Process of intensive urbanisation and de-agrarization vitally changes the demographic and economic picture of Serbian territory. The significant differentiation was made, so that there are developed areas with high concentrations of production, inhabitants, services and capital on one hand, and undeveloped, mainly rural mountain areas on the other hand. The prevailing aged population, specially in central parts of Serbia, indicates unavoidable, silent and very painful disappearance of numerous rural settlements. The following points are discussed in the paper: the causers of such situation; the problems that prevented more intensive development of rural regions; potentials and limiting factors in development of mountain regions: and possibl...