Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (Serbian Serbian is a South Slavic language, spoken mainly in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, and in the Serbian diaspora. Serbian is the official language in Serbia, one of the official languages in Bosnia and Herzegovina and a minority language in Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, Republic of Macedonia, Romania and Slovakia. Standard: Аутономна Покрајина Војводина, Autonomna Pokrajina Vojvodina, listen (help·info); Hungarian Hungarian (magyar nyelv listen ) is a Uralic language, more specifically a Finno-Ugric language distantly related to Finnish, Estonian and a number of other minority languages spoken in the Baltic states and northern European Russia eastward into central Siberia. Finno-Ugric languages are not related to the Indo-european languages that dominate: Vajdaság Autonóm Tartomány; Slovak The Slovak language ( slovenský jazyk , slovenčina, not to be confused with slovenski jezik, slovenščina, or Slovenian), is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages (together with Czech, Polish, Silesian, Kashubian, and Sorbian): Autonómna Pokrajina Vojvodina; Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română [ˈlimba roˈmɨnə] ("the Romanian language") or româneşte (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova. It has official status in Romania,: Provincia Autonomă Voivodina; Croatian Croatian is a South Slavic language spoken chiefly by Croats in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and neighbouring countries, as well as the Croatian diaspora worldwide: Autonomna Pokrajina Vojvodina; Russian: Автономна Покраїна Войводина) is an autonomous province in Serbia 2 Titular rulers of Serbia in Hungarian exile claimed Serbian throne until 1540. Belgrade fell to Ottomans only in 1521. Serbia was briefly reestablished by Jovan Nenad 1526–7. It is located in the northern part of the country, in the Pannonian Plain The Pannonian Plain is a large plain in Central Europe that remained when the Pliocene Pannonian Sea dried out. It is a geomorphological subsystem of the Alps-Himalaya system of Central Europe Central Europe is the region lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. The term and widespread interest in the region itself came back into fashion after the end of the Cold War, which, along with the Iron Curtain, had divided Europe politically into East and West, splitting Central Europe in half. It has a population of about 2 million, about 27% of Serbia's total. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad Novi Sad (Serbian Cyrillic: Нови Сад, pronounced [nóviː sâːd] ; Hungarian: Újvidék; Slovak: Nový Sad; Rusyn: Нови Сад) is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Central Europe's Pannonian Plain, on both, at over 370,000 people, while its second largest city is Subotica Subotica (Serbian Cyrillic: Суботица, listen , Hungarian: Szabadka) is a city and municipality in northern Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. It is located at 46.07° North, 19.68° East, about 10 km from the border with Hungary. Vojvodina prides itself on its multi-ethnicity and multi-cultural identity with a number of mechanisms for the promotion of minorities; there are more than 26 ethnic groups An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage that is real or assumed- sharing cultural characteristics This shared heritage may be based upon putative common ancestry, history, kinship, religion, language, shared territory, nationality or physical appearance. Members of an ethnic group are in the province, which has six official languages. The largest ethnic groups are Serbs Serbs are a native Balkan South Slavic ethnic group. Majority of Serbs live in the Central Europe and the Balkans (Southeastern Europe), between the Balkan and Carpathian mountains, in the east, and the Adriatic sea, in the west. Serbs are a ethnicity with a large diaspora. The total world Serbian population, however, is difficult to measure (65%) and Hungarians Hungarians are an ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary, a Central European state, and its predecessor states (the Kingdom of Hungary and the People's Republic of Hungary). There are around 14 million Hungarians, of whom 10 million live in today's Hungary (as of 2001). About 2.5 million Hungarians live in areas that belonged to (the (14%).

Contents

Name

The name "Vojvodina" in South Slavic languages South Slavic languages comprise one of three branches of Slavic languages. There are some 30 million speakers, mainly in the Balkans. These are separated geographically from speakers of the other two branches of Slavic, West and Eas, by a belt of German, Hungarian, and Romanian simply means a type of duchy Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era . In contrast, others were subordinate districts of those kingdoms that unified either partially or completely during the Medieval era (such as England, France, and Spain). It derives from the word "vojvoda" which stems from the Proto-Slavic language Proto-Slavic is the proto-language from which Slavic languages later emerged. It was spoken before the seventh century. As with most other proto-languages, no attested writings have been found; the language has been reconstructed by applying the comparative method to all the attested Slavic languages as well as other Indo-European languages word "voevoda". Those words are etymologically connected with modern-day words "vojnik" (soldier A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary. In most languages, "soldier" includes commissioned and non-commissioned officers in national land forces) and "voditi" (lead). Its original historical name (from 1848) was the "Serbian Voivodship" (Srpska Vojvodina), but since Vojvodina is now a part of Serbia 2 Titular rulers of Serbia in Hungarian exile claimed Serbian throne until 1540. Belgrade fell to Ottomans only in 1521. Serbia was briefly reestablished by Jovan Nenad 1526–7, there is no need for the prefix "Serbian" anymore.

The full official names of the province in all official languages of Vojvodina are:

History

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Main article: History of Vojvodina Sirmium, one of the 4 capital cities of the late Roman Empire The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor, Augustus

Throughout history, the territory of present day Vojvodina has been a part of Dacia In ancient geography, especially in Roman sources, Dacia was the land inhabited by the Dacians and Getae - the North-Danubian branches of the Thracians. Dacia had in the middle the Carpathian Mountains and was bounded approximately by the Danubius river, in Greek sources Istros or, at its greatest extent, by the Haemus Mons (the Balkan Mountains), the Roman Empire The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor, Augustus, the Hun Empire The Huns were a group of nomadic pastoral people who, appearing from beyond the Volga, migrated into Europe c. 370 AD and built up an enormous empire in Europe. Since De Guignes linked them with the Xiongnu who had been northern neighbours of China three hundred years before, considerable scholarly effort has been devoted in investigating such a, the Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire was the Roman Empire as it existed during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by the Byzantine emperors, direct successors to the ancient Roman emperors. It was called the Roman Empire and also Romania (Greek: Ῥωμανία, Rhōmanía) by its inhabitants and neighbours. As the distinction, the Gepid Kingdom The Gepids were an East Germanic Gothic tribe most famous in history for defeating the Huns after the death of Attila. The state of the Gepids was commonly known as Gepidia or Kingdom of the Gepids, whose territory is composed of parts of modern day Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Serbia, the Avar Khanate The European Avars, or Ancient Avars, were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit retinue of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups. Although the name Avar first appeared in the mid fifth century, the Avars of Europe enter the, the Frankish Kingdom The Franks were a West Germanic tribal confederation first attested in the third century as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a kingdom on Roman-held soil that was acknowledged by the, the Kingdom of Croatia, the Great Moravia Great Moravia was a Slavic state that existed in Central Europe from the 9th century to the early 10th century. There is some controversy as to the actual location of its core territory. According to mainstream historians, its core territory lay on both sides of the Morava river, in present day Slovakia and the Czech Republic, but the entity may, the Bulgarian Empire Bulgarian Empire is a term used to describe two periods in the medieval history of Bulgaria, during which it acted as a key regional power in Europe in general and in Southeastern Europe in particular, sometimes rivalling Byzantium. The two "Bulgarian Empires" are not treated as separate entities, but rather as one state restored after a, the Serbian Empire of Jovan Nenad, the Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary , emerged in 1000, when the Principality of Hungary, founded in 896, was recognized as a Kingdom. The form of government was changed from monarchy to Republic briefly in 1918 and again in 1946, ending the Kingdom and creating the Republic of Hungary. During most of its history, it was a considerable state in Central Europe,, the Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire was a regime that lasted from 1299 to 1923, the Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire founded on a remnant of the Holy Roman Empire centered on what is today's Austria that officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria–Hungary, which was proclaimed after declaring the Emperor of Austria also King of Hungary, a diplomatic move that elevated, Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual Monarchy or the k.u.k. Monarchy, was a monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in Central Europe. The union was a result of the Ausgleich or Compromise of 1867, under which the Austrian House of Habsburg agreed to share power with the separate Hungarian government,, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a kingdom stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941. It was formed in 1918 when merging the provisional State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, formed on territories of defunct Austro-Hungarian Empire, with the formerly independent Kingdom, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a kingdom stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941. It was formed in 1918 when merging the provisional State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, formed on territories of defunct Austro-Hungarian Empire, with the formerly independent Kingdom, the Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on April 10, 1941 after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. The state was technically a monarchy and Italian protectorate from the signing of the Rome agreements on May 19, 1941 until, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the second half of World War II (1943) until it was formally dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. Serbia, in, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro was proclaimed by Constitution on April 27, 1992, under the name Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbo-Croatian, Serbian: Savezna Republika Jugoslavija, Савезна Република Југославија; SRJ, FRY). The state was formed from two former republics of SFR Yugoslavia, Serbia and, Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed in 1992 from two former republics of SFR Yugoslavia: Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was founded as a federation in 1992 under the name Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . In 2003, it was reconstituted as a state union under the name State Union of, and now Serbia.

Between 1849 and 1860, this region was referred to as Voivodship of Serbia and Tamiš Banat. After World War I World War I was a military conflict that lasted from 1914 to 1918 and involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies and the Central Powers. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilized in one of the largest wars in history. More than 15 million people were in 1920, the region was detached from Hungary Hungary /ˈhʌŋɡəri/ (Hungarian: Magyarország [ˈmɒɟɒrorsaːɡ] ( listen)), officially the Republic of Hungary (Magyar Köztársaság listen (help·info)), is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin in Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a and was granted by the victorious allied powers to the Kingdom of Serbia in the Treaty of Trianon The Treaty of Trianon was the peace treaty concluded in 1920 at the end of World War I by the Allies of World War I, on one side, and Hungary, seen as a successor of Austria-Hungary, on the other. The treaty established the borders of Hungary and regulated its international situation. Hungary was shorn of over 72% of the territory it had, and in 1945 it became part of Yugoslavia. Together with Kosovo-Metohija, it enjoyed autonomous status between 1945 and 1988, only it was an autonomous province since 1945, when Kosovo-Metohija was just an autonomous district, but they were given equal status in 1966.

Roman rule

During Roman rule, Sirmium (today's Sremska Mitrovica Sremska Mitrovica is a city and municipality located in the Vojvodina province of Serbia, on the left bank of the Sava river. As of 2002 the town had a total population of 39,041, while Sremska Mitrovica municipality had a population of 85,605. It is the administrative centre of the Srem District of Serbia) was one of the four capital cities of the Roman Empire The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor, Augustus and six Roman Emperors The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office: Latin titles such as imperator (from which English emperor ultimately derives), augustus, caesar and princeps were all associated with it. In practice, the emperor was supreme ruler of Rome and supreme commander of the were born in this city or in its surroundings. The city was also the capital of several Roman administrative units, including the Lower Pannonia, the Pannonia Secunda, the Diocese of Pannonia, and the Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum. Roman rule lasted until the 5th century, after which the region came into the possession of various peoples and states. While Banat was a part of the Roman province of Dacia, Syrmium and Backa belonged to a Roman province of Lower Pannonia.

Keramikions

Slavs settled today's Vojvodina in the 6th and 7th centuries.[citation needed] According to the Miracles of Saint Demetrius, Avars gave the region to Kuber in the 670s. The Bulgars of Kuber moved south with Maurus to Macedonia where they cooperated with Tervel in the 8th century. Bunardzic dated Avar-Bulgar graves excavated in Chelarevo, containing skulls with Mongolian features and Judaic symbols, to the late 8th and 9th centuries. Erdely and Vilkhnovich consider the graves to belong to the Cavari-Cozri who eventually broke ties with the Khazar Empire between the 830s and 862. In the 9th century, Salan and Glad ruled over the region. The residence of Salan was Titel and that of Glad was possibly in the rumored rampart of Galad or perhaps Kladovo (Gladovo) in Serbia.

Hungarian rule

Most of Vojvodina became part of the Kingdom of Hungary in the 11th century and remained in Hungary until about 900 years later (1918/1920), except for the period of the Ottoman conquest (see below).

Its demographic balance started changing at the end of the 14th century, as it welcomed Serbian refugees fleeing from territories conquered by the Ottoman army. The first Turkish census, of 1557-58, described the northern parts of the territory having a Hungarian majority. Large numbers of Serbs were settled as a conscious policy on the part of the Habsburg emperor at the end of the 17th century. They were granted widespread exceptions and communal rights, in exchange for providing a border militia that could be mobilised against invaders from the south, as well as in case of civil unrest in Hungary.

In 1716, Vienna temporarily forbade settlement by Hungarians and Jews in the area, and large numbers of German speakers were settled instead. From 1782, Protestant Hungarians and Germans settled in large numbers again.

During the 1848-49 uprising, Vienna successfully mobilised the Serbian militias against the Hungarian government and the local Hungarians. The civil war hit this area perhaps the hardest, with terrible atrocities committed against the civilian populations. Following victory by the Habsburgs, a new administrative territory was created in the south that was maintained until 1860, with German as the official language.

The era following the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 was a period of economic flourishing but strained ethnic relations under the surface. After World War I the Treaty of Trianon (1920) gave Vojvodina to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, including majority Hungarian areas. Between 1918 and 1940, 80 000 Serbs were settled in the province.

Ottoman rule (1527-1716)

After the defeat of the Hungarian Kingdom at Mohács by the Ottoman Empire, the region fell into a period of anarchy and civil wars. In 1526 Jovan Nenad, a leader of the Serb mercenaries, established his rule in Bačka, northern Banat and a small part of Syrmia. He created an ephemeral independent state, with Subotica as its capital. At the peak of his power, Jovan Nenad proclaimed himself Serbian Emperor in Subotica. Taking advantage of the extremely confused military and political situation, the Hungarian noblemen from the region joined forces against him and defeated the Serbian troops in the summer of 1527. Emperor Jovan Nenad was assassinated and his state collapsed. A few decades later, the region was added to the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over it until the end of the 17th and the first half of the 18th century, when it was incorporated into the Habsburg Monarchy. The Treaty of Karlowitz of 1699, between Holy League and Ottoman Empire, marked the withdrawal of the Ottoman forces from Central Europe, and the supremacy of the Habsburg Empire in that part of the continent. According to the treaty, western part of Vojvodina passed to Habsburgs. Eastern part of it remained in Ottomans as Tamışvar Eyaleti until Austrian conquest in 1716. This statement is ratified by treaty of Passarowitz in 1718.

Periods of Serbian autonomy before 1918

At the beginning of Habsburg rule, most of the region was integrated into the Habsburg Military Frontier district, while western parts of Bačka were put under civil administration within Bač county. Later, the civil administration was expanded to other (mostly northern) parts of the region, while southern parts remained under military administration. Eastern part of it occupied by Ottomans between 1787-1788 during the Russo-Turkish War.

Request for Border May Assembly of Vojvodina 1848. and Principality of Serbia

At the May Assembly in Sremski Karlovci (13–15 May 1848), Serbs declared the constitution of the Serbian Voivodship (Serbian Grand Duchy), a Serbian autonomous region within the Austrian Empire. The Serbian Voivodship consisted of Syrmia, Bačka, Banat, and Baranja. The metropolitan of Sremski Karlovci, Josif Rajačić, was elected patriarch, while Stevan Šupljikac was chosen as first voivod (duke).

In November 1849, in accordance with a decision made by the Austrian emperor, this Serbian region was transformed into the new Austrian crown land known as Voivodship of Serbia and Tamiš Banat. It consisted of Banat, Bačka, Syrmia, excluding the southern parts of these regions which were part of the Military Frontier. An Austrian governor seated in Temeschwar ruled the area, and the title of voivod belonged to the emperor himself. The full title of the emperor was "Grand Voivod of the Voivodship of Serbia" (German: Großwoiwode der Woiwodschaft Serbien). The province was abolished in 1860, and from 1867 was located again within the Hungarian Kingdom (part of Austria-Hungary).

At the end of World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed. On 29 October 1918, Syrmia became a part of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. On 31 October 1918, the Banat Republic was proclaimed in Temeschwar. The government of Hungary recognized its independence, but it was short-lived.

Serbian rule

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On 25 November 1918, the Assembly of Serbs, and other nations of Vojvodina in Novi Sad proclaimed the union of Vojvodina (Banat, Bačka and Baranja) with the Kingdom of Serbia (The assembly numbered 757 deputies, of which 578 were Serbs, 89 Croats, 62 were Slovaks, 21 Ukrainians, 6 Germans and 1 Hungarian). One day before this, on 24 November, the Assembly of Syrmia also proclaimed the union of Syrmia with Serbia. On 1 December 1918, Vojvodina officially became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

Novi Sad, historical capital of Vojvodina, in the 1920s.

Between 1929 and 1941, the region was known as the Danube Banovina, a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Its capital city was Novi Sad. The Banovina consisted of the Syrmia, Bačka, Banat, Baranja, Šumadija, and Braničevo regions.

Between 1941 and 1944, during World War II, the Axis Powers divided and occupied Vojvodina. Bačka and Baranja were regained to Horthy's Hungary and Syrmia was attached to the Independent State of Croatia. A smaller Danube Banovina (including Banat, Šumadija, and Braničevo) existed as part of what was known as "Nedic's Serbia." The administrative centre of this smaller province was Smederevo. However, Banat itself was a separate autonomous region ruled by its German minority. The occupying powers committed numerous crimes against the civilian population, especially against Serbs and Jews; the Jewish population of Vojvodina was almost completely killed or deported.[citation needed]

Axis occupation ended in 1944 and the region was temporarily placed under military administration (1944–1945) run by the new communist authorities. During, and after the military administration, thousands of people were killed, interned, arrested, violate, tortured or expelled - this affected most of the German and Hungarian population.

The region was politically restored in 1945 as an autonomous province of Serbia (incorporating Syrmia, Banat, and Bačka). Instead of the previous name (Danube Banovina), the region regained its historical name of Vojvodina, while its capital city remained Novi Sad.

Legal status

At first, the province enjoyed only a small level of autonomy within Serbia, but it gained extensive rights of self-rule under the 1974 Yugoslav constitution, which gave both Kosovo and Vojvodina de facto veto power in the Serbian and Yugoslav parliaments, as changes to their status could not be made without the consent of the two Provincial Assemblies. The 1974 Serbian constitution, adopted at the same time, reiterated that "the Socialist Republic of Serbia comprises the Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo, which originated in the common struggle of nations and nationalities of Yugoslavia in the National Liberation War (the Second World War) and socialist revolution".

Under the rule of the Serbian president Slobodan Milošević, Vojvodina and Kosovo lost most of their autonomy in September 1990. Vojvodina was still referred to as an autonomous province of Serbia, but most of its autonomous powers - including, crucially, its vote on the Yugoslav collective presidency - were transferred to the control of Belgrade. The province, however, still had its own parliament and government and some other autonomous functions as well.

The fall of Milošević in 2000 created a new climate for reform in Vojvodina. Following talks between the political parties, the level of the province's autonomy was increased by the omnibus law in 2002. The statute of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is from 1991 and has been deemed by the Serbian Parliament as outdated. The Vojvodina provincial assembly adopted a new statute on 15 October 2008, 89 of 120 councilors voted in favor of the bill, whilst 21 voted against.

The Statute, partly amended, was approved by Parliament of Serbia on 30 November 2009 with 137 MPs in favor and 24 against. The Statute was officially proclaimed on 14 December 2009, in Novi Sad, and came into force on 1 January 2010.

Geography

The Pannonian Plain (Vojvodina located at the southernmost part) Main article: Geography of Vojvodina

Vojvodina is situated in the northern part of Serbia. The region is divided by the Danube and Tisza rivers into: Bačka in the northwest, Banat in the east and Syrmia (Srem) in the southwest. A small part of the Mačva region is also located in Vojvodina, in the Srem District. Today, the western part of Syrmia is in Croatia, the northern part of Bačka is in Hungary, the eastern part of Banat is in Romania (with a small piece in Hungary), while Baranja (which is between the Danube and the Drava) is in Hungary and Croatia. Vojvodina has a total surface area of 21,500 km2 (8,300 sq mi). Vojvodina is also part of the Danube-Kris-Mures-Tisa euroregion.

Districts and municipalities

Map showing districts of Vojvodina.
West Bačka North Bačka South Banat Syrmia Central Banat South Bačka North Banat
Map showing municipalities of Vojvodina.

After a constitution of Serbia from 1992, Vojvodina is divided into seven districts, which are called after its main geographical location. Districts are named after the main region which district covers. Minister of Local Government, in the Serbian Government appoints commissioners of the districts, but they have no political power. Local government lies in municipalities and cites. The seven districts are further subdivided into 43 municipalities and the cities of Novi Sad and Subotica.

District District seat with city status Municipalities Area (km²) Population (2002 census)
Central Banat Zrenjanin Novi Bečej, Nova Crnja, Sečanj, Žitište 3,256 208,456
North Bačka Subotica Bačka Topola, Mali Iđoš 1,784 200,140
North Banat Kikinda1 Ada, Čoka, Kanjiža, Kikinda, Novi Kneževac, Senta 2,329 165,881
South Bačka Novi Sad Bač, Bačka Palanka, Bački Petrovac, Bečej, Beočin, Vrbas, Srbobran, Sremski Karlovci, Temerin, Titel, Žabalj 4,016 593,666
South Banat Pančevo Alibunar, Bela Crkva, Kovačica, Kovin, Opovo, Plandište, Vršac 4,245 313,937
Syrmia Sremska Mitrovica Inđija, Irig, Pećinci, Ruma, Šid, Stara Pazova 3,486 335,991
West Bačka Sombor Apatin, Kula, Odžaci 2,420 214,011
Total 21,500 2,031,992

1 - Kikinda is only district seat which does not have city status.

Cities

Map showing cities and towns of Vojvodina.

Largest cities of Vojvodina (with population figures):

See also: List of cities, towns and villages in Vojvodina

Demographics

Ethnic map of Vojvodina based on the 2002 municipality data Language map of Vojvodina based on the 2002 municipality data Religion in Vojvodina (2002 census) Main article: Demographic history of Vojvodina

Vojvodina is more diverse than the rest of Serbia with more than 25 ethnic groups and six official languages.[1]

Population by national or ethnic groups:[2]

Number %
TOTAL 2,031,992 100
Serbs 1,357,320 66.80
Hungarians 290,207 14.28
Slovaks 56,637 2.79
Croats 56,546 2.55
Yugoslavs 49,881 2.45
Montenegrins 35,513 1.75
Romanians 30,419 1.5
Roma 29,057 1.43
Bunjevci 19,776 1.05
Pannonian Rusyns 15,626 0.77
Macedonians 11,785 0.58
Ukrainians 4,635 0.23
Muslims (by nationality) 3,634 0.18
Germans 3,154 0.16
Slovenes 2,005 0.1
Sokci 1,864 0.1
Albanians 1,695 0.08
Bulgarians 1,658 0.08
Czechs 1,648 0.08
Russians 940 0.05
Gorani 606 0.03
Bosniaks 417 0.02
Vlachs 101 0
Others 5,311 0.26
Regional identity 10,154 0.5
Undeclared 55,016 2.71
Unknown 23,774 1.17

Population by native language:

Number %
Serbian language 1,557,020 76.63
Hungarian language 284,205 13.99
Slovak language 55,065 2.71
Romanian language 29,512 1.45
Romani language 21,939 1.08
Croatian language 21,053 1.04
Macedonian language 4,152 n/a
Albanian language 2,369 n/a
Bulgarian language 920 n/a

Population by religion:

Number %
Eastern Orthodox Christians 1,401,475 68.97
Catholics (Roman Catholic and Eastern Rite) 388,313 19.11
Protestants 72,159 3.55
Atheists 12,583 n/a
Muslims 8,073 n/a
Jews 329 n/a
Oriental religions (Buddhism, Hinduism etc.) 166 n/a
Others 4,456 n/a
Without religious affiliation 418 n/a
Undeclared 101,144 n/a
Unknown 42,876 n/a

Population by gender:

Population by age groups:

Source: Republic Statistical Office of Serbia

Politics

Main article: Politics of Vojvodina See also: Vojvodina parliamentary election, 2008

The current ruling coalition in the Vojvodina parliament (after 2008 elections) is composed of the following political parties: Democratic Party, G17 Plus, Hungarian Coalition, League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina, and Socialist Party of Serbia.

The current president of Vojvodinian government is Bojan Pajtić (Democratic Party), while the president of the Vojvodinian parliament is Sándor Egeresi (Hungarian Coalition).

Culture

See also: Music of Vojvodina, Religion in Vojvodina, and EXIT (festival) Petrovaradin fortress and Novi Sad, early 18th century. Theatre in Subotica, the oldest professional theatre in Vojvodina (1852), second oldest in Serbia. Zrenjanin, the main square.

Vojvodina also has its own academy of science and art Vojvodina Academy of Sciences and Arts. Its main aim is to cherish traditions in sciences and arts of the multicultural and multiethnic circle through cooperation with other academies and institutions and to improve life conditions of the Vojvodina region by using the spiritual and natural resources of Vojvodina. The Government of Vojvodina is the founder of several newspapers and magazines in Vojvodina's official languages: Дневник [1] ("Daily news") in Serbian and Magyar Szó [2] ("Hungarian Word") in Hungarian are daily newspapers, and weekly magazines are Hrvatska riječ[3] ("Croatian Word") in Croatian, Hlas Ľudu [4] ("The Voice of the People") in Slovak, Libertatea [5] ("Freedom") in Romanian, and Руске слово [6] ("Rusyn Word") in Ukrainian. There is also Bunjevačke novine ("The Bunjevac newspaper") in Bunjevac. Hidden Europe article praises the cosmopolitism in the province.[3]

Tourism

Tourist destinations in Vojvodina include well known Orthodox monasteries on Fruška Gora mountain, numerous hunting grounds, cultural-historical monuments, different folklores, interesting galleries and museums, plain landscapes with a lot of greenery, big rivers, canals and lakes, sandy terrain Deliblatska Peščara ("the European Sahara"), etc.

Economy

The economy of Vojvodina is largely based on developed food industry and fertile agricultural soil that make up 84% of its territory. About 70% of agricultural products is corn, 20% industrial herbs, and 10% other agricultural cultures. Other branches of industry are also developed such as the metal industry, chemical industry, electrical industry, oil industry and construction industry.

Companies:

Human rights

Further information: Human rights in Serbia

In 2005, several international organizations including the European Parliament and Human Rights Watch have expressed concern about rising levels of ethnic tension and related violent incidents in Vojvodina.[4] Of particular concern, according to the reports, is a frequently lax response on the part of the police.

Gallery

Novi Sad

Catholic Church in Vršac

Petrovaradin Fortress

Lake of Ledinci

Srbobran

Kanjiža

Sombor in 1905

Kikinda

Matica srpska

Serbian National Theatre

Kovilj monastery

Hungarians in Vojvodina

The Evangelical (Slovak) church in Kovačica

The Romanian Orthodox church in Uzdin

Fruška Gora

The Uniate cathedral in Ruski Krstur

Catholic Church in Sonta

Novi Sad Synagogue

The Romanian Orthodox church in Vršac

See also

References

  1. ^ Johnstone, Sarah (2007). Europe on a shoestring. Lonely Planet. pp. 981. ISBN 9781741045918.
  2. ^ Zoran Jančić, ed (December 24 2002). "3. Population by national or ethnic groups by Census 2002, by municipalities" (PDF). Issue LII, No. 295, Final Results of the Census 2002 (Communication ed.). Belgrade: Republic Statistical Office of Serbia. pp. 6–7. YU ISSN 0353-9555 SRB 295 SN31 241202. http://webrzs.stat.gov.rs/zip/esn31.pdf.
  3. ^ hidden europe magazine - Articles - hidden europe 13 (March 2007) - two communities in Banat by Laurence Mitchell
  4. ^ Dangerous Indifference: Violence against Minorities in Serbia: Assaults on Minorities in Vojvodina

External links

Links to related articles
Republics and autonomous provinces of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Bosnia and Herzegovina · Croatia · Macedonia · Montenegro · Serbia (Vojvodina • Kosovo) · Slovenia
Autonomous provinces of Serbia
Kosovo and Metohija1 · Vojvodina
1 under interim administration by the United Nations (see Constitutional status of Kosovo)
Non-sovereign territories of Europe
Autonomous regions
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Elsewhere

Adjara, Georgia · Åland Islands, Finland · Azores, Portugal · Crimea, Ukraine · Friuli – Venezia Giulia, Italy · Gagauzia, Moldova · Madeira, Portugal · Mount Athos, Greece · Nakhchivan,1 Azerbaijan · Sardinia, Italy · Sicily, Italy · Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy · Valle d'Aosta, Italy · Vojvodina, Serbia
Dependent territories

Akrotiri and Dhekelia,1 UK · Faroe Islands, Denmark · Gibraltar, UK · Guernsey, UK · Isle of Man, UK · Jersey, UK
1 Geographically part of , but having socio-political connections with Europe.

Categories: Vojvodina | Subdivisions of Serbia | Statistical regions of Serbia | Serbian historical regions | Hungarian historical regions | Romanian-speaking countries and territories | States and territories established in 1848

 

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