Gloucester High School writers: Hans Peterly Deronsele, Asa Shah, Romina Espinal Reynoso; editor: Tarana Sultana
Serbia
General
The capital city is Belgrade, located in the northwestern side of Serbia. It has 3 official languages: Serbian, Romanian and Romani. It covers 88,407 km2, which means that it could fit into Canada 113 times. The population of this country is currently 7.022 million people, 5 times less than the Canadian population. The government of Serbia is a Parliamentary Republic led by the Prime minister (Ana Brnabić) who is nominated by the president of the republic and is appointed by the national assembly. The politics of Serbia function within the framework of a parliamentary democracy. The prime minister is the head of government, while the president (Aleksandar Vucic) is the head of state. The history of this country is huge and the flag has evolved together with it, changing along the years until finally becoming a country in 1992 after the break-up with Yugoslavia. Firstly they adopted the white, blue and red stripes from Russia in 1804 but later on they inverted the stripes and added a shield which has a coat of arms and a white double-headed eagle against a red shield. The Serbian Dinar is the official currency of Serbia and it is equivalent to 0.013 Canadian dollars. The economy of Serbia is divided into 3 sectors; the main sector is the tertiary (services), with a GDP of 63.8%, the secondary sector (industries) has a GDP of 23.5% an the least but no less important is the primary sector (agricultural) with 12.7%.
Travel
Some of the roads in Serbia are not well-maintained, especially those in rural areas. You should be aware that the fog in the Vodjonia area is really dense and in some cases it is impossible to see through, so don’t be fool-hardy. Over the years the number of deaths in car accidents has decreased, from having 1400 per year to 897 reported in 2008. There are four general speed limits in Serbia: 50km/h within inhabited places, 80km outside inhabited places, 100km on expressways and 130 km on motorways.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_Serbia
Sports and Leisure:
Professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 1 in men’s singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals.
Milica Mandić
-She won a bronze medal in the middleweight category at the 2011 World Taekwondo Championships and
-Won a silver medal at the 2012 European Taekwondo Championships.
-At the 2012 Summer Olympics she became the first gold medalist for independent Serbia.
-She won a gold medal at 2017 World Taekwondo Championships
Nemanja Vidić
He is a retired professional footballer.
professional footballer.
-He played for Manchester United from 2006 to 2014,
-Part of the Serbia national team from 2002 to 2011.
-In his prime, Vidić was regarded as one of the best defenders in the world.
Sveže Amputirana Ruka Satrijanija
-Sveže Amputirana Ruka Satrijanija, or S.A.R.S. for short, are a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade.-They present a combination of pop rock, reggae, blues, jazz and hip hop along with the ethnic music of Serbia-To listen to their music click on the link: https://www.last.fm/music/S.A.R.S
Željko Joksimović
Željko Joksimović, is a Serbian vocalist, composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer.
-He plays 12 different musical instruments including accordion, piano, guitar and drums.To listen to his music click on the link: https://www.last.fm/music/%C5%BDeljko+Joksimovi%C4%8
Ana Stanić
She is a Serbian pop singer, songwriter, composer, and film producer.To listen to her music click on the link: https://www.last.fm/music/Ana+Stani%C4%87
https://img.discogs.com/ORYhsh46VuoVPBGBV2P1nGerrmg=/fit-in/300×300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/A-484405-1361523689-4383.jpeg.jpg
Beba Loncar
She is a serbian-italian actress who appeared around 52 movies between 1960 and 1982. Click here to watch some of her movies: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0518627/
Aleksandar Djurica
He was born on November 1st, 1969 in Novi Sad, Serbia. He has been married to Jelena Ćuruvija since 2002. To watch some of his movies click here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1714847/bio
Ana Alexander
She is a serbian actress, who was born in Belgrade Serbia. She is a big fan of comics and has read them since she was little. Click here to know more about her: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0441225/
Humour:
The jokes in serbia are considered sometimes too direct and to understand them you should know about their culture. Here there are some popular quotes that Serbians use as jokes:
- “He fixed, it alright!”
- “Admit it, and Djura will forgive you for having beaten you!”
- “I’m sorry that you are all mine, and not the children of an enemy of mine. To the one who knew you, eternity in hell would be a piece of cake.”
All this quotes might sound strange to you but in Serbia most of the people will understand what you are trying to say and you will make them laugh.
Souvenirs:
Pirotski Ćilim
It is a traditional handmade rug that would look awesome in your house.
Sirogojno sweaters
It is a really comfortable sweater that in winter will keep you warm.
Frula
It is a small wooden flute with six holes.
Food and Dining:
Markets in Belgrade
- Kalenić.The biggest and most popular in the city
- Bajloni. It has a good location and you’ll find a lot of vintage headwear.
- Zeleni Venac. One of the oldest green markets in the city.
Ajvar: It is a condiment elaborated with red peppers, eggplant, garlic.
Rakia or Rakija: It is a fruit brandy, typical made from plums or grapes
Bermet: This is a dessert wine made with more than 20 herbs and spices.
Local dishes
- Sarma. It is sour cabbage leaves, filled with minced meat.
Make it yourself: https://www.thespruceeats.com/serbian-stuffed-cabbage-recipe-sarma-1136569
- Prebranac. Bean soup with meat.
Make it yourself: https://www.thespruceeats.com/baked-beans-recipe-serbian-prebranac-1137365
- Ćevapi. Mixed meat “sausage-style” fingers.
Make it yourself: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/80398/serbian-cevapcici/
- Pljeskavica. Also called “the Serbian hamburger”
Make it yourself: https://www.thespruceeats.com/serbian-pljeskavica-hamburgers-1135899
Dining Etiquette
There is a lot of dining etiquette not just in Serbia, also all around the world. Here there are some of the etiquette rules:
- Serbs are happy to host friends, family, etc. and the way of thanking your hosts is by bringing a small gift like a bottle of wine.
- At the moment of making toasts, you should look at the person you are toasting with.
- Getting too intoxicated with alcohol is considered inappropriate so if you don’t want more just leave a little bit of drink in your glass.
- When you are invited to a restaurant the host is expected to pay the entire bill and if you want to return the favor you can invite the next time.
Restaurants, Prices and Menus:
- Tri šešira. This restaurant was opened in 1864 and it is one of the Top restaurants in Belgrade. To visit their page click here: http://www.trisesira.rs/en/
- Bistro Trandafilović. It is in the heart of a trendy neighborhood since 1929. To visit their page click here: http://www.bistrotrandafilovic.com
Stara kafana. It is more than a traditional Serbian tavern with a really good location and low prices. To visit their page click here: http://en.starakafana.com/about-us/
Challenges and Possible Dangers:
Serbia does not have high levels of street crime, but pick-pocketing and purse snatchings do occur, and of course, tourists are prime targets. Any other issues are not likely to happen to tourists.
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