Facts and figures about Serbia

-CAPITAL: Belgrade.

-POPULATION: 7.5 million.

-GEOGRAPHY: Located in Europe's southeast, Serbia is a landlocked nation that includes both fertile lands in the north and mountain ranges in central areas. Serbia borders Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Macedonia.

-PEOPLE: Serbs, of Slavic origin, are the majority population; minorities include ethnic Hungarians and ethnic Albanians.

-LANGUAGE: Serbian.

-HISTORY: Established in the Middle Ages, Serbia fell under Turkish Ottoman rule in the 15th century but was liberated in the mid-19th century. After World War I, it merged with Montenegro and parts of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire to form Yugoslavia, a constitutional monarchy under a Serbian dynasty. The Nazis conquered Yugoslavia in 1941, but it re-emerged as a communist federation after WWII, led by Josip Broz Tito. The dictator died in 1980 and the federation dissolved in 1991 in a series of conflicts between Serbs, Croats and Muslims over disputed territories.

-ECONOMY: Has shown signs of recovery from the 1990s wars launched by strongman Slobodan Milosevic. Average wages have risen to about $690 a month, but unemployment remains high at about 30 percent. Per-capita gross national product of about $6,100 puts Serbia among Europe's paupers.

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Sources: AP, government statistics.