Kuršumlija is the economic, cultural, educational, and administrative centre of Kosanica and Gornja Toplica, it is a town with a very rich past, and the administrative centre of the Municipality belongs to the Toplica administrative District. It covers an area of 952 km2, is the 12th vastest town in the Republic, has 90 settlements, and is one of the most economically underdeveloped areas in Serbia. Kuršumlija is located in a picturesque valley, at the confluence of the Banjska and Toplica Rivers, below the Village of Samokov, and at the crossroads of important roads. The main road Niš-Priština-Peć, and the railway Niš-Kuršumlija-Kosovo Polje pass through the Kosanica Valley. According to the 2011 census, the settlement of Kuršumlija had 13,200 residents (there were 13,639 residents according to the 2002 census, and 12,525 residents according to the 1991 census), while the entire Municipality of Kuršumlija has 19,011 residents according to the 2011 census, distributed among 90 settlements.