Pčinja District


The Pčinja District is one of nine administrative districts of Southern and Eastern Serbia. It covers the southern part of Serbia, bordering the disputed territory of Kosovo, along with Bulgaria and North Macedonia. Its administrative center is the city of Vranje.
According to the 2011 census, the district has a population of 159,081. Due to an Albanian boycott, the actual population is likely greater than is stated in the official statistics. One estimate suggests between 20,000–50,000 more people than recorded live in the district.
The Vranjska Banja spa plays a part in this region, with its multi-medicinal thermal mineral waters.

Municipalities

It encompasses the municipalities of:

Culture and history

The ancient Paeonian tribe of the Agrianians ruled the region in antiquity.
Cultural-historic monuments date back from over five centuries ago. The earliest military fortification, Marko's Fortress, was established in the 13th century. Also famous are the ancient Turkish public baths from the 16th century and the Pasha's House from 1765, in which a grammar school was opened in 1882.
In 2001, uprisings by Albanians occurred in the Albanian-majority municipalities of Preševo and Bujanovac. In addition, reports emerged in 2006 that the municipality of Trgovište had threatened to secede itself to North Macedonia, which was noteworthy because it has a majority Serb population. Representatives cited economic hardship and a declining population as grievances against Serbia’s government.

Demographics

Ethnic composition

;1992
;2002
;2011