The administrative districts () of

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

are the country's first-level

administrative division Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

. The term ''

okrug An okrug is a type of administrative division in some Slavic-speaking states. The word ''okrug'' is a loanword in English, alternatively translated as area, district, county, or region. Etymologically, ''okrug'' literally means ' circuit', der ...

'' (pl. ''okruzi'') means "circuit" and corresponds (in literal meaning) to in the 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 created 29 districts, with the City of Belgrade having similar status. Following the

2008 Kosovo declaration of independence The 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, which proclaimed the Kosovo, Republic of Kosovo to be an independent and sovereign state, was adopted at a meeting held on 17 February 2008 by 109 out of the 120 members of the Assembly of Kosovo, in ...

, the

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

created by the UNMIK-Administration were adopted by

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

. 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 The Pčinja District (, ) is one of administrative districts of Serbia. It occupies the southernmost part of Serbia, bordering Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Sou ...

and the

Nišava District The Nišava District (, ) is one of administrative districts of Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , i ...

, are named after local rivers. Their areas and populations vary, ranging from the relatively-small

Podunavlje District The Podunavlje District (, ) is one of nine administrative districts of Southern and Eastern Serbia. The district's name refers to its location by—specifically, to the south of—the Danube river. It expands across the central parts of Serbia. ...

to the much larger

Zlatibor District The Zlatibor District (, ) is one of eight administrative districts of Šumadija and Western Serbia. It is located in the western, mountainous part of Serbia. The district was named after the mountainous region of Zlatibor. As of the 2022 cen ...

. 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 administrative districts are not units of regional

self-governance Self-governance, self-government, self-sovereignty or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority (sociology), authority. It may refer to pers ...

, and as such they do not have flags. They are run by a commissioner appointed by the Government. 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 decree of the

Government of Serbia The government of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Влада Србије, Vlada Srbije), formally the Government of the Republic of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Влада Републике Србије, Vlada Republike Srbije), commonly abbreviated to Serbian Governme ...

on 29 January 1992, which specified that ministries and other national-level agencies shall conduct their affairs outside their headquarters (i.e. outside the

seat of government The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority". In most countries, the nation's Capital city, capital is also seat of its governmen ...

) 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 centre of state administration"). The 2005 Law on Public Administration provided a legal definition of a district, under the term "administrative district". In 2006, the Government enacted the Decree on Administrative Districts, which renamed the districts into ''administrative districts''. The territorial organisation of Serbia is regulated by the Law on Territorial Organisation, adopted by the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

on 29 December 2007. According to the Law, the territorial organisation of Serbia comprises municipalities and cities, the City of Belgrade with special status, and autonomous provinces. Administrative districts are not regulated by this law.

List of districts

Under the Law on Public Administration, administrative districts are formed by the Government by its Decree on Administrative Districts, which also determines the territory and head office of each administrative district. There are 29 administrative districts in the Republic of Serbia.

Notes and references

Notes

References

Sources

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External links

{{Authority control Administrative divisions of Serbia Serbia 1 Serbia 1 Districts, Serbia Serbia geography-related lists