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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Žitorađa

Žitorađa (Serbian Cyrillic: Житорађа, pronounced [ʒîtorad͡ʑa]) is a town and municipality located in the Toplica District of southern Serbia. The municipality includes 30 settlements. According to the 2022 census, the population of the municipality is 13,782 inhabitants.

Geography

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

Settlements

Location within Toplica District

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.

In the Expulsion of the Albanians during 1877 and 1878, many Albanians were forced to leave Žitorađa and its surroundings and became muhaxhirs.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
194821,250—    
195322,427+1.08%
196122,071−0.20%
197121,224−0.39%
198120,710−0.24%
199119,545−0.58%
200218,207−0.64%
201116,368−1.18%
202213,782−1.55%
Source:

The municipality had 16,368 people, according to the 2011 census.

Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of the municipality:

Ethnic group Population %
Serbs 14,735 90.02%
Roma 1,366 8.35%
Montenegrins 113 0.69%
Macedonians 11 0.07%
Others 143 0.87%
Total 16,368

Economy

The economy of Žitorada is mostly based on agriculture. There are 23,300 hectares of arable land. 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.

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):

Activity Total
Agriculture, forestry and fishing 100
Mining and quarrying -
Manufacturing 201
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply 10
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities 29
Construction 138
Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles 260
Transportation and storage 30
Accommodation and food services 22
Information and communication 5
Financial and insurance activities 5
Real estate activities -
Professional, scientific and technical activities 45
Administrative and support service activities 20
Public administration and defense; compulsory social security 119
Education 243
Human health and social work activities 138
Arts, entertainment and recreation 28
Other service activities 23
Individual agricultural workers 266
Total 1,685

Trivia

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. The whole wedding was broadcast nationwide on RTV Pink.

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "Municipalities of Serbia, 2006". Statistical Office of Serbia. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  2. ^ "Census 2022: Total population, by municipalities and cities". popis2022.stat.gov.rs.
  3. ^ Manaj, Ramë; Osmani, Jusuf; Mekaj, Shpresa; Aliu, Bekim (2018). THE EXPULSION OF ALBANIANS FROM SANJAK OF NISH 1877/78. Prishtinë: STATE AGENCY OF KOSOVO ARCHIVES. pp. 14–26.
  4. ^ "2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Serbia" (PDF). stat.gov.rs. Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Žitorađa Official site, Information (PDF)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-12-18. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
  6. ^ "MUNICIPALITIES AND REGIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA, 2019" (PDF). stat.gov.rs. Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. 25 December 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  7. ^ Laurence Mitchell, "Serbia, 2nd", p. 49