Serbia

Where the name comes from

Serbia is named after the Serbs; the name shares a root with the Sorbs of eastern Germany, but its meaning is uncertain.

First people

Neolithic villages such as Vinča flourished here more than 7,000 years ago, and Serbian is a South Slavic language.^1,2

Known for

Serbia is known for Novak Djokovic, one of the most successful tennis players ever, and for its medieval Orthodox monasteries.³

Outside contact

Its last medieval realm, the Serbian Despotate, fell to the Ottomans in 1459.⁴

The modern country

Uprisings in 1804 and 1815 began a modern state, and independence was recognized in 1878; Serbia joined the South Slav kingdom in 1918 and became a separate state again when Montenegro left in 2006.⁴