Žitorađa

For the village in Vladičin Han, see Žitorađe.
Žitorađa
Житорађа
Municipality and Town

Flag

Coat of arms

Location of the municipality of Žitorađa within Serbia
Coordinates: 43°11′N 21°43′E / 43.183°N 21.717°E / 43.183; 21.717Coordinates: 43°11′N 21°43′E / 43.183°N 21.717°E / 43.183; 21.717
Country  Serbia
District Toplica
Settlements 30
Government
  Mayor Goran Stojkovich (DS)
Area[1]
  Municipality 214 km2 (83 sq mi)
Population (2011 census)[2]
  Municipality 16,368
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 18412
Area code +381 27
Car plates PK
Website www.zitoradja.org

Žitorađa (Serbian Cyrillic: Житорађа, pronounced [ʒîtorad͡ʑa]) is a village and municipality in the Toplica District of Serbia. The municipality includes 30 settlements. According to the 2011 census, the population of the municipality is 16,368 inhabitants.

Geography

Žitorađa is 35 km to the south-west from Niš. It lies 10 km from Corridor 10, which connects Serbia with R. Macedonia, Greece and further east.

Settlements

Aside from the town of Žitorađa, the municipality includes the following settlements:

History

The village has its origins in the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) town "Ad Herculum" (Ad Hercules), which existed in the 4th century. The archaeological site of the Byzantine town is known as Žitoradsko kale, located on the Pasjača mountain, while a "Latin church" dating to the period is located in Glašince.

The primary school was founded in 1873. In 1877, the region was liberated from the Ottoman Empire. This event is considered the founding year of Žitorađa municipality.

The village was the site of the pre-ceremonial wedding of Serbian folk singer Svetlana Ražnatović "Ceca", who was born in the village, and Željko Ražnatović "Arkan", a notorious career criminal and paramilitary leader, on 19 February 1995.[3] The whole wedding was broadcast nationwide on RTV Pink.

Economy

The economy of Žitorada is mostly based on agriculture.[4] There are 23,300 hectares of arable land.[4] The farm “December 1st” has the capacity of 30,000,000 fattened pigs per year, and it is one of the most successful in the whole of Serbia.[4]

Demographics

The municipality had 16,368 people according to the 2011 census. The major ethnic groups were:

Ethnic group Population
Serbs14,735
Roma1,366
Montenegrins113
Macedonians11
Others143
Total16,368

Notable people

References

  1. "Municipalities of Serbia, 2006". Statistical Office of Serbia. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  2. "2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Serbia: Comparative Overview of the Number of Population in 1948, 1953, 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, 2002 and 2011, Data by settlements" (PDF). Statistical Office of Republic Of Serbia, Belgrade. 2014. ISBN 978-86-6161-109-4. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  3. Laurence Mitchell, "Serbia, 2nd", p. 49
  4. 1 2 3 Žitorađa Official site, Information (PDF)
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