Great island of war
| Great island of war | ||
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| Waters | Danube | |
| Geographical location | 44 ° 49 '44 " N , 20 ° 26' 10" E | |
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| surface | 1,577 5 km² | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
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The Great War Island (Serbian: Veliko ratno ostrvo / Велико ратно острво ) is an undeveloped island at the confluence of the Sava into the Danube on the territory of the Serbian capital Belgrade . Administratively it belongs to the Belgrade district of Zemun .
The island has an area of 157.75 hectares, making it one of the largest in Serbia. The upstream Little War Island has an area of 10.15 hectares. The island is of historical importance as in the past it was often the border between two great empires. The border between the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary ran here until the 19th century . The island served the Austro-Hungarian army as a base in the war against the Ottomans around Belgrade. Hence the island's current name.
The largely undeveloped island has been under nature protection since 2005 and is on the international list of bird sanctuaries.
