OFFICIAL NAME:
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Geography
Area: 51,129 sq. km, slightly smaller than West Virginia.
Cities: Capital--Sarajevo (est. pop 387,876); Banja Luka (220,407);
Mostar (208,904); Tuzla (118,500); Bihac (49,544).
Terrain: Mountains in the central and southern regions, plains along the Sava
River in the north.
Climate: Hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool
summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters in the southeast.
People
Nationalities: Bosniak (Muslim), Bosnian Croat, Bosnian Serb.
Population (July 2004 est.): 4,007,608 (note: all data dealing with population
are subject to considerable error because of the dislocations caused by military
action and ethnic cleansing).
Population growth rate (2004 est.): 0.45%.
Ethnic groups: Bosniak 48.3%, Serb 34.0%, Croat 15.4%, others 2.3%. (Source:
UNDP Human Development Report 2002--Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Religions: Muslim (40%); Orthodox (31%); Catholic (15%); Protestant (4%); other
(10%).
Languages: Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian (formerly "Serbo-Croatian").
Education: Mandatory 8-9 years of primary school (depending on region), 3-4
years in secondary school (vocational/liberal arts), and 3-5 years in
universities (depending on major). In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are 1,089
primary schools with 350,000 students and 289 secondary schools with 162,000
students. The main public universities are in larger cities (Sarajevo, Mostar,
Banja Luka, Tuzla, Bihac, Zenica) and there are a number of private institutions
of higher education. Adult literacy rate--male 94.1%, female 78.0%.
Health: Infant mortality rate (2005 est.)--21.05 deaths/1,000 live
births. Life expectancy (2005 est.)--male 70.09, female 75.8.
Work force (2001 est.): 1.026 million.
Government
Type: Parliamentary democracy.
Constitution: The Dayton Agreement, signed December 14, 1995, included a new
constitution now in force.
Independence: April 1992 (from Yugoslavia).
Branches: Executive--Chairman of the Presidency and two other members of
three-member rotating presidency (chief of state), Chairman of the Council of
Ministers (head of government), Council of Ministers (cabinet). Legislative--bicameral
parliamentary assembly, consisting of national House of Representatives and
House of Peoples (parliament). Judicial--Supreme Court, Constitutional
Court, both supervised by the Ministry of Justice.
Subdivisions: Two Entities: Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (divided into
10 cantons) and Republika Srpska. In accordance with Annex 2, Article V, of the
Dayton Peace
Agreement that left the unresolved status of Brcko subject to binding
international arbitration, an Arbitration Tribunal was formed in mid-1996. On
March 5, 1999, the Tribunal issued its Final Award. The Final Award established
a special District for the entire pre-war Brcko Opstina, under the
exclusive sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The territory of the District
belongs simultaneously to both Entities, the Republika Srpska and the
Federation, in condominium. Therefore, the territories of the
two Entities overlap in the Brcko District. In accordance with the Final
Award, the District is self-governing and has a single, unitary, multiethnic,
democratic Government; a unified and multiethnic police force operating under a
single command structure and an independent judiciary. The District Government
exercises, throughout the pre-war Brcko Opstina, those powers previously
exercised by the two Entities and the former three municipal governments. The
Brcko district is demilitarized.
Political parties: Party of Democratic Action (SDA); Croatian Democratic Union
of BiH (HDZ-BiH); Serb Democratic Party (SDS); Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina
(SBiH); Croatian Democratic Union-1990 (HDZ-1990); Bosnian Party (BOSS); Social
Democratic Union (SDU); Croatian Party of Rights (HSP); Civic Democratic Party
(GDS); Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD); Social Democratic Party
(SDP); Socialist Party of Republika Srpska (SPRS); Party for Democratic Progress
(PDP); National Democratic Union (DNZ); Democratic Peoples' Alliance (DNS);
Bosnian Patriotic Party (BPS); Work for Progress (RzB); Serb Radical Party
(SRS).
Suffrage: Universal at age 18.
Economy
GDP (2006 IMF est., purchasing power parity): $33.75 billion. Nominal GDP
(Central Bank and IMF figures): $11.51 billion. If non-observed economy is
included, nominal GDP is estimated by the Central Bank to be $13.4 billion.
GDP real growth rate (2006 World Bank est.): 6.2%.
Income per capita (2006 IMF est., purchasing power parity): $8,370. Nominal GDP
per capita: $2,995, or, including the estimated gray economy, $3,487.
Inflation rate (2006 est.): 7.4%. (This is a one-time effect of the introduction
of a value-added tax.)
Natural resources: Hydropower, coal, iron ore, bauxite, manganese, forests,
copper, chromium, lead, zinc, cobalt, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, forests.
Agriculture: Products--wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables, livestock.
Industry: Steel, aluminum, minerals, vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco
products, wooden furniture, explosives, munitions, aircraft repair, domestic
appliances, oil refining.
Trade (2006 Central Bank figure): Exports--$2.5 billion f.o.b.
PEOPLE AND HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
The three main ethnic groups in present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina are Bosniak,
Serb, and Croat, and languages are Bosnian, Serbian, and Croatian (formerly
"Serbo-Croatian"). Nationalities are Bosniak (Muslim), Bosnian Serb, and Bosnian
Croat. Religions include Islam, Serb Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Judaism, some
Protestant sects, and some others.
For the first centuries of the Christian era, Bosnia was part of the Roman
Empire. After the fall of Rome, Bosnia was contested by Byzantium and Rome's
successors in the west. Slavs settled the region in the 7th century, and the
kingdoms of Serbia and Croatia split control of Bosnia in the 9th century. The
11th and 12th centuries saw the rule of the region by the kingdom of Hungary.
The medieval kingdom of Bosnia gained its independence around 1200 A.D. Bosnia
remained independent until 1463, when Ottoman Turks conquered the region.
During Ottoman rule, many Bosnians converted from Christianity to Islam.
Bosnia was under Ottoman rule until 1878, when it was given to Austria-Hungary
as a colony. While those living in Bosnia came under the rule of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, South Slavs in Serbia and elsewhere were calling for a
South Slav state. World War I began when Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip
assassinated the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Following the Great War,
Bosnia became part of the South Slav state of Yugoslavia, only to be given to
the Nazi-puppet state, the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) in World War II.
During this period, many atrocities were committed against Jews, Serbs, and
others who resisted the occupation. The Cold War saw the establishment of the
Communist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia under Josip Broz Tito, and the
reestablishment of Bosnia as a republic with its medieval borders within the
federation of Yugoslavia.
Yugoslavia's unraveling was hastened by Slobodan Milosevic's rise to power in
1986. Milosevic's embrace of Serb nationalism led to intrastate ethnic strife.
Slovenia and Croatia both declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. On
March 1, 1992, the Bosnian Government held a referendum on independence.
Bosnia's parliament declared the republic's independence on April 5, 1992.
However, this move was opposed by Serb representatives, who favored remaining in
Yugoslavia. Bosnian Serbs, supported by neighboring Serbia, responded with armed
force in an effort to partition the republic along ethnic lines to create a
"greater Serbia." Full recognition of Bosnia and Herzegovina's independence by
the United States and most European countries occurred on April 7, and Bosnia
and Herzegovina was admitted to the United Nations on May 22, 1992.
In March 1994, Muslims and Croats in Bosnia signed an agreement creating the
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This narrowed the field of warring parties
to two. The conflict continued through most of 1995, and many atrocities were
committed, including acts of genocide committed by members of the Army of
Republika Srpska in and around Srebrenica from July 12-22, 1995, where
approximate 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed. The conflict ended
with the November 21, 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement, which was formally signed on
December 14, 1995 in Paris.
Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, the political and military leaders of the
Bosnian Serb separatist movement, were indicted by the International Criminal
Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (www.un.org/icty)
in The Hague in July 1995 on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity
stemming from their role in the Srebrenica massacre. Karadzic and Mladic remain
at large.
Bosnia and Herzegovina today consists of two Entities--the Federation of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is largely Bosniak and Croat, and the Republika
Srpska, which is primarily Serb. In July 2000, the Constitutional Court of
Bosnia and Herzegovina rendered a decision whereby Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs
are recognized as constituent people throughout the territory of Bosnia and
Herzegovina. In March 2002, this decision was formally recognized and agreed by
the major political parties in both Entities.
The most recent national elections took place in October 2006, electing new
state presidency members; Entity governments; and state, Entity, and cantonal
parliaments. The traditionally nationalist parties (SDS, HDZ, SDA) lost ground
to emerging opposition parties (SNSD, SBiH, HDZ-1990), although the opposition
parties relied heavily on ethnically based messages to appeal to voters. A
six-party coalition has formed a national government. The next national
elections are scheduled for October 2010. Bosnia and Herzegovina introduced the
direct election of mayors at municipal elections held in October 2004.
The international community retains an extraordinary civilian and military
presence in BiH stemming from the Dayton Peace Accords. The Dayton Accords
created the position of High Representative, an international official charged
with overseeing implementation of the civilian aspects of the agreement. The
current High Representative (since July 2007) is Slovakia's Miroslav Lajcak (www.ohr.int).
In December 1995, NATO deployed a 60,000-troop Implementation Force (IFOR) to
oversee implementation of the military aspects of the peace agreement. IFOR
transitioned into a smaller Stabilization Force (SFOR) in 2006. With the end of
the SFOR mission in December 2005, the European Union (EU) assumed primary
responsibility for military stabilization operations. Approximately 2,500 EU
troops remain deployed in Bosnia (www.euforbih.org).
NATO maintains a small headquarters operation with responsibility to assist with
defense reform and efforts against persons indicted for war crimes and
counterterrorism (www.afsouth.nato.int/NHQSA/index.htm).
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
General Government Framework Information and Information Regarding the
President and the Cabinet. Under the provisions of the Dayton Peace Accords,
the Entities have competencies in areas such as finance, taxation, business
development, and general legislation. Entities and cantons control their own
budgets, spending on infrastructure, health care, and education. Ongoing reforms
have led to the creation of a single, multi-ethnic military under state-level
command and control to replace the previous Entity-based institutions and a
state-level Indirect Taxation Authority (ITA) that is responsible for the
implementation of a state-wide value-added tax (VAT), revenues from which fund
the governments of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as the two
Entities. Customs, which had been collected by agencies of the two Entities,
also is now collected by a new single state customs service.
Presidency. The Presidency in Bosnia and Herzegovina rotates among
three members (Bosniak, Serb, Croat), each elected for a 4-year term. The three
members of the Presidency are directly elected (the Federation votes for the
Bosniak/Croat, and the Republika Srpska for the Serb).
The Presidency is responsible for:
- Conducting the foreign policy of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Appointing ambassadors and other international representatives, no more
than two-thirds of whom may come from the Federation;
- Representing Bosnia and Herzegovina in European and international
organizations and institutions and seeking membership in such organizations
and institutions of which it is not a member;
- Negotiating, denouncing, and, with the consent of the Parliamentary
Assembly, ratifying treaties of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Executing decisions of the Parliamentary Assembly;
- Proposing, upon the recommendation of the Council of Ministers, an annual
budget to the Parliamentary Assembly;
- Reporting as requested, but no less than annually, to the Parliamentary
Assembly on expenditures by the Presidency;
- Coordinating as necessary with international and non-governmental
organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Exercising command and control over the Armed Forces of Bosnia and
Herzegovina in peacetime, crises, and war, and;
- Performing such other functions as may be necessary to carry out its
duties, as may be assigned to it by the Parliamentary Assembly, or as may be
agreed by the Entities.
The Chair of the Council of Ministers is nominated by the Presidency and
approved by the House of Representatives. He is then responsible for appointing
a Foreign Minister, Minister of Defense, Minister of Foreign Trade, and others
as appropriate. The Council is responsible for carrying out the policies and
decisions in the fields of defense, intelligence, foreign policy; foreign trade
policy; customs policy; monetary policy; finances of the institutions and for
the international obligations of Bosnia and Herzegovina; immigration, refugee,
and asylum policy and regulation; international and inter-Entity criminal law
enforcement, including relations with Interpol; establishment and operation of
common and international communications facilities; regulation of inter-Entity
transportation; air traffic control; facilitation of inter-Entity coordination;
and other matters as agreed by the Entities.
Legislature. The Parliamentary Assembly is the lawmaking body in
Bosnia and Herzegovina. It consists of two houses: the House of Peoples and the
House of Representatives.
The House of Peoples includes 15 delegates, two-thirds of whom come from the
Federation (5 Croats and 5 Bosniaks) and one-third from the Republika Srpska (5
Serbs). Nine members of the House of Peoples constitutes a quorum, provided that
at least three delegates from each group are present. Federation representatives
are selected by the House of Peoples of the Federation, and Republika Srpska
representatives are selected by the Republika Srpska National Assembly.
The House of Representatives is comprised of 42 members, two-thirds elected
from the Federation and one-third elected from the Republika Srpska. Federation
representatives are elected directly by the voters of the Federation, and
Republika Srpska representatives are directly elected by Republika Srpska
voters.
The Parliamentary Assembly is responsible for enacting legislation as
necessary to implement decisions of the Presidency or to carry out the
responsibilities of the Assembly under the constitution; deciding upon the
sources and amounts of revenues for the operations of the institutions of Bosnia
and Herzegovina and international obligations of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
approving a budget for the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina; and deciding
whether to consent to the ratification of treaties.
Judiciary. The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the
supreme, final arbiter of legal matters. It is composed of nine members: four
are selected by the House of Representatives of the Federation, two by the
Assembly of the Republika Srpska, and three by the President of the European
Court of Human Rights after consultation with the Presidency. The Constitutional
Court's original jurisdiction lies in deciding any constitutional dispute that
arises between the Entities or between Bosnia and Herzegovina and an Entity or
Entities. The Court also has appellate jurisdiction within the territory of
Bosnia and Herzegovina. Both the Federation and the Republika Srpska government
have established lower court systems for their territories.
Principal Government Officials
State Level
Tri-Presidency--Zeljko Komsic (Bosnian Croat and current Chairman), Nebojsa
Radmanovic (Bosnian Serb), Haris Silajdzic (Bosniak),
Chairman of the Council of Ministers--Nikola Spiric
Council of Ministers
Foreign Affairs--Sven Alkalaj
Deputy--Ana Trisic-Babic
Defense--Selmo Cikotic
Deputy--Marina Pendes
Deputy--Igor Crnadak
Foreign Trade and Economic Relations--Slobodan Puhalac
Deputy--Vilim Primorac
Treasury--Dragan Vrankic
Deputy--Fuad Kasumovic
Civil Affairs--Sredoje Novic
Deputy--Senad Sepic
Human Right and Refugees--Safet Halilovic
Deputy--Slavko Marin
Security--Tarik Sadovic
Deputy--Mijo Kresic
Justice--Barisa Colak
Deputy--Srdan Arnaut
Transport and Communications--Bozo Ljubic
Deputy--Veselin Poljasevic
BIH Parliament--House of Representatives
Speaker--Beriz Belkic (Bosniak)
Deputy Speaker--Niko Lozancic (Bosnian Croat)
Deputy Speaker--Milorad Zivkovic (Bosnian Serb)
BIH Parliament--House of Peoples
Speaker--Ilija Filipovic (Croat)
Deputy Speaker--Sulejman Tihic (Bosniak)
Deputy Speaker--Mladen Ivanic (Serb)
Federation
President--Borjana Kristo (Croat)
Vice President--Mirsad Kebo (Bosniak)
Vice President--Spomenka Micic (Serb)
Prime Minister--Nedzad Brankovic
Deputy Prime Minister--Vjekoslav Bevanda
Deputy Prime Minister--Gavrilo Grahovac
Federation Government
Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry--Damir Ljubic
Development and Entrepreneurship--Velimir Kunic
Culture, and Sports--Gavrilo Grahovac (also Deputy Prime Minister)
Energy, Mining, and Industry--Vahid Heco
Finance--Vjekoslav Bevanda (also Deputy Prime Minister)
Health--Safet Omerovic
Interior--Muhidin Alic
Justice--Feliks Vidovic
Refugees and Displaced Persons--Edin Music
Social Welfare and Labor--Perica Jelecevic
Trade--Desnica Radivojevic
Transport and Communications--Nail Seckanovic
Urban Planning and Environmental Protection--Salko Obhodjas
Environment and Tourism--Nevenko Herceg
Education and Science--Meliha Alic
War Veteran Affairs--Zahid Crnkic (nominated, pending confirmation)
Federation Parliament--House of Representatives (42 members)
Speaker--Safet Softic (Bosniak)
Deputy Speaker--Marinko Cavara (Croat)
Deputy Speaker--Vesna Saradzic (Serb)
Federation Parliament--House of Peoples (15 Members)
Speaker--Stjepan Kresic (Croat)
Deputy Speaker--Besim Imamovic (Bosniak)
Deputy Speaker--Drago Puzigaca (Serb)
Republika Srpska
President--vacant
Vice President--Adil Osmanovic (Bosniak)
Vice President--Davor Cordas (Croat)
Prime Minister--Milorad Dodik
Deputy Prime Minister--Omer Brankovic
Deputy Prime Minister--Jasna Brkic
National Assembly (83 members)
Speaker--Igor Radojicic
Deputy Speaker--Sefket Hafizovic
Deputy Speaker--Nada Tesanovic
Ministers
Governance and Local Self-Governance--Zoran Lipovac
Education and Culture--Anton Kasipovic
Economy, Energy and Development--Rajko Ubiparip
Family, Youth and Sports--Proko Dragosavljevic
Foreign Economic Relations--Jasna Brkic (also Deputy Prime Minister)
Finance--Aleksandar Dzombic
Health and Social Policy--Ranko Skrbic
Interior--Stanislav Cadjo
Justice--Dzerard Selman
Refugee Affairs--Omer Brankovic (also Deputy Prime Minister)
Science and Technology--Bakir Ajanovic
Trade and Tourism--Predrag Gluhakovic
Transport and Communications--Nedeljko Cubrilovic
Urban Planning, Utilities, Environment--Fatima Fetibegovic
Labor and War Veterans Issues--Bosko Tomic
Water Resources and Forestry (Agriculture)--Radivoje Bratic
Bosnia and Herzegovina maintains an embassy in the United States at 2109 E
Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 (tel.: 202-337-1500; fax: 202-337-1502).
ECONOMY
Next to Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina was the poorest republic in the
old Yugoslav Federation. For the most part, agriculture has been in private
hands, but farms have been small and inefficient, and food has traditionally
been a net import for the country. Industry still is greatly overstaffed,
reflecting the legacy of the centrally-planned economy. Under Tito, military
industries were pushed in the republic; Bosnia hosted a large share of
Yugoslavia's defense plants. Three years of interethnic strife destroyed the
economy and infrastructure in Bosnia, caused the death of about 200,000 people,
and displaced half of the population.
Considerable progress has been made since peace was reestablished. Due to
Bosnia and Herzegovina's strict currency board regime, which links the
Konvertibilna Marka (BAM) to the Euro, inflation has remained low. However,
growth has been uneven, with the Republika Srpska outpacing the Federation for
the first time since Dayton. Bosnia and Herzegovina's most immediate task
remains economic revitalization. In order to do this fully, the environment must
be conducive to a private sector, market-led economy. Privatization has been
slow, and unemployment remains high. The introduction of a value-added tax (VAT)
in 2006 has increased the government's tax revenues and resulted in a budget
surplus.
BiH's top economic priorities are: acceleration of EU integration by
concluding a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA); strengthening the
fiscal system; public administration reform; World Trade Organization (WTO)
membership; and securing economic growth by fostering a dynamic, competitive
private sector. To date, work on these priorities has been inconsistent. The
country has received a substantial amount of foreign assistance but must prepare
for declining assistance flows in the future.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
The implementation of the Dayton Accords of 1995 has focused the efforts of
policymakers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the international community,
on regional stabilization in the former Yugoslavia. However, donor resources for
Bosnia and Herzegovina have diminished due to competing assistance priorities
elsewhere in the region and globally. Bosnia and Herzegovina's relations with
its neighbors Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia have been fairly stable since the
signing of Dayton in 1995. The U.S. role in the Dayton Accords and their
implementation has been key to successes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since the
Dayton Accords were signed, over $14 billion in foreign aid has moved into
Bosnia and Herzegovina, approximately $940 million of it coming from Support for
East European Democracy (SEED) funds. As stated above, this support has been key
to the growth and revitalization of the economy and infrastructure in the
republic. In addition to SEED funding, U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) programs have been crucial to the redevelopment of Bosnia and
Herzegovina. USAID has programming in the following areas: economic policy
reform and restructuring; private sector development (the Business Development
Program); infrastructure rebuilding; democratic reforms in the media, political
process and elections, and rule of law/legal code formulation; and training
programs for women and diplomats.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a member of the United Nations (1992);
International Monetary Fund (IMF) (1992), World Bank (1995), Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) (1992); and the Council of Europe
(2002). It also participates in regional cooperation through the Stability Pact,
Central-European Initiative (CEI), Southeast Europe Co-operation Initiative (SECI),
Southeast Europe Co-operation Process (SEECP), Adriatic-Ionic Initiative (AII)
and others.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of sovereignty in
October 1991 was followed by a declaration of independence from the
former Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992 after a referendum boycotted by ethnic
Serbs. Read more
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Flag
of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Link to this Site For Free. Information in
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Background:
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Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of sovereignty in
October 1991 was followed by a declaration of independence
from the former Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992 after a
referendum boycotted by ethnic Serbs. The Bosnian Serbs -
supported by neighboring Serbia and Montenegro - responded
with armed resistance aimed at partitioning the republic
along ethnic lines and joining Serb-held areas to form a
"Greater Serbia." In March 1994, Bosniaks and Croats reduced
the number of warring factions from three to two by signing
an agreement creating a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation of
Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 21 November 1995, in Dayton,
Ohio, the warring parties initialed a peace agreement that
brought to a halt three years of interethnic civil strife
(the final agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December
1995). The Dayton Peace Accords retained Bosnia and
Herzegovina's international boundaries and created a joint
multi-ethnic and democratic government charged with
conducting foreign, diplomatic, and fiscal policy. Also
recognized was a second tier of government comprised of two
entities roughly equal in size: the Bosniak/Croat Federation
of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika
Srpska (RS). The Federation and RS governments were charged
with overseeing most government functions. The Office of the
High Representative (OHR) was established to oversee the
implementation of the civilian aspects of the agreement. In
1995-96, a NATO-led international peacekeeping force (IFOR)
of 60,000 troops served in Bosnia to implement and monitor
the military aspects of the agreement. IFOR was succeeded by
a smaller, NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR) whose mission
was to deter renewed hostilities. European Union
peacekeeping troops (EUFOR) replaced SFOR in December 2004;
their mission is to maintain peace and stability throughout
the country. EUFOR plans to phase out its mission beginning
in 2007. |
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Location:
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Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia
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Geographic coordinates:
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44 00 N, 18 00 E |
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Map references:
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Europe |
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Area:
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total: 51,129 sq km
land: 51,129 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than West Virginia |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,459 km
border countries: Croatia 932 km, Montenegro 225 km,
Serbia 302 km |
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Coastline:
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20 km |
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Maritime claims:
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no data available |
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Climate:
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hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have
short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy
winters along coast |
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Terrain:
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mountains and valleys |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Maglic 2,386 m |
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Natural resources:
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coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite,
cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand,
forests, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land: 19.61%
permanent crops: 1.89%
other: 78.5% (2005) |
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Irrigated land:
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30 sq km (2003) |
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Natural hazards:
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destructive earthquakes |
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Environment - current issues:
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air pollution from metallurgical plants; sites for disposing
of urban waste are limited; water shortages and destruction
of infrastructure because of the 1992-95 civil strife;
deforestation |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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within Bosnia and Herzegovina's recognized borders, the
country is divided into a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation
(about 51% of the territory) and the Bosnian Serb-led
Republika Srpska or RS (about 49% of the territory); the
region called Herzegovina is contiguous to Croatia and
Montenegro, and traditionally has been settled by an ethnic
Croat majority in the west and an ethnic Serb majority in
the east |
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Population:
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4,552,198 (July 2007 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 15% (male 353,163/female 331,133)
15-64 years: 70.4% (male 1,615,011/female 1,587,956)
65 years and over: 14.6% (male 273,240/female
391,695) (2007 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 38.9 years
male: 37.7 years
female: 40.1 years (2007 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.003% (2007 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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8.8 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
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Death rate:
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8.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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9.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.067 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.017 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.698 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 9.58 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.98 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 8.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 78.17 years
male: 74.57 years
female: 82.03 years (2007 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
1.23 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
less than 0.1% (2001 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
900 (2003 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
100 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
|
noun: Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s)
adjective: Bosnian, Herzegovinian |
|
Ethnic groups:
|
Bosniak 48%, Serb 37.1%, Croat 14.3%, other 0.6% (2000)
note: Bosniak has replaced Muslim as an ethnic term
in part to avoid confusion with the religious term Muslim -
an adherent of Islam |
|
Religions:
|
Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, other 14% |
|
Languages:
|
Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian |
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.7%
male: 99%
female: 94.4% (2000 est.) |
|
Country name:
|
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina
local long form: none
local short form: Bosna i Hercegovina
former: People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina |
|
Government type:
|
emerging federal democratic republic |
|
Capital:
|
name: Sarajevo
geographic coordinates: 43 52 N, 18 25 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington,
DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in
March; ends last Sunday in October |
|
Administrative divisions:
|
2 first-order administrative divisions and 1 internationally
supervised district* - Brcko district (Brcko Distrikt)*, the
Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federacija
Bosna i Hercegovina) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika
Srpska; note - Brcko district is in northeastern Bosnia and
is an administrative unit under the sovereignty of Bosnia
and Herzegovina; the district remains under international
supervision |
|
Independence:
|
1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia; referendum for independence
completed 1 March 1992; independence declared 3 March 1992)
|
|
National holiday:
|
National Day, 25 November (1943) |
|
Constitution:
|
the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995 in Paris,
included a new constitution now in force; note - each of the
entities also has its own constitution |
|
Legal system:
|
based on civil law system |
|
Suffrage:
|
18 years of age, universal |
|
Executive branch:
|
chief of state: Chairman of the Presidency Nebojsa
RADMANOVIC (chairman since 6 November 2006; presidency
member since 1 October 2006 - Serb); other members of the
three-member presidency rotating (every eight months):
Zeljko KOMSIC (since 1 October 2006 - Croat) and Haris
SILAJDZIC (since 1 October 2006 - Bosniak)
head of government: Chairman of the Council of
Ministers Nikola SPIRIC (since 11 January 2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the
council chairman; approved by the National House of
Representatives
elections: the three members of the presidency (one
Bosniak, one Croat, one Serb) are elected by popular vote
for a four-year term (eligible for a second term, but then
ineligible for four years); the chairmanship rotates every
eight months and resumes where it left off following each
national election; election last held 1 October 2006 (next
to be held in 2010); the chairman of the Council of
Ministers is appointed by the presidency and confirmed by
the National House of Representatives
election results: percent of vote - Nebojsa
RADMANOVIC with 53.3% of the votes for the Serb seat; Zeljko
KOMSIC received 39.6% of the votes for the Croat seat; Haris
SILAJDZIC received 62.8% of the votes for the Bosniak seat
note: President of the Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina: Borjana KRISTO (since 21 February 2007); Vice
Presidents Spomenka MICIC (since NA 2007) and Mirsad KEBO
(since NA 2007); President of the Republika Srpska: Milan
JELIC (since 9 November 2006) |
|
Legislative branch:
|
bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or Skupstina consists of
the national House of Representatives or Predstavnicki Dom
(42 seats - elected by proportional representation, 28 seats
allocated from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and
14 seats from the Republika Srpska; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms); and the House of
Peoples or Dom Naroda (15 seats - 5 Bosniak, 5 Croat, 5
Serb; members elected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's
House of Representatives and the Republika Srpska's National
Assembly to serve four-year terms); note - Bosnia's election
law specifies four-year terms for the state and first-order
administrative division entity legislatures
elections: national House of Representatives -
elections last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in
2010); House of Peoples - last constituted in January 2003
(next to be constituted in 2007)
election results: national House of Representatives -
percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by
party/coalition - SDA 9, SBiH 8, SNSD 7, SDP 5, SDS 3,
HDZ-BH 3, HDZ 1990 2, other 5; House of Peoples - percent of
vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition - NA
note: the Bosniak/Croat Federation has a bicameral
legislature that consists of a House of Representatives (98
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year
terms); elections last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held
in October 2010); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party/coalition - SDA 28, SBiH 24, SDP 17, HDZ-BH 8, HDZ100
7, other 14; and a House of Peoples (58 seats - 17 Bosniak,
17 Croat, 1i7 Serb, 7 other); last constituted December
2002; the Republika Srpska has a National Assembly (83
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year
terms); elections last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held
in the fall of 2010); percent of vote by party - NA; seats
by party/coalition - SNSD 41, SDS 17, PDP 8, DNS 4, SBiH 4,
SPRS 3, SDA 3, other 3; as a result of the 2002
constitutional reform process, a 28-member Republika Srpska
Council of Peoples (COP) was established in the Republika
Srpska National Assembly including eight Croats, eight
Bosniaks, eight Serbs, and four members of the smaller
communities |
|
Judicial branch:
|
BH Constitutional Court (consists of nine members: four
members are selected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House
of Representatives, two members by the Republika Srpska's
National Assembly, and three non-Bosnian members by the
president of the European Court of Human Rights); BH State
Court (consists of nine judges and three divisions -
Administrative, Appellate and Criminal - having jurisdiction
over cases related to state-level law and appellate
jurisdiction over cases initiated in the entities); a War
Crimes Chamber opened in March 2005
note: the entities each have a Supreme Court; each
entity also has a number of lower courts; there are 10
cantonal courts in the Federation, plus a number of
municipal courts; the Republika Srpska has five municipal
courts |
|
Political parties and leaders:
|
Alliance of Independent Social Democrats or SNSD [Milorad
DODIK]; Bosnian Party or BOSS [Mirnes AJANOVIC]; Civic
Democratic Party or GDS [Ibrahim SPAHIC]; Croat Christian
Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina or HKDU [Marin
TOPIC]; Croat Party of Rights or HSP [Zvonko JURISIC]; Croat
Peasants Party or HSS [Marko TADIC]; Croatian Democratic
Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina or HDZ-BH [Dragan COVIC];
Croatian Democratic Union 1990 or HDZ1990 [Bozo LJUBIC];
Croatian Peoples Union [Milenko BRKIC]; Democratic National
Union or DNZ [Rifet DOLIC]; Democratic Peoples Alliance or
DNS [Marko PAVIC]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDS [Rasim
KADIC]; New Croat Initiative or NHI [Kresimir ZUBAK]; Party
for Bosnia and Herzegovina or SBiH [Haris SILAJDZIC]; Party
for Democratic Action or SDA [Sulejman TIHIC]; Party of
Democratic Progress or PDP [Mladen IVANIC]; Serb Democratic
Party or SDS [Mladen BOSIC]; Serb Radical Party of the
Republika Srpska or SRS-RS [Milanko MIHAJLICA]; Serb Radical
Party-Dr. Vojislav Seselj or SRS-VS [Radislav KANJERIC];
Social Democratic Party of BIH or SDP [Zlatko LAGUMDZIJA];
Social Democratic Union or SDU [Sejfudin TOKIC]; Socialist
Party of Republika Srpska or SPRS [Petar DJOKIC] |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders:
|
NA |
|
International organization participation:
|
BIS, CE, CEI, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS
(observer), OIC (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNWTO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO (observer) |
|
Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
chief of mission: Ambassador Bisera TURKOVIC
chancery: 2109 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 337-1500
FAX: [1] (202) 337-1502
consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York |
|
Diplomatic representation from the US:
|
chief of mission: Ambassador Douglas L. McELHANEY
embassy: Alipasina 43, 71000 Sarajevo
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [387] (33) 445-700
FAX: [387] (33) 659-722
branch office(s): Banja Luka, Mostar |
|
Flag description:
|
a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a
yellow isosceles triangle abutting the band and the top of
the flag; the remainder of the flag is medium blue with
seven full five-pointed white stars and two half stars top
and bottom along the hypotenuse of the triangle |
|
Economy - overview:
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked next to Macedonia as the
poorest republic in the old Yugoslav federation. Although
agriculture is almost all in private hands, farms are small
and inefficient, and the republic traditionally is a net
importer of food. The private sector is growing and foreign
investment is slowly increasing, but government spending, at
nearly 40% of adjusted GDP, remains unreasonably high. The
interethnic warfare in Bosnia caused production to plummet
by 80% from 1992 to 1995 and unemployment to soar. With an
uneasy peace in place, output recovered in 1996-99 at high
percentage rates from a low base; but output growth slowed
in 2000-02. Part of the lag in output was made up in 2003-06
when GDP growth exceeded 5% per year. National-level
statistics are limited and do not capture the large share of
black market activity. The konvertibilna marka (convertible
mark or BAM)- the national currency introduced in 1998 - is
pegged to the euro, and confidence in the currency and the
banking sector has increased. Implementing privatization,
however, has been slow, particularly in the Federation,
although it is increasing in the Republika Srpska. Banking
reform accelerated in 2001 as all the Communist-era payments
bureaus were shut down; foreign banks, primarily from
Western Europe, now control most of the banking sector. A
sizeable current account deficit and high unemployment rate
remain the two most serious economic problems. On 1 January
2006 a new value-added tax (VAT) went into effect. The VAT
has been successful in capturing much of the gray market
economy and has developed into a significant and predictable
source of revenues for all layers of government. The
question of how to allocate revenue from VAT receipts is not
completely resolved. Bosnia and Herzegovina became a member
of the Central European Free Trade Agreement in December
2006. The country receives substantial reconstruction
assistance and humanitarian aid from the international
community but will have to prepare for an era of declining
assistance. |
|
GDP (purchasing power parity):
|
$24.8 billion
note: Bosnia has a large informal sector that could
also be as much as 50% of official GDP (2006 est.) |
|
GDP (official exchange rate):
|
$9.158 billion (2006 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
5.3% (2006 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita (PPP):
|
$5,500 (2006 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 14.2%
industry: 30.8%
services: 55% (2002) |
|
Labor force:
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1.026 million (2001) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% |
|
Unemployment rate:
|
45.5% official rate; grey economy may reduce actual
unemployment to 25-30% (31 December 2004 est.) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
25% (2004 est.) |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
|
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
|
26.2 (2001) |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
8.2% (2006 est.) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $5.643 billion
expenditures: $5.677 billion; including capital
expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) |
|
Public debt:
|
24.5% of GDP (2006 est.) |
|
Agriculture - products:
|
wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables; livestock |
|
Industries:
|
steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite,
vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden
furniture, tank and aircraft assembly, domestic appliances,
oil refining |
|
Industrial production growth rate:
|
5.5% (2003 est.) |
|
Electricity - production:
|
12.98 billion kWh (2004) |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
11.03 billion kWh (2004) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
3.05 billion kWh (2004) |
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Electricity - imports:
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2 billion kWh (2004) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2004) |
|
Oil - consumption:
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23,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
|
Oil - exports:
|
NA bbl/day |
|
Oil - imports:
|
NA bbl/day |
|
Natural gas - production:
|
0 cu m (2004 est.) |
|
Natural gas - consumption:
|
300 million cu m (2004 est.) |
|
Natural gas - exports:
|
0 cu m (2004 est.) |
|
Natural gas - imports:
|
300 million cu m (2004 est.) |
|
Current account balance:
|
-$1.73 billion (2006 est.) |
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Exports:
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$3.5 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
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metals, clothing, wood products |
|
Exports - partners:
|
Croatia 18.4%, Italy 17.1%, Slovenia 14.7%, Germany 12.8%,
Austria 6.5%, Hungary 5.2%, China 4.2% (2005) |
|
Imports:
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$8.25 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs |
|
Imports - partners:
|
Croatia 24.7%, Germany 13.6%, Slovenia 13%, Italy 11%,
Austria 6.9%, Hungary 5.5% (2005) |
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
|
$2.7 billion (2006 est.) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$3.927 billion (2006 est.) |
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
$650 million (2001 est.) |
|
Currency (code):
|
konvertibilna marka (convertible mark) (BAM) |
|
Exchange rates:
|
konvertibilna maraka per US dollar - 1.5576 (2006), 1.5727
(2005), 1.5752 (2004), 1.7329 (2003), 2.0782 (2002)
note: the convertible mark is pegged to the euro |
|
Fiscal year:
|
calendar year |
|
Telephones - main lines in use:
|
968,900 (2005) |
|
Telephones - mobile cellular:
|
1.594 million (2005) |
|
Telephone system:
|
general assessment: telephone and telegraph network
needs modernization and expansion; many urban areas are
below average as contrasted with services in other former
Yugoslav republics
domestic: NA
international: country code - 387; no satellite earth
stations |
|
Radio broadcast stations:
|
AM 8, FM 16, shortwave 1 (1998) |
|
Television broadcast stations:
|
33 (plus 277 repeaters) (September 1995) |
|
Internet country code:
|
.ba |
|
Internet hosts:
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31,490 (2006) |
|
Internet users:
|
806,400 (2005) |
|
Airports:
|
28 (2006) |
|
Airports - with paved runways:
|
total: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 3 (2006) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total: 20
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 12 (2006) |
|
Heliports:
|
5 (2006) |
|
Railways:
|
total: 608 km
standard gauge: 608 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) |
|
Roadways:
|
total: 21,846 km
paved: 11,425 km (4,686 km of interurban roads)
unpaved: 10,421 km (2005) |
|
Waterways:
|
Sava River (northern border) open to shipping but use
limited (2006) |
|
Ports and terminals:
|
Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanski Brod, Bosanski Samac, and Brcko
(all inland waterway ports on the Sava), Orasje |
|
Military branches:
|
VF Army (the air and air defense forces are subordinate
commands within the Army), VRS Army (the air and air defense
forces are subordinate commands within the Army) |
|
Military service age and obligation:
|
18 years of age for compulsory military service in the
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina; 16 years of age in
times of war; 18 years of age for Republika Srpska; 17 years
of age for voluntary military service in the Federation and
in the Republika Srpska; by law, military obligations cover
all healthy men between the ages of 18 and 60, and all women
between the ages of 18 and 55; service obligation is 4
months (July 2004) |
|
Manpower available for military service:
|
males age 18-49: 1,119,508
females age 18-49: 1,079,435 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower fit for military service:
|
males age 18-49: 910,539
females age 18-49: 881,446 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
|
males age 18-49: 32,942
females age 18-49: 31,466 (2005 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
4.5% (2005 est.) |
|
Disputes - international:
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia have delimited most of
their boundary, but sections along the Drina River remain in
dispute; discussions continue with Croatia on several small
disputed sections of the boundary related to maritime access
that hinder final ratification of the 1999 border agreement
|
|
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
|
refugees (country of origin): 7,458 (Croatia)
IDPs: 180,251 (Bosnian Croats, Serbs, and Muslims
displaced in 1992-95 war) (2006) |
|
Illicit drugs:
|
increasingly a transit point for heroin being trafficked to
Western Europe; minor transit point for marijuana; remains
highly vulnerable to money-laundering activity given a
primarily cash-based and unregulated economy, weak law
enforcement, and instances of corruption |
Information gathered from the Central Intelligence Agency
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked next to Macedonia as the
poorest republic in the old Yugoslav federation. Although agriculture is
almost all in private hands, farms are small and inefficient, and the
republic traditionally is a net importer of food. Read
more
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