South Banat District

The South Banat District (Јужнобанатски округ, ; Dél-bánsági körzet; Districtul Banatul de Sud; Juhobanátsky okres) is one of seven administrative districts of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The administrative center of the district is the city of Pančevo. The district lies in the region of Banat. According to the 2011 census results, it has a population of 260,244 inhabitants.

Name
In Serbian, the district is known as Južnobanatski okrug (Јужнобанатски округ), in Croatian as Južnobanatski okrug, in Hungarian as Dél-bánsági körzet, in Slovak as Juhobanátsky okres, in Romanian as Districtul Banatul de Sud, and in Rusyn as Јужнобанатски окрух.

Municipalities
It encompasses the cities of Pančevo and Vršac and the following municipalities:
 * Plandište
 * Opovo
 * Kovačica
 * Alibunar
 * Bela Crkva
 * Kovin
 * Pančevo
 * Vršac

Demographics
According to the last official census done in 2011, the South Banat District has 293,730 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups
Most of the municipalities in the district have an ethnic Serb majority, while the municipality of Kovačica is ethnically mixed, with a relative Slovak majority (41.8%). Ethnic composition of the South Banat district:

Culture
Pančevo is distinguished for its numerous cultural monuments, such as Vojlovica Monastery, founded by Despot Stefan Lazarević in 1405. Religious monuments also include the Serbian Orhtodox Church of Assumption (built in 1807-1811), the Church of Transfiguration (built in 1873-1878), and the Roman Catholic Church of St Charles Borromeo (from 1756/57). Prominent cultural institutions include Pančevo National Museum (founded in 1923) and Pančevo Cultural Center.

In the town of Vršac, there are two Serbian Orthodox monasteries: Mesić Monastery from the 13th century and Središte Monastery from the late 15th century. Vršac is also home to the medieval fortress Vršac Castle (Vršačka kula), which dates back to the mid 15th century. Vršac Museum (founded in 1882) is located in the historic Konkordija buliding and is one of the oldest museums in Serbia.

Archeological sites of exceptional cultural significance are Starčevo from the Neolithic and Židovar from the Bronze Age.