NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosna i Hercegovina
INTRODUCTION
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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 signed a peace agreement that brought to a halt the three years of interethnic civil strife (the final agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December 1995). The Dayton Agreement retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's international boundaries and created a joint multi-ethnic and democratic government. This national government was charged with conducting foreign, economic, 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 internal functions. 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 is to deter renewed hostilities. SFOR remains in place although troop levels were reduced to approximately 12,000 by the close of 2002. |
GEOGRAPHY
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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
water: 0 sq km land: 51,129 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, Serbia and Montenegro 527 km |
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Coastline:
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20 km |
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Maritime claims:
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NA |
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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, bauxite, manganese, forests, copper, chromium, lead, zinc, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land: 9.8%
permanent crops: 2.94% other: 87.26% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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20 sq km (1998 est.) |
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, 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 Serbia and Montenegro (Montenegro), and traditionally has been settled by an ethnic Croat majority in the west and an ethnic Serb majority in the east |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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3,964,388
note: all data dealing with population are subject to considerable error because of the dislocations caused by military action and ethnic cleansing (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 19.8% (male 403,391; female 382,037)
15-64 years: 70.6% (male 1,432,559; female 1,366,224) 65 years and over: 9.6% (male 161,659; female 218,518) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.76% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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12.76 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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8.1 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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2.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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23.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 72.02 years
female: 74.93 years (2002 est.) male: 69.3 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.71 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.04% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 100 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Bosnian(s)
adjective: Bosnian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Serb 37.1%, Bosniak 48%, Croat 14.3%, other 0.5% (2000)
note: Bosniak has replaced Muslim as an ethnic term in part to avoid confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of Islam |
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Religions:
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Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, Protestant 4%, other 10% |
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Languages:
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Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian |
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Literacy:
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definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |