The administrative districts () of Serbia are deconcentrated coordination units of the central government, established under the 2005 Law on State Administration and implemented through government decrees. They are not administrative divisions, as the administrative divisions of Serbia are constitutionally defined units of self-governance or autonomy, but rather regional operational centers serving ministerial field offices (such as branches of inspection authorities). Each has a territorial remit matching a certain cluster of municipalities and cities (which are constitutionally and statutorily defined administrative divisions).

Originally instituted by a 1992 government decree, there are 29 administrative districts, with the City of Belgrade having similar status. Following the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, the districts created by the UNMIK-Administration were adopted by Kosovo. The Serbian government does not recognize these districts.

Territorially, an administrative district is merely a designation of the territorial remit of a given regional centre of state administration, through which the central government exercises its power within a hierarchical structure. In practical and organizational terms, administrative districts are often small field offices coordinating deconcentrated state functions with no independent decision-making authority. Each is headed by a government-appointed functionary-level official titled Head of the Administrative District.

The administrative districts are generally named after historical and geographical regions, though some, such as the Pčinja District and the Nišava District, are named after local rivers. Their areas and populations vary, ranging from the relatively-small Podunavlje District to the much larger Zlatibor District. The term okrug (pl. okruzi) means "circuit" and corresponds (in literal meaning) to in the German language. Prior to a 2006 decree, the administrative districts were named simply districts.

Definition Administrative districts were first defined by the decree of the Government of Serbia on 29 January 1992, which specified that ministries and other national-level agencies shall conduct their affairs outside their headquarters (i.e. outside the seat of government) via regional offices that they may establish per the designated clusters of municipalities (named only "districts"), also designating the administrative seat of each district ("regional centre of state administration"). The 2005 Law on Public Administration provided a legal definition of a district, under the term "administrative district".

In 2006, the Government enacted the Decree on Administrative Districts, which renamed the districts into administrative districts.

The territorial organisation of Serbia is regulated by the Law on Territorial Organisation, adopted by the National Assembly on 29 December 2007. According to the Law, the territorial organisation of Serbia comprises municipalities and cities, the City of Belgrade with special status, and autonomous provinces. subject to this law, or even mentioned in it, administrative districts are not territorial organization units. Serbia's territory is not politically subdivided into them, and rather than being further divisible into municipalities, each overlaps with its corresponding cluster of municipalities. As such, administrative districts are not articulations of local governance or autonomy and are purely a mechanism of deconcentration (the weakest form of decentralization), remaining dependent on the central executive branch.

As extensions of the central government that lack standalone institutional personality, administrative districts do not possess flags or coats of arms.

List of districts Under the Law on Public Administration, administrative districts are formed by the Government by its Decree on Administrative Districts, which also determines the territory and head office of each administrative district. There are 29 administrative districts in the Republic of Serbia.

District Seat Area in km2 Population Populationper km2 Municipalities and cities SettlementsBor District (Borski okrug) Bor3,507101,10028.8 City of Bor Kladovo Majdanpek Negotin90Braničevo District (Braničevski okrug) Požarevac3,865156,36740.5City of Požarevac Golubac Kučevo Malo Crniće Petrovac Veliko Gradište Žabari Žagubica189Central Banat District (Srednjobanatski okrug) Zrenjanin3,256157,71148.4City of Zrenjanin Novi Bečej Nova Crnja Sečanj Žitište55Jablanica District (Jablanički okrug) Leskovac2,769184,50266.6City of Leskovac Bojnik Crna Trava Lebane Medveđa Vlasotince336 Kolubara District (Kolubarski okrug) Valjevo 2,474 154,497 62.4City of Valjevo Lajkovac Ljig Mionica Osečina Ub218 Mačva District (Mačvanski okrug) Šabac 3,268 265,377 81.2Bogatić City of Šabac City of Loznica Vladimirci Koceljeva Krupanj Ljubovija Mali Zvornik228 Moravica District (Moravički okrug) Čačak 3,016 189,281 62.8City of Čačak Gornji Milanovac Ivanjica Lučani206Nišava District (Nišavski okrug) Niš2,729343,950126.0City of Niš Aleksinac Doljevac Gadžin Han Merošina Ražanj Svrljig285North Bačka District (Severnobački okrug) Subotica1,784160,16389.8City of Subotica Bačka Topola Mali Iđoš45North Banat District (Severnobanatski okrug) Kikinda2,329117,89650.6City of Kikinda Ada Čoka Kanjiža Novi Kneževac Senta50Pčinja District (Pčinjski okrug) Vranje3,520193,80255.1City of Vranje Bosilegrad Bujanovac Preševo Surdulica Trgovište Vladičin Han363Pirot District (Pirotski okrug) Pirot2,76176,70027.8City of Pirot Babušnica Bela Palanka Dimitrovgrad214Podunavlje District (Podunavski okrug) Smederevo1,248175,573140.7City of Smederevo Smederevska Palanka Velika Plana58 Pomoravlje District (Pomoravski okrug) Jagodina 2,614 182,047 69.6City of Jagodina Ćuprija Despotovac Paraćin Rekovac Svilajnac191 Rasina District (Rasinski okrug) Kruševac 2,667 207,197 77.7City of Kruševac Aleksandrovac Brus Ćićevac Trstenik Varvarin296 Raška District (Raški okrug) Kraljevo 3,918 296,532 75.7City of Kraljevo City of Novi Pazar Raška Tutin Vrnjačka Banja359South Bačka District (Južnobački okrug) Novi Sad4,016607,178151.2City of Novi Sad Bač Bačka Palanka Bački Petrovac Bečej Beočin Srbobran Sremski Karlovci Temerin Titel Vrbas Žabalj77South Banat District (Južnobanatski okrug) Pančevo4,245260,24461.3City of Pančevo City of Vršac Alibunar Bela Crkva Kovin Kovačica Opovo Plandište94Srem District (Sremski okrug) Sremska Mitrovica3,486282,54781.1City of Sremska Mitrovica Inđija Irig Pećinci Ruma Stara Pazova Šid109 Šumadija District (Šumadijski okrug) Kragujevac 2,387 269,728 113.0City of Kragujevac Aranđelovac Batočina Knić Lapovo Rača Topola174Toplica District (Toplički okrug) Prokuplje2,23177,34134.7City of Prokuplje Blace Kuršumlija Žitorađa267West Bačka District (Zapadnobački okrug) Sombor2,420154,49163.8City of Sombor Apatin Kula Odžaci37Zaječar District (Zaječarski okrug) Zaječar3,62396,71526.7City of Zaječar Boljevac Knjaževac Sokobanja173 Zlatibor District (Zlatiborski okrug) Užice 6,140 254,659 41.5City of Užice Arilje Bajina Bašta Čajetina Kosjerić Nova Varoš Požega Priboj Prijepolje Sjenica438Kosovo District(Kosovski okrug) Priština3,310570,835172.5Glogovac Kačanik Kosovo Polje Lipljan Obilić Podujevo Priština Štimlje Štrpce Uroševac393Kosovo-Pomoravlje District(Kosovsko-pomoravski okrug) Gnjilane1,389184,864133.1Gnjilane Kosovska Kamenica Novo Brdo Vitina184Kosovska Mitrovica District(Kosovsko-mitrovački okrug) Kosovska Mitrovica2,053234,262114.1Kosovska Mitrovica Leposavić Srbica Vučitrn Zubin Potok Zvečan335Peć District(Pećki okrug) Peć2,459351,680143.2Dečani Đakovica Istok Klina Peć317Prizren District(Prizrenski okrug) Prizren2,196319,330145.4Gora Orahovac Prizren Suva Reka220

See also ISO 3166-2:RS

Notes and references Notes

References

Sources

External links Administration for Joint Services of the Republic Bodies, list of administrative districts' official websites (in Serbian) Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, interactive administrative district map (in Serbian)