Administrative districts of Serbia

Administrative districts
Управни окрузи
Administrative districts; Управни окрузи
Category	Unitary state
Location	Serbia
Created	1992;
Number	24 (29 including Kosovo) + City of Belgrade
Populations	77,341 (Toplica) – 607,178 (South Bačka)
Areas	1,248 km2 (482 sq mi) (Podunavlje) – 6,140 km2 (2,370 sq mi) (Zlatibor)

The administrative districts (Serbian: управни окрузи, romanized: upravni okruzi) of Serbia are the country's first-level administrative division. The term okrug (pl. okruzi) means "circuit" and corresponds (in literal meaning) to bezirk in German language. It can be translated as "county", though it is generally rendered by the government as "district". Prior to a 2006 decree, the administrative districts were named simply districts.

The local government reforms of 1992, going into effect the following year, created 29 districts, with the City of Belgrade having similar status.^[1] Following the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, the districts created by the UNMIK-Administration were adopted by Kosovo. The Serbian government does not recognize these districts.

The administrative districts are generally named after historical and geographical regions, though some, such as the Pčinja District and the Nišava District, are named after local rivers. Their areas and populations vary, ranging from the relatively-small Podunavlje District to the much larger Zlatibor District.

As they are mere designations of territorial remit of regional administrative centres through which the central government exercises its power within a hierarchical order, the districts are distinctly not units of regional self-governance, and as such they do not have flags. Still, they are each run by a commissioner as well as cooperating municipal leaders. Rather than being further divisible into municipalities, each district overlaps with its corresponding cluster of municipalities (which are units of local self-government).

Definition

Administrative districts were first defined by the Government of Serbia's decree of 29 January 1992, which specifies that ministries and other national-level agencies shall conduct their affairs outside their headquarters (i.e. outside the seat of government) via regional offices that they may establish per the designated clusters of municipalities (named only "districts"), also designating the administrative seat of each district ("regional center of state administration").^[2] The 2005 Law on Public Administration provided a legal definition of a district, under the term "administrative district".^[3]

An administrative district shall be established for the execution of state administration tasks outside the headquarters of the state administration authority.
...
The Government shall establish administrative districts by its regulation, by which it shall also determine areas and seats of administrative districts.

In 2006, the Government enacted the Decree on Administrative Districts, which renamed the districts into administrative districts.^[4]

The territorial organisation of Serbia is regulated by the Law on Territorial Organization, adopted by the National Assembly on 29 December 2007.^[5] According to the Law, the territorial organization of the republic comprises municipalities and cities, the City of Belgrade with special status, and autonomous provinces. Districts are not mentioned in this law.

List of districts

Serbia is divided into 29 administrative districts, plus the City of Belgrade which is not a district per se but has a special status very similar to that of a administrative district.

District	Seat	Area in km²	Population 2022	Population per km²	Municipalities and cities	Settlements
City of Belgrade (Grad Beograd)		3,234	1,685,563	521	City of Belgrade
Bor District (Borski okrug)	Bor	3,507	101,100	28.8	City of Bor Kladovo Majdanpek Negotin	90
Braničevo District (Braničevski okrug)	Požarevac	3,865	156,367	40.5	City of Požarevac Golubac Kučevo Malo Crniće Petrovac Veliko Gradište Žabari Žagubica	189
Central Banat District (Srednjebanatski okrug)	Zrenjanin	3,256	157,711	48.4	City of Zrenjanin Novi Bečej Nova Crnja Sečanj Žitište	55
Jablanica District (Jablanički okrug)	Leskovac	2,769	184,502	66.6	City of Leskovac Bojnik Crna Trava Lebane Medveđa Vlasotince	336
Kolubara District (Kolubarski okrug)	Valjevo	2,474	154,497	62.4	City of Valjevo Lajkovac Ljig Mionica Osečina Ub	218
Mačva District (Mačvanski okrug)	Šabac	3,268	265,377	81.2	Bogatić City of Šabac City of Loznica Vladimirci Koceljeva Krupanj Ljubovija Mali Zvornik	228
Moravica District (Moravički okrug)	Čačak	3,016	189,281	62.8	City of Čačak Gornji Milanovac Ivanjica Lučani	206
Nišava District (Nišavski okrug)	Niš	2,729	343,950	126.0	City of Niš Aleksinac Doljevac Gadžin Han Merošina Ražanj Svrljig	285
North Bačka District (Severnobački okrug)	Subotica	1,784	160,163	89.8	City of Subotica Bačka Topola Mali Iđoš	45
North Banat District (Severnobanatski okrug)	Kikinda	2,329	117,896	50.6	City of Kikinda Ada Čoka Kanjiža Novi Kneževac Senta	50
Pčinja District (Pčinjski okrug)	Vranje	3,520	193,802	55.1	City of Vranje Bosilegrad Bujanovac Preševo Surdulica Trgovište Vladičin Han	363
Pirot District (Pirotski okrug)	Pirot	2,761	76,700	27.8	City of Pirot Babušnica Bela Palanka Dimitrovgrad	214
Podunavlje District (Podunavski okrug)	Smederevo	1,248	175,573	140.7	City of Smederevo Smederevska Palanka Velika Plana	58
Pomoravlje District (Pomoravski okrug)	Jagodina	2,614	182,047	69.6	City of Jagodina Ćuprija Despotovac Paraćin Rekovac Svilajnac	191
Rasina District (Rasinski okrug)	Kruševac	2,667	207,197	77.7	City of Kruševac Aleksandrovac Brus Ćićevac Trstenik Varvarin	296
Raška District (Raški okrug)	Kraljevo	3,918	296,532	75.7	City of Kraljevo City of Novi Pazar Raška Tutin Vrnjačka Banja	359
South Bačka District (Južnobački okrug)	Novi Sad	4,016	607,178	151.2	City of Novi Sad Bač Bačka Palanka Bački Petrovac Bečej Beočin Srbobran Sremski Karlovci Temerin Titel Vrbas Žabalj	77
South Banat District (Južnobanatski okrug)	Pančevo	4,245	260,244	61.3	City of Pančevo City of Vršac Alibunar Bela Crkva Kovin Kovačica Opovo Plandište	94
Srem District (Sremski okrug)	Sremska Mitrovica	3,486	282,547	81.1	City of Sremska Mitrovica Inđija Irig Pećinci Ruma Stara Pazova Šid	109
Šumadija District (Šumadijski okrug)	Kragujevac	2,387	269,728	113.0	City of Kragujevac Aranđelovac Batočina Knić Lapovo Rača Topola	174
Toplica District (Toplički okrug)	Prokuplje	2,231	77,341	34.7	City of Prokuplje Blace Kuršumlija Žitorađa	267
West Bačka District (Zapadnobački okrug)	Sombor	2,420	154,491	63.8	City of Sombor Apatin Kula Odžaci	37
Zaječar District (Zaječarski okrug)	Zaječar	3,623	96,715	26.7	City of Zaječar Boljevac Knjaževac Sokobanja	173
Zlatibor District (Zlatiborski okrug)	Užice	6,140	254,659	41.5	City of Užice Arilje Bajina Bašta Čajetina Kosjerić Nova Varoš Požega Priboj Prijepolje Sjenica	438
Kosovo District^[a] (Kosovski okrug)	Priština	3,310	570,835	172.5	Glogovac Kačanik Kosovo Polje Lipljan Obilić Podujevo Priština Štimlje Štrpce Uroševac
Kosovo-Pomoravlje District^[a] (Kosovsko-pomoravski okrug)	Gnjilane	1,389	184,864	133.1	Gnjilane Kosovska Kamenica Novo Brdo Vitina
Kosovska Mitrovica District^[a] (Kosovsko-mitrovački okrug)	Kosovska Mitrovica	2,053	234,262	114.1	Kosovska Mitrovica Leposavić Srbica Vučitrn Zubin Potok Zvečan
Peć District^[a] (Pećki okrug)	Peć	2,459	351,680	143.2	Dečani Đakovica Istok Klina Peć
Prizren District^[a] (Prizrenski okrug)	Prizren	2,196	319,330	145.4	Gora Orahovac Prizren Suva Reka

Notes and references

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Even though the Republic of Kosovo, as of February 17th 2008, has been an independent country, Serbian laws treat Kosovo as integral part of Serbia as the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. The 1992 Decree defines five districts on the territory of Kosovo.^[5] But, from 1999, following the Kosovo War, Kosovo was governed under the United Nations' administration of UNMIK. In 2000, the UNMIK administration changed the territorial organisation on the territory of Kosovo. All five districts were abolished, and seven new districts were created, which were later adopted by Kosovo after the 2008 declaration of Independence. The Serbian government does not recognize this move, and claims the pre-2000 five districts

References

^ "Facts about Serbia". Government of Serbia. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
^ "Uredba o načinu vršenja poslova ministarstava i posebnih organizacija van njihovog sedišta" [Decree on the manner of carrying out the work of ministries and special organizations outside of their seat] (PDF). arhiva.drzavnauprava.gov.rs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-07-24. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
^ "Law on State Administration" (PDF). Military Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-08-08. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
^ "Uredba o upravnim okruzima — Викизворник". sr.wikisource.org (in Serbian (Latin script)). Retrieved 2023-02-26.
^ ^a ^b "Zakon o teritorijalnoj organizaciji Srbije" (in Serbian). Parliament of Serbia.^{[permanent dead link]}

Sources

Balinovac, Zoran M.; Damjanović, Jasmina (2006). Miklič, Peter (ed.). The government and state administration system in the Republic of Serbia – compilation of laws and explanatory articles (PDF). Translated by Čavoški, Aleksandra; Vuruna, Dejan. Belgrade: Dial, Grafolik. ISBN 86-902823-3-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-04-28. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
"Uredba o Upravnim okruzima" (PDF). Službeni glasnik Republike Srbije/Sl. Glasnik RS. 15. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-05. Retrieved 2017-11-01.

External links

[claim-6] Even though the Republic of Kosovo, as of February 17th 2008, has been an independent country, Serbian laws treat Kosovo as integral part of Serbia as the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. The 1992 Decree defines five districts on the territory of Kosovo.^[5] But, from 1999, following the Kosovo War, Kosovo was governed under the United Nations' administration of UNMIK. In 2000, the UNMIK administration changed the territorial organisation on the territory of Kosovo. All five districts were abolished, and seven new districts were created, which were later adopted by Kosovo after the 2008 declaration of Independence. The Serbian government does not recognize this move, and claims the pre-2000 five districts

[facts-1] "Facts about Serbia". Government of Serbia. Retrieved 2008-09-29.

[2] "Uredba o načinu vršenja poslova ministarstava i posebnih organizacija van njihovog sedišta" [Decree on the manner of carrying out the work of ministries and special organizations outside of their seat] (PDF). arhiva.drzavnauprava.gov.rs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-07-24. Retrieved 2023-02-26.

[3] "Law on State Administration" (PDF). Military Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-08-08. Retrieved 2023-02-26.

[4] "Uredba o upravnim okruzima — Викизворник". sr.wikisource.org (in Serbian (Latin script)). Retrieved 2023-02-26.

[law-5] "Zakon o teritorijalnoj organizaciji Srbije" (in Serbian). Parliament of Serbia.^{[permanent dead link]}

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v t e Districts of Serbia
Vojvodina	Central Banat North Bačka North Banat South Bačka South Banat Srem West Bačka
Belgrade	City of Belgrade
Šumadija and Western Serbia	Kolubara Mačva Moravica Pomoravlje Rasina Raška Šumadija Zlatibor
Southern and Eastern Serbia	Bor Braničevo Jablanica Nišava Pčinja Pirot Podunavlje Toplica Zaječar
Kosovo and Metohija¹	Kosovo Kosovo-Pomoravlje Kosovska Mitrovica Peć Prizren
¹ Kosovo declared independence in 2008 but is still claimed as part of its territory by Serbia.

v t e First-level administrative divisions in European countries
Sovereign states	Albania Andorra Armenia² Austria Azerbaijan¹ Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus² Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia¹ Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan¹ Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia¹ San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey¹ Ukraine United Kingdom
States with limited recognition	Abkhazia² Kosovo Northern Cyprus² South Ossetia² Transnistria
Table of administrative divisions by country ¹ Spans the conventional boundary between Europe and another continent. ² Considered European for cultural, political and historical reasons but is geographically in Western Asia.