Position:
Serbia is located in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula, in the south-eastern part of Europe.

Approximate distances from Belgrade: Munich (800 km), Vienna (550 km), Milan (850 km), Ljubljana (550 km), Zagreb (400 km), Sarajevo (300 km), Timisoara (200 km) , Bucharest (500 km) and Sofia (600 km).

Climate:
Temperate continental climate, with a gradual transition between the four seasons of the year (warm summers, with temperature up to 30°C and snowy winters, with temperature from - 5°C to 10°C).

Population:
Approx. 10 million. The majority of the population of Serbia are Serbs (66 per cent), but another 37 nationalities also live on its territory (Albanians 17 per cent, Hungarians 3.5 per cent, followed by Romanians, Croats, Bulgarians and others). All citizens have equal rights and responsibilities and enjoy full national equality.

Capital:
Belgrade (Beograd), with a population of 1.6 millions, is the administrative, economic and cultural heart of Serbia.

Language:
The official language is Serbian and official alphabet is Cyrillic as well as Latin. In the areas inhabited by national minorities, the languages and alphabets of the minorities are in official use, as provided by law.

Religion:
The main religion in Serbia is Christian Ortodox. There are also other religious communities in Serbia: Islamic, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and other.

Time:
GMT + 1

Currency:
The monetary unit is the Dinar (CSD) - 1 Dinar = 100 Para.
Coins: 50 Para, 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 Dinar

Banknotes: 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 1000 and 5000 Dinar

Holidays - non-working days:
January 1 & 2 - New Year
January 7 – first day of Orthodox Christmas
February 15 - Statehood Day of the Republic Serbia
May 1 & 2 - International Labor Day
Orthodox Easter - from Good Friday to the second day of Easter.
On non-working holidays only shops and institutions on duty are open.
Believers are entitled not to work on their religious holidays, depending on their religion.

Holidays but working days:
January 27 (St. Sava) - Spirituality Day
May 9 - Victory Day
June 28- St. Vitus Day

Credit cards:
International credit cards Visa, Master Card, Diners are accepted in the most shops, airline companies, hotels and restaurants.

Banks & Post offices:
On week days they are opened from 08.00 a.m. to 07.00 p.m. On Saturdays they are opened from 08.00 a.m. to - 03.00 p.m. In Belgrade and other big cities in Serbia, some banks and post offices are opened even on Sundays.

Shops:
Alimentary shops are opened daily from 06.00 a.m. to 09.00 p.m. including Saturdays, while on Sundays they are opened from 08.00 a.m. to 02.00 p.m. Everywhere, there are stores open 24 hours a day. Markets are opened every day from 06.00 a.m. to 05.00 p.m.

Medical care:
There are organized duties in hospitals and clinics round the clock. Pharmacies are opened from 08.00 a.m. to 08.00 p.m. on working days and on Saturdays from 08.00 a.m. to 03.00 p.m.

Power supply:
220 V, 50 Hz

Area codes:
Code for Serbia is +381, for Belgrade (0)11, for Novi Sad (0)21, for Nis (0)18 etc.
For the international calls from Serbia dial 99 + code of the desired country + code for the city.

Important phone numbers:
Police: 92
Fire service: 93
Medical emergency: 94

Mobile operators:
(064,065) MTS (www.mts.telekom.yu)
(063,062) TELENOR (www.telenor.co.yu)

Visa:
Most European nationals are not obliged to obtain visas. A valid passports is necessary for a stay no longer than 90 days. Visa information is available at www.mfa.gov.yu which is the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belgrade.