Serbia (along with Montenegro) is one of two federal provinces of what is left of Yugoslavia. Serbia's dominance in the Yugoslav Federation (such as the federal capital being Belgrade) contributed to its disintegration. Serbia consists of the area historically and traditionally known as "Serbia", as well as two formally autonomous provinces, Vojvodina and Kosovo. Kosovo, however, is controlled by the UN with the KFOR forces, and is politically and culturally severed from Serbia; the border between Serbia and Kosovo is currently closed. Despite this, Kosovo is still recognized as a part of Serbia until its future is decided.

Important cities in Serbia include the capital Belgrade, the southern city of Nis (written with a hook on the s and thus pronounced "nish"), and the university town of Novi Sad located in central Vojvodina.