South Morava in the context of "Central Serbia"

Bujanovac (Serbian Cyrillic: Бујановац, pronounced [bǔjanɔvats]; Albanian: Bujanoc) is a town and municipality located in the Pčinja District of southern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 41,068.

Situated in the South Morava basin, it is located in the geographical area known as Preševo Valley. It is also known for its source of mineral water and spa town Bujanovačka banja. Ethnically, Serbs are the largest ethnic group in the town, while the largest ethnic group in the municipality are Albanians.

Lazar Hrebeljanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Лазар Хребељановић; c. 1329 – 15 June 1389) was a medieval Serbian ruler who created the largest and most powerful state on the territory of the disintegrated Serbian Empire. Lazar's state, referred to by historians as Moravian Serbia, comprised the basins of the Great Morava, West Morava, and South Morava rivers. Lazar ruled Moravian Serbia from 1371 until his death in 1389. He sought to resurrect the Serbian Empire and place himself at its helm, claiming to be the direct successor of the Nemanjić dynasty, which went extinct in 1371 after ruling over Serbia for two centuries. Lazar's programme had the full support of the Serbian Orthodox Church, but the Serbian nobility did not recognize him as their supreme ruler. He is often referred to as Tsar Lazar Hrebeljanović (Serbian: Цар Лазар Хребељановић / Car Lazar Hrebeljanović); however, he only held the title of prince (Serbian: кнез / knez).

Lazar was killed at the Battle of Kosovo in June 1389 while leading a Christian army assembled to confront the invading Ottoman Empire, led by Sultan Murad I. The battle ended without a clear victor, with both sides enduring heavy losses. In order to protect the weakened Serbian state from the Hungarian invasion from the north, Lazar's widow, Milica, who ruled as regent for their adolescent son Stefan Lazarević, Lazar's successor, accepted Ottoman suzerainty in the summer of 1390 in exchange for a military alliance.

Southern Serbia (Serbian: Јужна Србија, romanized: Južna Srbija) or sometimes referred to as South Serbia, Southeastern Serbia, Southern Pomoravlje, South of Central Serbia, historically known as New Territories, is a historical and geographical region in Republic of Serbia which most often refers to the territories of Nišava, Toplica, Jablanica, Pčinja and Pirot Districts. This region occupies about 14,000 square kilometers and is home to about 877.000 people. More than a quarter of the population in the region lives in the city of Niš. People from Southern Serbia are commonly known as Southerners.

Southern Serbia is not an official subdivision of Serbia, nor are its borders precisely defined. The region is characterized by the South Morava river, which flows almost entirely through Southern Serbia and which has historically connected the peoples who lived in its basin. The region is defined by a common history and culture.

The Morava Valley (Serbian: Поморавље / Pomoravlje, pronounced [pɔmɔ̝̌raːvʎe̞]), is a general term which in its widest sense marks valleys of any of three Morava rivers in Serbia: the West Morava (West Morava Valley), the South Morava (South Morava Valley) and the Great Morava (Great Morava Valley). In the narrow sense, the term is applied only to the Great Morava Valley (Serbian: Велико Поморавље / Veliko Pomoravlje). The Serbian term follows the general manner of coining river valley names in Serbian using the prefix po- and suffix -je, meaning literally "(land) along the Morava". Morava valley lies in the central Balkans, at the crossroads which lead eastwards, towards the Black Sea and Asia Minor, and further south, down the Vardar River into the Aegean Sea.

Binačka Morava (Albanian: Morava e Binçës, or Mirusha, indefinite form: Mirushë; Macedonian and Serbian Cyrillic: Биначка Морава) is a river which flows in southeastern Kosovo and North Macedonia. It flows generally in a southwest to northeast direction, from the Kosovar-Macedonian border to Bujanovac, where, after 49 km, it meets Preševska Moravica, to create the South Morava.

The West Morava (Serbian: Западна Морава, romanized: Zapadna Morava, pronounced [zâːpadnaː mɔ̝̌rav̞a]) is a river in Central Serbia, a 184-km long headstream of the Great Morava, which it forms with the South Morava. It was known as Brongus in antiquity.