# Svrljig

Svrljig (Serbian Cyrillic: Сврљиг, pronounced; until 1904 Derven, Serbian Cyrillic: Дервен) is a town and municipality located in the Nišava District of the southern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the town has a population of 6,762 inhabitants, while the municipality has 10,781.

## Geography

Svrljig is situated on the river Svrljiški Timok, 30 km east from Niš, the third largest city in Serbia. Nearby villages include Crnoljevica and Prekonoga.

## Settlements

Aside from the town of Svrljig, the municipality includes the following settlements:
* Beloinje
* Bučum
* Burdimo
* Crnoljevica
* Davidovac
* Drajinac
* Đurinac
* Galibabinac
* Gojmanovac
* Grbavče
* Gulijan
* Guševac
* Izvor
* Kopajkošara
* Labukovo
* Lalinac
* Lozan
* Lukovo
* Manojlica
* Mečji Do
* Merdželat
* Niševac
* Okolište
* Okruglica
* Palilula
* Periš
* Pirkovac
* Plužina
* Popšica
* Prekonoga
* Radmirovac
* Ribare
* Slivje
* Šljivovik
* Tijovac
* Varoš
* Vlahovo
* Željevo

## History
### Anthropology

An anthropological study by Mihailo Kostić claimed that the Svrljig province was inhabited by mostly an "olden" population, while part descends from "colonists from the second half of the 15th century". According to Petar Vlahović, Svrljig is part of the Serbian Šopi ethnographical region.

### Middle Ages

Svrljig was the name of a župa (county) in the Middle Ages. It is mentioned (for the first time) in the geographical list of counties and cities in the 1019–20 charters of Byzantine Emperor Basil II. The settlement and its surrounding region is mentioned as part of the Eparchy of Niš. In 1183, Svrljig and other nearby fortifications were taken over by Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja. The fortification mostly dates to the medieval Serbian period. It was situated on the road which connected Niš with the road to Constantinople. An evangelion manuscript written in Svrljig in the Serbian redaction of Old Slavic dating to 1279 is preserved in fragments. After the fall of Braničevo under the Serbian king Stefan Milutin in 1290s Svrljig became a border region. Svrljig was conquered and plundered in 1413 by Ottoman prince Musa Çelebi. It was then part of Stefan Lazarević's Serbian Despotate.

### Early modern period

The town was known as Isferlik and Isfirlig in Ottoman Turkish. It was administratively part of the Sanjak of Vidin.

### Modern

During the Toplica Uprising (1917), Serbian guerrilla bands were active in the region.
In 1922, the Niš–Svrljig–Knjaževac–Zaječar highway was built. From 1929 to 1941, Svrljig was part of the Morava Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During World War II, Yugoslav Partisans were active in the region.

## Demographics

According to the 2011 census results, the municipality of Svrljig has 14,249 inhabitants.

### Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of the municipality is:
| Ethnic group | Population | % |
| Serbs | 13,843 | 97.15% |
| Roma | 157 | 1.10% |
| Hungarians | 9 | 0.06% |
| Macedonians | 8 | 0.06% |
| Bulgarians | 6 | 0.04% |
| Croats | 6 | 0.04% |
| Others | 220 | 1.54% |
| Total | 14,249 | |

## Economy

The following table gives a preview of total number of employed people per their core activity (as of 2017):
| Activity | Total |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 8 |
| Mining | - |
| Processing industry | 1,105 |
| Distribution of power, gas and water | 20 |
| Distribution of water and water waste management | 36 |
| Construction | 109 |
| Wholesale and retail, repair | 344 |
| Traffic, storage and communication | 88 |
| Hotels and restaurants | 73 |
| Media and telecommunications | 35 |
| Finance and insurance | 10 |
| Property stock and charter | - |
| Professional, scientific, innovative and technical activities | 54 |
| Administrative and other services | 12 |
| Administration and social assurance | 128 |
| Education | 172 |
| Healthcare and social work | 113 |
| Art, leisure and recreation | 4 |
| Other services | 28 |
| Total | 2,340 |