Belgrade, Serbia

Belgrade was the capital of Yugoslavia, and is currently the capital of Serbia. Here and there, scattered in the city are beautiful buildings using the classic Baroque architecture. However, Belgrade grew fast during its socialistic phase. Although Yugoslavia was not part of the Soviet Union, it was similar to its counterpart; the communists constructed neighborhood after neighborhood of ugly simple buildings. The Communistic style is plain, "boxy," and devoid of any aesthetics.

The founder of Yugoslavia was Josip Tito. Somehow, Tito brought together six countries and two provinces. The countries were Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia, while the provinces were Kosovo and Vojvodina. Each country and province were filled with proud, contentious ethnic groups that do not like the other ethnic groups. Furthermore, Josip Tito had several disagreements with the Soviet Union, and was worried about the Soviet Union invading Yugoslavia. Consequently, Tito heavily armed Yugoslavia, and built up its military and arms industry. The Soviet Union never invaded Yugoslavia. However, when the countries seceded from Yugoslavia in 1991, Serbia and Montenegro started the Bosnian War. Serbia aggressively tried to keep Yugoslavia together, and NATO had to intervene to quiet Serbia's aggression.

Serbia

• The country spans 34,116 square miles, making Serbia the 113th largest country in the world.
• The currency is the Serbian Dinar.
• The capital is Belgrade.
• In 2010, the population was estimated at 7.3 million, making Serbia the 94th populous country in the world. The population statistic does not include Kosovo, which is a republic (or province) that broke away.
• Belgrade is the largest city, and the financial, manufacturing, and political hub of the country.
• Serbia is east of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Belgrade was the capital of Yugoslavia.