Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina, the abode of three ethnic constituent mass- Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats, is located on the Balkan peninsula in Southern Europe. Bosnia constitutes the larger part while Herzegovina is located at the southern tip of the nation. The country shares its border with Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the south and bounded by the Adriatic Sea in the southwest. The capital is Sarajevo (43 52 N, 18 25 E).


HISTORY:- The Roman Empire governed the land until the upliftment of the Goths. The Byzantine Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary later got engaged in the conflict to control the region. Bosnia gained independence from both the powers in 1200. Under the local bun rulers, Bosnia enjoyed freedom for nearly 260 years.  The Ottomans won Bosnia in 1463. Almost 450 years of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s history was dominated by the Ottoman era. Ottoman Empire started falling around the 19th century. Muslims from everywhere of Balkans migrated into the land. After the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), Austria-Hungary army occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina to eliminate Russian hold to the Balkans. Serbia and Austria conflict led to the assassination of Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand, which prompted World War I. The land merged with the South Slav kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which later became Yugoslavia. In 1941, when Yugoslavia was invaded by Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina became a part of Nazi-controlled Croatia. After the World War II, Bosnia and Herzegovina joined into a single nation. In 1991, after the fall of Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared its independence.

 

GEOGRAPHY:- Bosnia and Herzegovina is located at 44 00 N, 18 00 E in the Southeastern Europe. The country is spanned across 51,129 sq km land area. The coast line is 20 km long along with the Adriatic Sea in the southwest. The lowest point is Adriatic Sea (0 m) and the highest point: Maglic (2,386 m). The country is mostly composed of mountains and valleys. There are some major rivers in the land: Una, Sana (largest), Vrbas, Bosna (longest), Drina, Neretva.

 

CLIMATE:- The country has hot summers and cold winters. The areas of high elevation have short, cold summers and long, freezing winters. The coastal areas have mild, rainy winters.

 

GOVERNMENT:- The country has federal democratic republic. The Dayton Agreement was signed on 14th December, 1995. A new constitution is also coming into power. Both the entities have their separate constitutions. The legal system is based on civil law codes. The three major branches of the government are:

Executive branch comprises chief of state (Chairman of the Presidency), head of government (Chairman of the Council of Ministers) and cabinet. The Council of Ministers is approved by the National House of Representatives with the nomination of the council chairman.

Legislative branch comprises the bicameral Parliamentary Assembly which again is divided into the national House of Representatives (42 seats), the House of Peoples (15 seats).

Judicial branch comprises the BH Constitutional Court, BH State Court, and a War Crimes Chamber.

Some prominent political parties are Party of Democratic Action, Social Democratic Party, Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatian Democratic Union of BiH. Suffrage is universal at 18.

High Representative     Miroslav Lajčák4

Presidency members     Haris Silajdžić1

Željko Komšić2

  Nebojša Radmanović3

Chairman of the Council of Ministers    Nikola Špirić

 

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:- Bosnia and Herzegovina is divided into 2 Entities:

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Republika Srpska.

The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is further subdivided into 10 cantons.

 

CULTURE:- Literary figures like Antun Branko Šimić, Aleksa Šantić, Jovan Dučić, Mak Dizdar, Ivo Andrić, Meša Selimović, Branko Ćopić, Miljenko Jergović, Petar Kočić and Nedžad Ibrišimović came of the country. Gabrijel Jurkić, Petar Tiješić, Karlo Mijić, Špiro Bocarić, Petar Šain, Đoko Mazalić, Roman Petrović i Lazar Drljača are the famous artists. Ganga, rera, sevdalinka are the popular genres of music. The cuisine is characterized by light and multi-spicy dishes. Athletics, basketball, football, karate, boxing are the most popular sports of the country.

 

ECONOMY:- Bosnia and Herzegovina is a poor country. It has 8th highest income equality rankings in the world. Bosnia has a large informal sector by 50% of the official GDP.

GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $28.59 billion; per capita $6,800.

Real growth rate: 5.3%.

Inflation: 1.4%.

Unemployment: 45.5% (official).

Arable land: 14%.

Agriculture: wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables; livestock.

Labor force: 1.026 million (2001); agriculture n.a., industry n.a., services n.a.

Industries: steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite, vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden furniture, tank and aircraft assembly, domestic appliances, oil refining.

Natural resources: coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, forests, hydropower.

Exports: $2.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): metals, clothing, wood products.

Imports: $6.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs.

Budget:  

Revenues: $7.166 billion

Expenditures: $7.094 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt: 34% of GDP (2007 est.)

Debt - external: $6.7 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Major trading partners: Italy, Croatia, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary (2004).

Monetary unit: Marka

 

LANGUAGE:- The official languages are Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian.

 

CITIES:- Capital Sarajevo is the largest city. Other large cities are Banja Luka, Tuzla, Mostar.

 

POPULATION:- the estimated population is 4,590,310 (July 2008 est.) with the growth rate of 0.6%.

Density per sq mi: 89

Literacy rate: 96.7%

 

RACE:-

Bosniak 48%

Serb 37.1%

Croat 14.3%

Other 0.6% (2000)

 

RELIGION:-

Muslim 40%

Orthodox 31%

Roman Catholic 15%

Other 14%

 

HEALTH:-

Birth rate: 8.82 births/ 1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 8.54 deaths/ 1,000 population (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 9.34 deaths/ 1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.33 years

Total fertility rate: 1.24 children born/ woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 100 (2001 est.)

Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2005): 779

 

UNICEF:- Immunization programmes and measures to reduce iodine deficiency are carried out. Awareness campaigns on HIV, and confidential counselling and testing services are organized. Thousands of teachers are being trained to enrich education system. UNICEF is promoting child-friendly environment in 34 schools. UNICEF also fights against child trafficking.

 

TRANSPORTATION:-

Railways: total: 1,021 km (electrified 795 km) (2004).

Highways: total: 21,846 km; paved: 11,424 km; unpaved: 10,422 km (1999 est). Waterways: Sava River (northern border) (2004).

Ports and harbors: Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanski Brod, Bosanski Samac, and Brcko (all inland waterway ports on the Sava), Orasje.

Airports: 27 (2004 est.).

 

 

 

 



 
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