Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina
Anthem: Državna himna Bosne i Hercegovine
Државна химна Босне и Херцеговине
"National Anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina"
Location of Bosnia and Herzegovina (green) in Europe (dark grey)
Location of Bosnia and Herzegovina (green)

in Europe (dark grey)

Capital
and largest city
Sarajevo[1]
43°52′N 18°25′E / 43.867°N 18.417°E / 43.867; 18.417
Official languages
Writing system
Ethnic groups
(2013)[2]
Religion
(2013 census)[3]
  • 51% Islam
  • 3% no religion / others
Demonym(s)[4][5][6]
GovernmentFederal parliamentary[6] directorial republic
Christian Schmidt[a]
Željka Cvijanović
Željko Komšić
Denis Bećirović
Borjana Krišto
LegislatureParliamentary Assembly
House of Peoples
House of Representatives
Establishment history
9th century
1154
1377
1463
1878
1 December 1918
• ZAVNOBiH
25 November 1943
29 November 1945
3 March 1992
18 March 1994
14 December 1995
Area
• Total
51,209[7] km2 (19,772 sq mi) (125th)
• Water (%)
1.4%
Population
• 2022 estimate
Neutral decrease 3,434,000[7] (135th)
• 2013 census
3,531,159[2]
• Density
69/km2 (178.7/sq mi) (156th)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $71.254 billion[8] (110th)
• Per capita
Increase $20,623[8] (81st)
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $29.078 billion[8] (110th)
• Per capita
Increase $8,416[8] (86th)
Gini (2015)Positive decrease 32.7[9]
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.779[10]
high (80th)
CurrencyConvertible mark (BAM)
Time zoneUTC+01 (CET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+02 (CEST)
Date formatd. m. yyyy. (CE)
Drives onright
Calling code+387
ISO 3166 codeBA
Internet TLD.ba
  1. ^ The high representative is an international civilian overseer of the Dayton Agreement with authority to dismiss elected and non-elected officials and enact legislation.

Bosnia and Herzegovina[a] (Serbo-Croatian: Bosna i Hercegovina, Босна и Херцеговина),[b][c] sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe, situated on the Balkan Peninsula. It borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the north and southwest. In the south it has a 20 kilometres (12 miles) long coast on the Adriatic Sea, with the town of Neum being its only access to the sea. Bosnia has a moderate continental climate with hot summers and cold, snowy winters. In the central and eastern regions, the geography is mountainous, in the northwest it is moderately hilly, and in the northeast it is predominantly flat. Herzegovina, the smaller, southern region, has a Mediterranean climate and is mostly mountainous. Sarajevo is the capital and the largest city.

The area has been inhabited since at least the Upper Paleolithic, but evidence suggests that during the Neolithic age, permanent human settlements were established, including those that belonged to the Butmir, Kakanj, and Vučedol cultures. After the arrival of the first Indo-Europeans, the area was populated by several Illyrian and Celtic civilizations. The ancestors of the South Slavic peoples that populate the area today arrived during the 6th through the 9th century. In the 12th century, the Banate of Bosnia was established; by the 14th century, this had evolved into the Kingdom of Bosnia. In the mid-15th century, it was annexed into the Ottoman Empire, under whose rule it remained until the late 19th century; the Ottomans brought Islam to the region. From the late 19th century until World War I, the country was annexed into the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. In the interwar period, Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. After World War II, it was granted full republic status in the newly formed Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In 1992, following the breakup of Yugoslavia, the republic proclaimed independence. This was followed by the Bosnian War, which lasted until late 1995 and ended with the signing of the Dayton Agreement.

The country is home to three main ethnic groups: Bosniaks are the largest group, Serbs the second-largest, and Croats the third-largest. Minorities include Jews, Roma, Albanians, Montenegrins, Ukrainians and Turks. Bosnia and Herzegovina has a bicameral legislature and a three-member presidency made up of one member from each of the three major ethnic groups. However, the central government's power is highly limited, as the country is largely decentralized. It comprises two autonomous entities—the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska—and a third unit, the Brčko District, which is governed by its own local government.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a developing country and ranks 74th in the Human Development Index. Its economy is dominated by industry and agriculture, followed by tourism and the service sector. Tourism has increased significantly in recent years.[13][14] The country has a social-security and universal-healthcare system, and primary and secondary level education is free. It is a member of the UN, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, the Partnership for Peace, and the Central European Free Trade Agreement; it is also a founding member of the Union for the Mediterranean, established in July 2008.[15] Bosnia and Herzegovina is an EU candidate country and has also been a candidate for NATO membership since April 2010.[16]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Constitution was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Agencija za statistiku Bosne i Hercegovine / Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2016). "Popis stanovništva, domaćinstava i stanova u Bosni i Hercegovini, 2013: Rezultati Popisa / Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2013: Final Results" (PDF) (in Bosnian and English). Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  3. ^ "Bosnia and Herzegovina". United States Department of State. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Bosnia and Herzegovina • Country facts". PopulationData.net. 21 March 2020. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  5. ^ "Danas se iz Norveške kući vraća 13 državljana BiH, a šta je sa ostalima?". MojaBiH (in Bosnian). 5 April 2020. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  6. ^ a b CIA 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Demografija, 2022" (PDF). bhas.gov.ba. Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 31 October 2023. p. 26. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (BA)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Distribution of family income – Gini index". The World Factbook. TWB. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  11. ^ Jones, Daniel (2003) [1917]. Peter Roach; James Hartmann; Jane Setter (eds.). English Pronouncing Dictionary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 3-12-539683-2.
  12. ^ "Bosnia". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster., "Herzegovina". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
  13. ^ "Human Development Indices and Indicators: 2018 Statistical Update" (PDF). UNDP. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 March 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  14. ^ "International tourism, number of arrivals – Bosnia and Herzegovina". World Bank. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  15. ^ "List of Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean – UfM". Archived from the original on 12 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  16. ^ "Membership Action Plan (MAP)". NATO. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015. In April 2010, when the foreign ministers of NATO member countries met in Tallinn, after reviewing the progress that Bosnia and Herzegovina had made in its reform efforts, they invited the country to join the Membership Action Plan.


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