Niš

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City of Niš
Град Ниш


Flag
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): The Emperor's city[1]
Location of Niš within Serbia
Coordinates: 21°53′46″E / 43.31917°N 21.89611°E / 43.31917; 21.89611
Country Serbia
District Nišava
Municipalities 5
Government
 - Mayor Mr Milos Simonovic (DS)
 - Ruling parties DS/G17+/SPS
Area
 - City 597 km² (230.5 sq mi)
Elevation 195 m (640 ft)
Population (2002)[2]
 - City 255 180
 - Density 420/km² (1,087.8/sq mi)
 - Urban 231 590
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 18000
Area code(s) (+381) 18
Car plates NI
Website www.ni.rs

Niš (Serbian: Ниш, pronounced [niːʃ]  ( listen); (Turkish: Niş, Greek: Ναϊσσός, Naïssós, English sometimes Nissa[3]) is a city in Nišava District, Serbia situated at 43.3° N 21.9° E, on the Nišava River. With more than 253,077 inhabitants it is the largest city in southern Serbia and the third-largest city in the country, after Belgrade and Novi Sad, according to the data from May 2009. The city covers an area of about 597 square kilometres, including the city of Niš itself, the Niška Banja spa and 68 suburbs. Niš Constantine the Great Airport (Аеродром Константин Велики) is its international airport with the destination code INI. Niš is the administrative center of the Nišava District of Serbia.

Situated at crossroads of Balkan and Central European highways, connecting Asia Minor to Europe, Niš is one of the oldest cities in the Balkans, and has from ancient times been considered a gateway between the East and the West. It is home to one of Serbia's oldest Christian churches dating to the 4th century in the suburb of Mediana.[4] Niš is also notable as the birthplace of Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman Emperor and the founder of Constantinople,[5] as well as two other Roman emperors, Constantius III and Justin I.

Niš is a university center. There are about 30,000 university students at the University of Niš, which comprises 13 faculties. Niš is also one of the most important industrial centres in Serbia, a center of electronics industry (see Elektronska Industrija Niš), industry of mechanical engineering, textile industry and tobacco industry. In 2013 the city will host the Ecumenical Assembly of Christian Churches, in honour to 1700 years of Constantine´s Edict of Milan.[6]

Geography and climate

Niš is situated at the 43°19' latitude north and 21°54' longitude east in the Nišava Valley, near the spot where it joins the Južna Morava River. It is in Niš that the trunk road running from the north down the Morava River valley forks into two major lines: - the south one, leading to Thessalonica and Athens, - and the east one, leading towards Sofia and Istanbul, and further on, towards the Near East. The central city area is at 194m altitude above sea level (the Main City Square). The highest point in the city area is Sokolov kamen (Falcon's rock) on Suva Planina Mountain (1523m) while the lowest spot is at Trupale, near the mouth of the Nišava (173m). The city area covers 596.71 km².

Niš
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D

average max. and min. temperatures in °C
precipitation totals in mm
source: Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia
Imperial conversion
J F M A M J J A S O N D

average max. and min. temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches

The climate of the Niš area is moderate and continental, with an average temperature of 11.2°C. July is the warmest month of the year, with the average of 21.2°C. The coldest month is January, averaging at 0.2°C. The average of the annual rainfall is 567.25 mm/m². The average barometer value is 992.74 mb. There are 123 days with rain and 43 days with snow. On the average, the wind force is just below 3 Beaufort.

History

Early history

Archaeological evidence shows a neolithic settlement in the city dating from 5,000 to 2,000 BCE[7].

The city's early name under the Roman Empire remained Naissus, which is the Latin name derived from its original name Naissos.

The etymology of the original name Naissos ("city of the nymphs") was derived from a mythical creature of Greek mythology - Naiad (from the Greek νάειν, "to flow," and νἃμα, "running water") which was the nymph of freshwater streams rivers and lakes. Niš is a possible location of Nysa, a mythical place in Greek mythology where the young god Dionysus was raised.

Navissos, was the name of the Celtic settlement.[8]

At the time of the conquest of the Balkans by Rome, Naissos was used as a base for operations. Naissus was first mentioned in Roman documents near the beginning of 2nd century CE, and was considered a place worthy of note in the Geography of Ptolemy of Alexandria. The Romans occupied the town in the period of the "Dardanian War" (75-73 BC), and the city developed as a strategic crossroads, garrison and market town in the province of Moesia Superior.