Šumadija (Serbian Cyrillic: Шумадија, Serbo-Croatian pronunciation: [ʃumǎdija]) is a geographical region in Serbia. The area is heavily covered with forests, hence the name (from šuma 'forest'). The city of Kragujevac is the center of the region, and the administrative center of the Šumadija District in Central Serbia.
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Šumadija is located between rivers Sava and Danube in the north, river Great Morava in the east, river West Morava in the south, and Kolubara, Ljig and Dičina in the west. [1] According to some interpretations (for example, physiologists such as Jovan Cvijić and ethnologist such as Erdeljanović. [2]), the northern border of Šumadija lay between Avala and Kosmaj mountain. According to that view, the capital of Serbia, Belgrade does not belong to this region.
During the 18th century, the forests of Šumadija were the refuge for the Hajduks that fought against Ottoman occupation. The first Serbian uprising in 1804 was led by national hero Karađorđe. The second Serbian uprising in 1815 was led by Miloš Obrenović who successfully repelled Turkish forces and, by 1830, gained full autonomy for Serbia. Because of Miloš Obrenović's leadership, Serbia regained its independence, after centuries under Ottoman occupation.
Between 1922 and 1929, one of the administrative units in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was the Šumadijska Oblast. It roughly included territory of present-day Šumadija District with its administrative seat in Kragujevac, which is the seat of the modern district as well.
Some of the large cities and towns in Šumadija are:
Other smaller towns include:
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