Šumadija

Šumadija (Шумадија) is a geographical region in Serbia. The area was heavily forested, hence the name ("Šuma" - forest). The city of Kragujevac is the center of the region, and the administrative center of the Šumadijski okrug (Šumadija District) in Central Serbia.

History

During the 19th century, the forests of Sumadija was the refuge for the Hajduks that fought the Turks. The first uprising in 1804 was led by national hero Karageorge. The second uprising by the Serbs in 1815 was led by Miloš Obrenović who successfully repelled the Turkish forces and by 1830, Serbia had gained its full autonomy because of Miloš effort and negotiating and Serbia was finally an independent state, after centuries under Ottoman reign.

Between 1922 and 1929, one of the administrative units of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was named Šumadijska Oblast. It roughly included territory of present-day Šumadija District of Serbia, and its seat was Kragujevac, which is a seat of the modern district as well.

Cities

Some of the large cities in Šumadija are:
* Aranđelovac
* Čačak
* Gornji Milanovac
* Jagodina
* Ćuprija
* Paraćin
* Kragujevac
* Kraljevo
* Smederevo
* Smederevska Palanka

Other cities are Velika Plana, Trstenik, Ćićevac, Topola, Lapovo, Mladenovac, Lazarevac, Ljig,Grocka, Belanovica,Lučani and Rača. According to geographical borders of Šumadija,part of the capital of Serbia,Belgrade also belongs to this region. Despite that,Belgrade is considered as a special teritorial unit,distinguished from the rest of the region.

Politics

Some political parties of Serbia (notably Democratic Party of Serbia and Šumadija Coalition) propose the creation of the new administrative units of Serbia rather than the current 2 autonomous provinces and central administrative region. This proposal if adopted would stabilize the country and allow for more flexible development of the region's. According to these proposals, Serbia would be divided into 6 regions:
*Vojvodina (capital city: Novi Sad)
*Kosovo (capital city: Priština)
*Šumadija (capital city: Kragujevac)
*Podunavlje (capital city: Niš)
*Podrinje (capital city: Užice)
*Belgrade City Region.

ee also

* Geographical regions in Serbia
* Šumadija District

External links

* [http://www.stragari.co.yu/ Stragari - village in Šumadija]
* [http://www.zastavinsoliter.com]