Serbia has a rich culture and background. Serbia is about the size of Maine(34,136 square miles) and is landlocked because Montenegro split apart from Serbia, making Serbia landlocked. Being landlocked happens when a country does not border a sea or ocean. Although landlocked, Serbia has over 2,000 navigatable rivers and canals. The Danube, Sava, Tisa, Morava, and Drina rivers are all very important because they connect Serbia to much of Europe. Serbia can import and export goods on the waterways. Serbia has a history of starting and fighting in wars. Serbia started World War I by assassinating archduke Franz Ferdinand thinking that it would free Serbs in Bosnia. However, Austria declared war and alliances were formed. World War I was called “The Great War” before World War II because people didn’t know that there would be two world wars.

Serbians think of themselves as heroic and proud people.After their history of resisting most threats(Turks, Austrians, and Germans), from the Serbians point of view, they are liberators (meaning they set people free) and warriors. Serbians honor the memory of past wars and battles and most would rather die heroicly than surrender. Serbians are an emotional people and are not very private about their feelings.

Serbians are generally concerned about their appearance in public. Jeans and running shoes are popular to wear throughout the country. If you went to Serbia, you would rarely see anyone with gray hair, even less than in the United States. 

It is very impolite to yawn, stretch, or crack your knuckles in public. It also used yo be rude to smoke in public areas. It is polite to have eye-contact, especially during a toast. Serbians like to visit and entertain. They generally talk while smoking and drinking coffee or rakija (rakija is an alchoholic drink generally made from plums).  People sometimes plan  visits but not very far in advance. People bring gifts to the social gatherings like flowers, coffee, or a boxes of chocolate.