The subdivisions of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (initially known as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes) existed successively in three different forms. From 1918 to 1922, the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...

maintained the pre-

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

subdivisions of Yugoslavia's predecessor states. In 1922, the state was divided into 33 '' oblasts'' or provinces and, in 1929, a new system of nine banates (in

Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian ( / ), also known as Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS), is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It is a pluricentric language with four mutually i ...

, the word for "banate" is ''banovina'') was implemented.

Pre-Yugoslav subdivisions (1918–1922)

From 1918 to 1922, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes continued to be subdivided into the pre-World War I divisions of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

and the formerly independent kingdoms 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 ...

and

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

. Provinces (''pokrajine'') were: # Slovenia # Croatia and Slavonia # Dalmatia # Bosnia and Herzegovina # Banat, Bačka and Baranja # Serbia ## Northern Serbia ## Southern Serbia # Montenegro These were subdivided into districts and counties: # District of Andrijevica (former Montenegro) # District of

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...

(former Austria-Hungary) # District of Bar (former Montenegro) # District of

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

(former Serbia) # District of Berane (former Montenegro) # District of Bihać (former Austria-Hungary) # District of Bijelo Polje (former Montenegro) # County of

Bjelovar Bjelovar (, , Czech language, Czech: ''Bělovar'' or ''Bělovár,'' Kajkavian dialect, Kajkavian: ''Belovar,'' Latin: ''Bellovarium'') is a city in central Croatia. In the Demographics of Croatia, 2021 census, its population was 36,316 . It is ...

(former County of Bjelovar-Križevci, Austria-Hungary) # District of Bitola (former Serbia) # District of Čačak (former Serbia) # District of

Cetinje Cetinje ( cnr-Cyrl, Цетиње, ) is a List of cities and towns in Montenegro, town in Montenegro. It is the former royal capital ( cnr-Latn-Cyrl, prijestonica, приjестоница, separator=" / ") of Montenegro and is the location of sev ...

(former Montenegro) # District of Ćuprija (District of Morava; former Serbia) # County of

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...

(former Austria-Hungary) # District of Gornji Milanovac (District of Rudnica; former Serbia) # County of Gospić (former County of Lika-Krbava, Austria-Hungary) # District of Kavadarci (District of Tikveš; former Serbia) # District of

Kolašin Kolašin (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Колашин, ) is a town in northern Montenegro. It has a population of 2,989 (2003 census). Kolašin is the centre of Kolašin Municipality (population 9,949) and an unofficial centre of Morača region, nam ...

(former Montenegro) # District of

Kosovska Mitrovica Mitrovica (Albanian language, Albanian Definiteness, indefinite Albanian morphology#Nouns (declension), form: ''Mitrovicë''; sr-Cyrl, Митровица, Mitrovica), also referred to as Kosovska Mitrovica ( sr-Cyrl, Косовска Митр� ...

(District of Zvečan; former Serbia) # County of

Kotor Kotor (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian language, Italian: ), is a town in Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has ...

(former Austria-Hungary) # District of

Kragujevac Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the List of cities in Serbia, fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Se ...

(former Serbia) # District of

Kruševac Kruševac ( sr-Cyrl, Крушевац, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina (river), Rasina river. According to the 202 ...

(former Serbia) # District of

Kumanovo Kumanovo ( ; , sq-definite, Kumanova; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is the second-largest city in North Macedonia after the capital Skopje and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality, the List of municipalities in the Republic ...

(former Serbia) # County of

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

(former Austria-Hungary) # County of

Maribor Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...

(former Austria-Hungary) # District of

Mostar Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...

(former Austria-Hungary) # District of Negotin (District of Krajina; former Serbia) # District of

Nikšić Nikšić (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Никшић, ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 32,046 (2023 census) located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot of Trebjesa ...

(former Montenegro) # District of

Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...

(former Serbia) # District of

Novi Pazar Novi Pazar ( sr-cyr, Нови Пазар) is a List of cities in Serbia, city located in the Raška District of southwestern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the urban area has 71,462 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 106,720 inha ...

(District of Raška; former Serbia) # District of

Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...

(former Austria-Hungary) # County of Ogulin (former County of Modruš-Rijeka, Austria-Hungary) # District of Ohrid (former Serbia) # County of

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

(former County of Virovitica, Austria-Hungary) # District of

Peć Peja or Peć, ), is the fifth most populous city in Kosovo and serves as the seat of the Peja Municipality and the District of Peja. It is located in the Rugova (region), Rugova region on the eastern section of the Accursed Mountains along the ...

(District of Metohija; former Montenegro) # District of Pirot (former Serbia) # District of Pljevlja (former Montenegro) # District of

Podgorica Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...

(former Montenegro) # District of

Požarevac Požarevac ( sr-cyr, Пожаревац, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Braničevo District in eastern Serbia. It is located between three rivers: Danube, Great Morava and Mlava and below the hill Čač ...

(former Serbia) # County of Požega (former Austria-Hungary) # District of Prijepolje (former Serbia) # District of Priština (District of Kosovo; former Serbia) # District of

Prizren Prizren ( sq-definite, Prizreni, ; sr-cyr, Призрен) is the second List of cities and towns in Kosovo, most populous city and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and District of Prizren, ...

(former Serbia) # District of Prokuplje (District of Toplica; former Serbia) # District of

Šabac Šabac ( sr-Cyrl, Шабац, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Mačva District in western Serbia. The traditional centre of the fertile Mačva region, Šabac is located on the right banks of the river ...

(District of Podrinje; former Serbia) # District of

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

(former Austria-Hungary) # County of

Šibenik Šibenik (), historically known as Sebenico (), is a historic town in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka (Croatia), Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is one of the oldest Croatia, Croatian self-governing cities ...

(former Austria-Hungary) # District of

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

(former Serbia) # District of

Smederevo Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Podunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, about downstream of the Serbian capital, ...

(former Serbia) # County of Split (former Austria-Hungary) # District of

Štip Štip ( ) is the largest urban agglomeration in the eastern part of North Macedonia, serving as the economic, industrial, entertainment and educational focal point for the surrounding municipalities. As of the 2021 census, the city of Štip had ...

(District of Bregalnica; former Serbia) # District of Tetovo (former Serbia) # District of

Travnik Travnik ( cyrl, Травник) is a town and a municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the administrative center of the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, ...

(former Austria-Hungary) # District of

Tuzla Tuzla (, , ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inha ...

(former Austria-Hungary) # District of Užice (former Serbia and North Montenegro) # District of

Valjevo Valjevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Ваљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Kolubara District in western Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 56,145 while the city admini ...

(former Serbia) # County of Varaždin (former Austria-Hungary) # District of Veliki Bečkerek (former Austria-Hungary) # District of Vranje (former Serbia) # County of

Vukovar Vukovar (; sr-Cyrl, Вуковар, , ) is a city in Croatia, in the eastern Regions of Croatia, regions of Syrmia and Slavonia. It contains Croatia's largest river port, located at the confluence of the Vuka (river), Vuka and the Danube. Vukova ...

( County of Syrmia; former Austria-Hungary) # County of Zagreb (former Austria-Hungary) # District of

Zaječar Zaječar ( sr-Cyrl, Зајечар, ; or ) is a city and the administrative center of the Zaječar District in eastern Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city administrative area had a population of 48,621 inhabitants. Zaječar is widely ...

(former Serbia)

Oblasts (1922–1929)

The Vidovdan Constitution of 1921 established the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes as a

unitary state A unitary state is a (Sovereign state, sovereign) State (polity), state governed as a single entity in which the central government is the supreme authority. The central government may create or abolish administrative divisions (sub-national or ...

and, in 1922, 33 new administrative ''

oblast An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often translated i ...

s'' (counties) ruled from the centre were instituted. These bore no relation to the earlier divisions and, in the interest of promoting

Yugoslavism Yugoslavism, Yugoslavdom, or Yugoslav nationalism is an ideology supporting the notion that the South Slavs, namely the Bosniaks, Bulgarians, Croats, Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonians, Montenegrins, Serbs and Slovenes belong to a single ...

statism In political science, statism or etatism (from French, ''état'' 'state') is the doctrine that the political authority of the state is legitimate to some degree. This may include economic and social policy, especially in regard to taxation ...

and

multiculturalism Multiculturalism is the coexistence of multiple cultures. The word is used in sociology, in political philosophy, and colloquially. In sociology and everyday usage, it is usually a synonym for ''Pluralism (political theory), ethnic'' or cultura ...

, were not given any ethnic or national names. They were largely named after rivers, regions and cities from which they were administered. They were unpopular in parts of the country since their formation, which led to the creation of banates. # Oblast of Banja Luka (Vrbas Oblast) # Oblast of Belgrade # Oblast of Bihać # Oblast of Bitola # Oblast of Čačak (Raška Oblast) # Oblast of

(Zeta Oblast) # Oblast of Ćuprija # Oblast of

# Oblast of

Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. In the 2021 census, its population was 49,377. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located southwest of Zagreb and northeast of Rijeka, and is connected to them via the ...

(Primorsko-Krajina Oblast) # Oblast of

(Šumadija Oblast) # Oblast of

# Oblast of

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

# Oblast of Maribor # Oblast of

# Oblast of

# Oblast of Novi Sad ( Bačka Oblast) # Oblast of Osijek # Oblast of

# Oblast of Priština (Kosovo Oblast) # Oblast of

(Podrinje Oblast) # Oblast of

# Oblast of

(Podunavlje Oblast) # Oblast of Split # Oblast of

# Oblast of Travnik # Oblast of

# Oblast of Užice (Zlatibor Oblast?) # Oblast of

# Oblast of Vranje # Oblast of Vukovar (Syrmia Oblast) # Oblast of Zagreb # Oblast of

(Timok Oblast)

Banates (banovinas; 1929–1941)

From 1929, the kingdom was subdivided into nine new

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

s or banates called ''banovinas''. Their borders were intentionally drawn so that they would not correspond either to boundaries between ethnic groups, or to pre-

imperial borders. Except for the Littoral Banovina, they were named after major rivers. Slight changes to their borders were made in 1931 with the new Yugoslav Constitution. The banates (banovinas) were as follows: # Danube Banovina (''Dunavska banovina''), capital:

# Drava Banovina (''Dravska banovina''), capital:

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

# Drina Banovina (''Drinska banovina''), capital:

# Littoral Banovina (''Primorska banovina''), capital: Split # Morava Banovina (''Moravska banovina''), capital:

# Sava Banovina (''Savska banovina''), capital:

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

# Vardar Banovina (''Vardarska banovina''), capital:

# Vrbas Banovina (''Vrbaska banovina''), capital: in

# Zeta Banovina (''Zetska banovina''), capital: in

The City of

, together with Zemun and Pančevo was also an administrative unit independent of the surrounding Danube Banovina.Istorijski atlas, Geokarta, Beograd, 1999

Banovina of Croatia (1939–1941)

As an accommodation to

Croat The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

ian politicians in the Cvetković-Maček Agreement, the Banovina of Croatia (''Banovina Hrvatska'') was formed in 1939 from a merger of the Littoral and Sava Banovinas, with some additional territory from the Drina, Dunav, Vrbas and Zeta Banovinas where ethnic

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

formed the majority of the population. Like Sava, its capital was

, the second largest city in the country.

Notes

External links

Map of Yugoslav banates (banovinas)
{{Yugoslavia topics . * * .

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

Pre-Yugoslav subdivisions (1918–1922)

Oblasts (1922–1929)

Banates (banovinas; 1929–1941)

Banovina of Croatia (1939–1941)

See also

Notes

External links