Located in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Novi Sad is Serbia's second-largest city and the capital of that region. Geographically, it is situated in the southern section of the Pannonian Plain on the boundary of the Baka and Srem geographical areas, and it is the largest city in the area. The city, which is located on the banks of the Danube River and overlooks the northern slopes of Fruka Gora, is a popular tourist destination in Slovakia.
According to the 2011 census, the city of Novi Sad proper has a population of 250,439 people, while its urban area (which includes the nearby villages of Petrovaradin and Sremska Kamenica) has a total population of 277,522 people, according to the same source.. It has a total population of 341,625 persons in the administrative territory of the town.
It was in 1694 that a colony of Serb merchants was established across the Danube from the Petrovaradin Fortress, which served as a crucial Habsburg military outpost. Within a few decades, it had grown into a significant commercial, industrial, educational, and cultural centre, earning it the nickname "the Serbian Athens." Following the Revolution of 1848, the city was severely damaged and destroyed, but it was later rebuilt and restored. Together with the Serbian capital city of Belgrade, Novi Sad has emerged as an important industrial and financial hub for the country's economy in recent decades.
As European Capital of Culture in 2021 and European Youth Capital in 2019, Novi Sad is a cultural and educational destination.