15th February: Serbia Statehood Day

Today is Serbia's national day. Here are some facts you may not know about Serbia:

1. Serbia is landlocked. It borders Hungary to the north; Romania and Bulgaria to the east; Macedonia to the south; and Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro to the west; it also claims a border with Albania through the disputed territory of Kosovo.
2. The Midžor peak of the Balkan Mountains at 2,169m is the highest peak in Serbia.
3. 20% of Roman emperors were born in Serbia, including Constantine the Great, who was born in the Serbian city of Niš.
4. Serbia is the largest exporter of raspberries in the world.
5. The Serbian language is unique in that it can be written with the Latin alphabet or the Cyrillic alphabet. The Cyrillic alphabet is the official one, but the Latin one is widely used. The Serbian language has contributed just one word to the rest of the world, and that word is "Vampire".
6. Belgrade is the capital and largest city.
7. A number of world renowned scientists hail from Serbia: Mihailo Petrović is known for having contributed significantly to differential equations and phenomenology, as well as inventing one of the first prototypes of an analog computer; Milutin Milanković is known for his theory of ice ages; Mihajlo Pupin discovered a means of extending the range of long-distance telephone communication by placing loading coils of wire (known as Pupin coils) at intervals along the transmitting wire (this is known as "pupinization"); but the most famous of all is Nikola Tesla, known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system.
8. Serbia had a clock making industry 600 years before Switzerland did.
9. The first picture to be transmitted by video by satellite from Europe to America in 1963 was a picture of a fresco in a Serbian monastery - "White Angel".
10. Serbia claims to be the birthplace of rakia, a highly alcoholic drink made from fruit. Its national drink is a type of rakia, Slivovitz (šljivovica), a plum brandy.