Šumadija

Šumadija (Serbian Cyrillic: Шумадија) is a geographical region in Serbia. The area was heavily forested, hence the name (Šuma - forest). The city of Kragujevac is the center of the region, and the administrative center of the Šumadija District in Central Serbia.

Borders
Šumadija is located between rivers Sava and Danube in the north, river Velika Morava in the east, river Zapadna Morava in the south, and Kolubara, Ljig and Dičina in the west.Miodrag Milošević, Geografija za 8. razred osnovne škole, Beograd, 1994. According to some interpretations (for example, physiologists such as Jovan Cvijić and ethnologist such as Erdeljanović.Ivić, Beleske o biogračićkom govoru, Srpski dijalektoloski zbornik, 24/1978, 125), 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.

History
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 the Turkish forces and, by 1830, Serbia had gained its full autonomy. Because of Miloš's efforts and negotiations Serbia was finally an independent state, after centuries under Ottoman reign.

Between 1922 and 1929, one of the administrative units of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was named 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.

Cities
Some of the large cities and towns in Šumadija are:
Belgrade (most of it)
Kragujevac
Čačak (northern part)
Aranđelovac
Gornji Milanovac
Jagodina
Smederevo
Smederevska Palanka
Mladenovac
Lazarevac
Velika Plana

Other smaller towns include:
Knić
Varvarin
Topola
Lapovo
Ljig
Grocka
Belanovica
Rača
Barajevo
Sopot
Batočina
Rekovac

Related pages
Šumadija District
Geographical regions in Serbia
Central Region (Serbia)

References

Other websites
Šumadija (with Pomoravlje) on serbiainyourhands.com 
Stragari - village in Šumadija