Population in the territory of the economic-geographic unit of the Vrsac mountains

Abstract

Vrsac mountains are located in a direction west-east from Vrsac, through the Serbian-Romanian border, to the river Cerna. Their surface is about 172 km2, of which 122 km2 in the territory of Serbia, and 50 km2 in the territory of Romania. Considering the direction position and gravity zone of mountains of Vrsac, Vrsac mountain economic area on the Serbian side includes a district of nine settlements (Vrsac, Mali Zam, Malo Srediste, Veliko Srediste, Markovac, Mesic, Jablanka, Gudurica, Socica) with a total area of 424 km2. Changes in population in the settlements of the Vrsac Mountains can be traced in the course of 166 years (from the 1836 to 2002) because we have reliable statistics for that period. The population changes show a nearly linear increase in Vrsac itself and the decline of the population in other eight villages. In the area of economic geographic area of the mountains of Vrsac, according to the 2002 census there were 40.736 inhabitants (74,9% of the total population in the municipality Vrsac). The population is ethnically heterogeneous and this composition, to a greater or lesser extent, dates back to colonization during the 18th and 19 century. .