Belgrade (Serbo-Croatian Beograd), capital and largest city of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in the republic of Serbia, located

at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers Deposits of coal and lead are located nearby, and the city is an industrial center in !hich "achinery, electrical e#uip"ent, processed food, pottery, and te$tiles are "anufactured Belgrade is econo"ically i"portant also as a center, by rail and river, for the region%s e$port and i"port trade Built on the site of an ancient stronghold, Belgrade "eans &!hite fortress ' ( "edieval citadel, the )ale"egdan, still e$ists in the city, although "uch of the structure !as renovated in the *+th century, today it houses a "ilitary "useu" (lso located in Belgrade are the -niversity of Belgrade (*+./), Belgrade (rts -niversity (*012), the 3ational 4useu", the 4useu" of 4odern (rt, a *0th-century 5rthodo$ cathedral, and the seat of the Serbian (cade"y of Sciences Fro" the founding of the city, various peoples have fought for possession of it Fro" the /rd century bc to the 2th century ad, Belgrade, then 6no!n as Singidunu", !as held successively by the Celts, Ro"ans, 7uns, Sar"atians, and 8oths, then it !as ta6en by the By9antines, the Fran6s, the Bulgars, and again by the By9antines Because of its strategic position on the route bet!een Constantinople (present-day :stanbul) and ;ienna, the city continued throughout the 4iddle (ges to be the pri9e of hard-fought contests, in addition, Belgrade occupied a co""anding post on the Danube River <he By9antine 8ree6s, the Bulgars, the Serbs, and the 4agyars (7ungarians) !ere "asters of Belgrade at various ti"es fro" the *=th century to the beginning of the *.th century <he 5tto"ans captured the city in *1=* and called it Darol-i->ehad (&ho"e of !ars of the faith') ?n *+.2 Belgrade !as finally freed of an 5tto"an garrison During @orld @ar ? (*0*A-*0*+) the city !as t!ice occupied by (ustrian troops ?n *0*0 Belgrade beca"e the capital of the ne!ly created )ingdo" of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (rena"ed the )ingdo" of Yugoslavia in *0=0) 8er"an troops held the city for the greater part of @orld @ar ?? (*0/0-*0A1) Fro" *0A1 to *00= it !as the capital of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (as the country !as called beginning in *0./) ?n *00=, after the brea6up of Yugoslavia, Serbia and 4ontenegro for"ed the ne! Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, !ith Belgrade as its capital Bopulation (*00+ esti"ate) *,10A,A+/ Belgrade
(Beograd) is the capital of Serbia, having about 1,6 million inhabitants. It is located in the southeast of Europe, in the Balkan eninsula, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. It is one of the oldest cities in Europe and since ancient times it has been an important traffic focal point, an intersection of the roads of Eastern and !estern Europe. Belgrade is the capital of Serbian culture, education, science and economy. "s a result of its tumultuous histor#, man# nations live in Belgrade for centuries, and the ma$orit# of the population make Serbs (%6&) of 'rthodo( persuasion. )he official language is *erbian, +hile foreigners are recommended to use English in communication.