosovo. While maintaining ultimate oversight, UNMIK continues
to work with the EU and Kosovo's local provisional government to accelerate
economic growth, lower unemployment, and attract foreign investment to help
Kosovo integrate into regional economic structures. The complexity of
Serbia and Montenegro political relationships, slow progress in
privatization, legal uncertainty over property rights, scarcity of
foreign-investment, and a substantial foreign trade deficit are holding
back the economy. Arrangements with the IMF, especially requirements for
fiscal discipline, are an important element in policy formation. Severe
unemployment remains a key political and economic problem for this entire
region.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$28.7 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$25.07 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,700 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 16.6%
Labor force:
3.22 million (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
31.6%; note - unemployment is approximately 50% in Kosovo (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
30% (1999 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
15.5% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
14.2% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $11.45 billion
Public debt:
53.1% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
cereals, fruits, vegetables, tobacco, olives; cattle, sheep, goats
Industries:
machine building (aircraft, trucks, and automobiles; tanks and weapons;
electrical equipment; agricultural machinery); metallurgy (steel, aluminum,
copper, lead, zinc, chromium, antimony, bismuth, cadmium); mining (coal,
bauxite, nonferrous ore, iron ore, limestone); consumer goods (textiles,
footwear, foodstuffs, appliances); electronics, petroleum products,
chemicals, and pharmaceuticals
Industrial production growth rate:
1.7% (2002 est.)
Electricity - production:
36.04 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - consumption:
36.62 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
400 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
3.5 billion kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
14,660 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - consumption:
85,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - proved reserves:
38.75 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
650 million cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
2.55 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
48.14 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:
-$2.451 billion (2005 est.)
Exports:
$5.485 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
manufactured goods, food and live animals, raw materials
Exports - partners:
Italy 28.9%, Germany 16.6%, Greece 7.1%, Austria 7%, France 4.9%, Slovenia
4.1% (2004)
Imports:
$11.94 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, fuels and lubricants, manufactured
goods, chemicals, food and live animals, raw materials
Imports - partners:
Germany 18.5%, Italy 16.4%, Austria 8.3%, Slovenia 6.7%, Bulgaria 4.7%,
France 4.5%, Netherlands 4.1% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$5.35 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$15.43 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$2 billion pledged in 2001 (disbursements to follow for several years)
Currency (code):
new Yugoslav dinar (YUM); note - in Montenegro the euro is legal tender; in
Kosovo both the euro and the Yugoslav dinar are legal
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use:
2,685,400 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
4,729,600 (2004)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 113, FM 194, shortwave 2 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
more than 771 (including 86 strong stations and 685 low-power stations,
plus 20 repeaters in the principal networks; also numerous local or private
stations in Serbia and Vojvodina) (1997)
Internet country code:
.cs
Internet hosts:
22,046 (2005)
Internet users:
1.2 million (2005)
Airports:
44 (2005)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 19
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 25
Heliports:
4 (2005)
Pipelines:
gas 3,177 km; oil 393 km (2004)
Railways:
total: 4,380 km
Roadways:
total: 45,290 km
Waterways:
587 km (2002)
Merchant marine:
total: 5
Ports and terminals:
Bar
Military branches:
Serbian and Montenegrin Armed Forces (Vojska Srbije i Crne Gore, VSCG):
Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Naval Forces (2005)
Disputes - international:
Kosovo remains unresolved and administered by several thousand peacekeepers
from the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) since 1999,
with Kosovar Albanians overwhelmingly supporting and Serbian officials
opposing Kosovo independence; the international community had agreed to
begin a process to determine final status but contingency of solidifying
multi-ethnic democracy in Kosovo has not been satisfied; ethnic Albanians
in Kosovo refuse demarcation of the boundary with Macedonia in accordance
with the 2000 Macedonia-Serbia and Montenegro delimitation agreement;
Serbia and Montenegro have delimited about half of the boundary with Bosnia
and Herzegovina, but sections along the Drina River remain in dispute
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 95,297 (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
180,117 (Croatia)
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin moving to Western Europe on
the Balkan route; economy vulnerable to money laundering |
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