Subdivisions of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia


The subdivisions of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia existed successively in three different forms. From 1918 to 1922, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia maintained the pre-World War I subdivisions of Yugoslavia's predecessor states. In 1922, the state was divided into 33 oblasts or provinces and, in 1929, a new system of nine banates was implemented.

Pre-Yugoslav subdivisions (1918–1922)

From 1918 to 1922, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes continued to be subdivided into the pre-World War I divisions of Austria-Hungary and the formerly independent kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro.
Provinces were:
  1. Slovenia
  2. Croatia and Slavonia
  3. Dalmatia
  4. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  5. Banat, Bačka and Baranja
  6. Serbia
  7. # Northern Serbia
  8. # Southern Serbia
  9. Montenegro
These were subdivided into districts and counties:
  1. District of Andrijevica
  2. District of Banja Luka
  3. District of Bar
  4. District of Belgrade
  5. District of Berane
  6. District of Bihać
  7. District of Bijelo Polje
  8. County of Bjelovar
  9. District of Bitola
  10. District of Čačak
  11. District of Cetinje
  12. District of Ćuprija
  13. County of Dubrovnik
  14. District of Gornji Milanovac
  15. County of Gospić
  16. District of Kavadarci
  17. District of Kolašin
  18. District of Kosovska Mitrovica
  19. County of Kotor
  20. District of Kragujevac
  21. District of Kruševac
  22. District of Kumanovo
  23. County of Ljubljana
  24. County of Maribor
  25. District of Mostar
  26. District of Negotin
  27. District of Nikšić
  28. District of Niš
  29. District of Novi Pazar
  30. District of Novi Sad
  31. County of Ogulin
  32. District of Ohrid
  33. County of Osijek
  34. District of Peć
  35. District of Pirot
  36. District of Pljevlja
  37. District of Podgorica
  38. District of Požarevac
  39. County of Požega
  40. District of Prijepolje
  41. District of Priština
  42. District of Prizren
  43. District of Prokuplje
  44. District of Šabac
  45. District of Sarajevo
  46. County of Šibenik
  47. District of Skopje
  48. District of Smederevo
  49. County of Split
  50. District of Štip
  51. District of Tetovo
  52. District of Travnik
  53. District of Tuzla
  54. District of Užice
  55. District of Valjevo
  56. County of Varaždin
  57. District of Veliki Bečkerek
  58. District of Vranje
  59. County of Vukovar
  60. County of Zagreb
  61. District of Zaječar

Oblasts (1922–1929)

The Vidovdan Constitution of 1921 established the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes as a unitary state and, in 1922, 33 new administrative oblasts ruled from the centre were instituted. These bore no relation to the earlier divisions and, in the interest of promoting Yugoslavism, statism and multiculturalism, were not given any ethnic or national names. They were largely named after rivers, regions and cities from which they were administered. They were unpopular in parts of the country since their formation, which led to the creation of banates.
  1. Oblast of Banja Luka
  2. Oblast of Belgrade
  3. Oblast of Bihać
  4. Oblast of Bitola
  5. Oblast of Čačak
  6. Oblast of Cetinje
  7. Oblast of Ćuprija
  8. Oblast of Dubrovnik
  9. Oblast of Karlovac
  10. Oblast of Kragujevac
  11. Oblast of Kruševac
  12. Oblast of Ljubljana
  13. Oblast of Maribor
  14. Oblast of Mostar
  15. Oblast of Niš
  16. Oblast of Novi Sad
  17. Oblast of Osijek
  18. Oblast of Požarevac
  19. Oblast of Priština
  20. Oblast of Šabac
  21. Oblast of Sarajevo
  22. Oblast of Skopje
  23. Oblast of Smederevo
  24. Oblast of Split
  25. Oblast of Štip
  26. Oblast of Travnik
  27. Oblast of Tuzla
  28. Oblast of Užice
  29. Oblast of Valjevo
  30. Oblast of Vranje
  31. Oblast of Vukovar
  32. Oblast of Zagreb
  33. Oblast of Zaječar

Banates (banovinas; 1929–1941)

From 1929, the kingdom was subdivided into nine new provinces or banates called banovinas. Their borders were intentionally drawn so that they would not correspond either to boundaries between ethnic groups, or to pre-World War I imperial borders. Except for the Littoral Banovina, they were named after major rivers. Slight changes to their borders were made in 1931 with the new Yugoslav Constitution. The banates were as follows:
  1. Danube Banovina, capital: Novi Sad
  2. Drava Banovina, capital: Ljubljana
  3. Drina Banovina, capital: Sarajevo
  4. Littoral Banovina, capital: Split
  5. Morava Banovina, capital: Niš
  6. Sava Banovina, capital: Zagreb
  7. Vardar Banovina, capital: Skopje
  8. Vrbas Banovina, capital: in Banja Luka
  9. Zeta Banovina, capital: in Cetinje
The City of Belgrade, together with Zemun and Pančevo was also an Belgrade [City Administration (1929–1941)|administrative unit] independent of the surrounding Danube Banovina.

Banovina of Croatia (1939–1941)

As an accommodation to Croatian politicians in the Cvetković-Maček Agreement, the Banovina of Croatia was formed in 1939 from a merger of the Littoral and Sava Banovinas, with some additional territory from the Drina, Dunav, Vrbas and Zeta Banovinas where ethnic Croats formed the majority of the population. Like Sava, its capital was Zagreb, the second largest city in the country.