Lesson Three, Culture

School System

The school system in the target countries is divided into the following tiers:

• Elementary school - eight years, compulsory starts at age six or seven
• Secondary school - four years, facultative
• University, undergraduate level - four to five years
• University, graduate level - at least two years for M.A./M.S. degree

1) The grading system is different. A scale from 1 (failing) to 5 (excellent) is used at all levels in Croatia while universities in Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro use the scale from 5 (failing) to 10 (excellent).
2) All tiers except the graduate level at universities are far more demanding than in the US, in particular, students are required to acquire more information.
3) At the secondary-school and university levels, students usually follow a pre-determined set of courses with only limited possibilities to make choices.
4) Secondary schools are divided into general secondary schools (an equivalent of the American high school), which normally lead to the university level, and vocational secondary schools (similar to the American community colleges), which lead to jobs such as car mechanic, plumber, secretary, nurse, etc.
5) Education is generally free of charge although co-payment may be required for certain services.
6) One is not required to take courses when pursuing a Ph.D. degree. The only required elements are a record of publications and a Ph.D. thesis which needs to be defended.
7) Universities can be found only in major urban centers.

The most prestigious universities are University of Belgrade (Serbia), University of Novi Sad (Serbia), University of Sarajevo (Bosnia) , and University of Zagreb (Croatia).

Popular Sports and Teams

Sports are very important in the target countries. Any international appearance of domestic teams or national selection commands considerable attention. Soccer is the most popular sport in the region, followed by basketball. Other group sports such as volleyball, water polo, and handball (European game with goals like in soccer yet played indoors with ball thrown rather than kicked) also enjoy considerable popularity. Appearances of national soccer selections at the world cup are normally associated with empty streets and closed stores and offices. Individual sports, such as alpine skiing, tennis, table tennis, etc. become popular only when domestic competitors achieve world-class results. The popular American sports of baseball and football are not played in the region, and they attract no attention at all.

Owing to the fact that it does not confirm with the cognitive scheme of the most popular group sports in the region (i.e., the scheme of a medieval battle with two clearly defined sides attacking each other's territory), baseball is particularly boring to inhabitants of the target countries.

Former Yugoslav teams have had numerous global successes in sports. Among others, the Serbian soccer team Crvena zvezda (Red Star) was both the European and World soccer champion, the basketball team of Serbia and Montenegro holds several world championships in basketball, which is also the case with its volleyball, water polo, and handball teams. The Croatian handball team has also won world championships. Croatian skier Anica Kostelić has won women's alpine skiing competitions. Goran Ivanišević of Croatia, and Monica Seles of Yugoslavia (now USA) have won major tennis tournaments, etc. Numerous Serbian basketball players, such as Divac, Stojaković, Drobnjak, Radmanović, Jarić, play for prominent NBA teams.

The most popular soccer teams in the region are Željezničar and Sarajevo (both from Sarajevo, Bosnia), Dinamo from Zagreb, and Hajduk from Split (Croatia), as well as Crvena zvezda and Partizan (both from Belgrade, Serbia).

One should also notice that the former Yugoslavia hosted the 1984 Winter Olympic games. Click here and here to see the Olympic ski resort of Jahorina.

Flora and Fauna

The region is characterized by high biodiversity. The biomes range from the prairie-like plains with oak cultivated fields and oak woods in the north, over steep mountain chains with confers in the center to scarce bushes, to pine trees and vineyards of the Mediterranean belt in the South. The central region is rich in species such as wolf or bear which are rather uncommon in other parts of Europe. The central mountainous region is also home to numerous endemic florae and faunae, such as Serbian spruce. In addition, the coast of Croatia hosts world-class grapevines. The well-know Californian grapevine Zinfandel originates from Croatia. The Dalmatian dog is named after a province in Southern Croatia, and the Lipizzaner horse breed is named after the city Lipica in Croatia.

Weather and Climate

The region features two major climatic types: the moderate Continental and the Mediterranean. The former is characterized by four distinct  seasons, from winters with ample snow to moderate summers, and the latter by long hot summers and mild winters. The temperature in the region are measured in centigrade. Use the converter below to figure out the temperature:

Enter a number in either C or F field and click outside that field.

Check the weather in:

• Belgrade, Serbia
• Sarajevo, Bosnia
• Zagreb, Croatia