Jagodina is a city and the administrative center of the Pomoravlje District in Šumadija, an historically densely forested region of central Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Belica River. The city itself has a population of 43,311 inhabitants, while its administrative area comprises 76,712 inhabitants.

The town was first mentioned in 1399 as "Jagodna", derived from the Serbian word for 'strawberry' - Jagoda. From 1946 to 1992 the town was renamed Svetozarevo after the 19th-century Serbian socialist Svetozar Marković.

Jagodina built the largest artificial waterfall in the Balkans in 2014-2015. It is 8 meters high, and 12 meters wide, and at night the colors on the water change to different hues. The waterfall is in the city park where outdoor performances are held in the summer; it is part of a larger plan of reconstruction of the city. In the decade of 2005-2015, the city has progressed as a tourist destination. Plans have been made to reconstruct all of the parks in the city and the city center.

When the Aqua Park and Zoo opened, the tourism rate in Jagodina started to rise exponentially. More attractions were added in order to increase tourism. Jagodina attracted around 500,000 people in 2014 and 2015, and that number is expected to increase in the future. Besides those attractions, the city has a stadium and a sport centre, which provide space for sporting events.