ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Demographic history of Serbia

Okay kiddo, let's talk about the history of the people who have lived in Serbia. A long, long time ago, there were some people called the Illyrians who lived there. Then, the Romans came and took over the area and made it part of their big empire.

After the Romans left, a group of people called the Slavs moved in and settled in the area. Over time, these Slavs became the Serbs we know today.

But Serbia didn't always look the way it does now. In the past, Serbia was part of different empires and kingdoms, first the Bulgarian Empire, then the Hungarian Kingdom, and later the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over the region for hundreds of years.

During the Ottoman rule, many Serbs converted to Islam and became known as Bosniaks. However, when Serbia became independent in the 19th century, many Serbs decided to return to their Orthodox Christian faith.

Fast forward to more recent times, during the 20th century, Serbia was part of a country called Yugoslavia, which included several other countries in the region. However, in the 1990s, Yugoslavia fell apart and Serbia became an independent country once again.

Throughout all these changes, different groups of people have lived in Serbia, including Serbs, Hungarians, Roma, and Bosniaks. Today, Serbia is still home to these different ethnic groups, who all have their own cultures and traditions.