MY POSTBOX: SERBIA - Република Србија

Saturday, 16 January 2016

SERBIA - Република Србија

Serbia (Serbian: Србија, romanized: Srbija, pronounced ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: Република Србија, romanized: Republika Srbija, pronounced [repǔblika sř̩bija]), is a landlocked country situated at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe in the southern Pannonian Plain and the central Balkans. It borders Hungary to the north, Romania to the northeast, Bulgaria to the southeast, North Macedonia to the south, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the west, and Montenegro to the southwest. The country claims a border with Albania through the disputed territory of Kosovo.

Serbia's population numbers approximately seven million without Kosovo or 8.8 million if the territory is included. Its capital, Belgrade, ranks among the largest and oldest citiеs in southeastern Europe. On 17 February 2008, the Kosovo parliament unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia to mixed international reactions. The declaration was officially recognized by the U.S., Austria, Great Britain, Germany, France, Turkey and dozen other countries. Serbia, Russia, China, Spain, India, Brazil, Greece, Romania and other countries oppose this declaration and consider it illegal. In July 2010, the United Nations International Court of Justice deemed the declaration of independence legal. Kosovo officials plan a 2011 application to the UN.

The Principality of Serbia (Kingdom in 1881) began to issue its own stamps in 1866. This continued until 1920, when its postal system was merged with the postal system of the former Austro-Hungarian territories with which it formed the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. After the Germans established the Government of National Salvation in 1941 it issued its own stamps until 1944. Initially, Yugoslavian stamps were simply overprinted in German with the word Serbien. Later regular issues were inscribed both Serbien and Србија (Serbia). From 1944 onwards, Serbia was again part of Yugoslavia. Upon the dissolution of the union of Serbia and Montenegro in 2006, Serbia began issuing its own stamps once more. The Post of Serbia issues the country's stamps.