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Bosnia and Herzegovina

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
BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA CAPITAL CITY
  • Sarajevo is the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA CURRENCY
  • Convertible mark is the official currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA ETYMOLOGY
  • The first known mention of the name "Bosnia" is in the De Administrando Imperio, written by Byzantine emperor Constantine VII in 958.
  • It is assumed that by that time Bosnia had undergone a religious change from manichaistic religion to Bogomilism.
  • The precise origin and meaning of the term “Bosnia” is not fully understood.
  • It is believed to have originated from the river “Bosna” around which the civilization was based.
  • During the Roman rule, the region was referred to as Bossina.
  • The river’s name may have an Indo-European connection in “bos” or “bogh” which translates to "running water".
  • “Bathinus flumen” in Roman and “Bosona” in Illyrian also mean “running water”.
  • The region now called Herzegovina was known as “Hum or Zahumlje”.
  • It was named after the Zachlumoi tribe of Serbs which inhabited it.
  • A nobleman called Stefan Vukčić Kosača referred to himself as “Herzog of Saint Sava, lord of Hum and Primorje, great duke of the Bosnian kingdom”.
  • “Herzog” translates to “duke” in German.
  • The region he ruled came to be called “Herzog’s lands or Herzegovina.”
  • The name Herzegovina was accepted officially for the Ottoman province in the mid-nineteenth century.
  • After independence, the country was officially named “Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina”
  • After the 1995 Dayton Agreement, the constitution changed the name to “Bosnia and Herzegovina”.
HISTORY OF BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA
  • The region was known as “Illyricum” in the past.
  • It was part of the Roman province of Dalmatia in 2nd and 1st centuries B.C.
  • After the decline of the Roman Empire, the Goths invaded the region.
  • It was taken over by the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century.
  • During the 7th century, the area began to be inhabited by the Slavs.
  • Around 1200, Bosnia won independence from Hungary and endured as an independent Christian state for some 260 years.
  • The Turks defeated took over Bosnia in 1463.
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of the Ottoman Empire for about 450 years.
  • Majority of the Christians had converted to Islam.
  • The country began to be ruled by the Islamic nobility of Bosnia.
  • Jews also migrated in large numbers from Spain and settled in the region.
  • The country thus acquired a secular and mixed society.
  • Austria-Hungary was given a mandate to occupy and govern Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Russo-Turkish War.
  • The provinces were annexed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire on Oct. 7, 1908.
  • The assassination of Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist  triggered the World War I.
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina were annexed to Serbia on Oct. 26, 1918.
  • The region was then named collectively as Yugoslavia in 1929.
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina were made part of Nazi-controlled Croatia after a German invasion in 1941.
  • At the end of World War II, Bosnia and Herzegovina were reunited into a single state as one of the republics of communist Yugoslavia.
  • In Dec. 1991, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia and asked for recognition by the European Union (EU).
  • The nation was declared independent in March 1992.
  • Bosnia was an ethnic blend of Muslims, Serbs, and Croats.
  • The nation underwent a great divide and ethnic groups began forming their own communities.
  • The ethnic conflicts eventually led to riots and a war broke out in 1992 in which thousands were killed.
  • NATO intervened in 1995 to re-establish peace and harmony in the region.
  • Peace talks in 1995, led to an agreement that called for a Muslim-Croat federation and a Serb entity within the larger federation of Bosnia.
  • In Dec. 2004, the European Union officially took over NATO's peacekeeping mission in Bosnia.
BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA DEMOGRAPHICS

The three main ethnic groups in Bosnia are :

  • Bosniaks : Muslims (48%)
  • Serbs: Orthodox Christians (37.1%)
  • Croats: Roman Catholics (14.3%)
  • The three groups are believed to have originated from a common gene pool.
  • Religion and ethnicity are strongly associated among the people.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS AT BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina are ruled by an emerging federal democratic republic government.
  • Administrative divisions consist of 2 first-order administrative divisions and 1 internationally supervised district.
  • Brcko district is an administrative unit under the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina that remains under international supervision.
  • National Day (25 November 1943) is observed as a national holiday.
  • The legal system is based on civil law system.
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.
  • The Chairman of the Presidency is the chief of state.
  • The Chairman of the Council of Ministers is the head of government.
  • The cabinet consists of a Council of Ministers nominated by the council chairman and approved by the National House of Representatives.
  • The three members of the presidency represent each of the three ethnic majorities and are elected by popular vote for a four-year term.
  • The chairman of the Council of Ministers is appointed by the presidency and confirmed by the National House of Representatives.
  • The legislative branch is represented by a bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or Skupstina consisting of the national House of Representatives or Predstavnicki Dom and the House of Peoples or Dom Naroda.
  • Members of the National House of Representatives are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation, to serve four-year terms.
  • members of the House of Peoples are elected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Representatives and the Republika Srpska's National Assembly to serve four-year terms.
  • The judicial branch is represented by the BH Constitutional Court, BH State Court and a War Crimes Chamber.
CULTURE OF BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA
  • Bosnia has a rich history in literature and theatrical arts.
  • The National Theater was founded 1919 and hosts ballets, orchestras and operas.
  • MESS is International theater festival founded during the war in 1992.
  • Sarajevo also has an academy of performing arts.
  • Bosnia has also produced many talented artists and painters.
  • Music forms an important part of Bosnian culture.
  • Traditional songs are ganga, rera and sevdalinka.
  • Pop and Rock music are also popular.
  • Sarajevo Film Festival, founded in 1994, is one of the biggest in southeast Europe.
  • Bosnian cuisine is a blend of Turkish, Greek, and other Mediterranean cuisines.
  • The food is mostly natural with a mild spicy flavor.
  • Some local dishes are ćevapi, burek, dolma, sarma, pilaf, goulash, ajvar and Eastern sweets.
  • Herzegovina is also one of the import wine producers of the world.
  • Plum or apple rakia is produced in Bosnia.
ECONOMY OF BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina was one of the poorest republics in the old Yugoslav federation.
  • Farms are privately held and most of the food is imported.
  • The private and foreign investment sectors have seen some growth in the recent past.
  • A sizeable current account deficit and high unemployment rate remain serious macroeconomic problems.
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina became a full member of the Central European Free Trade Agreement in September 2007.
  • Value added tax (VAT) was imposed in January 2006.
  • GDP (purchasing power parity) as calculated in 2007 was $27.73 billion.
  • 45.5% of the population is officially unemployed.
  • 25% of the population is below poverty line.
  • Agricultural produce includes wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables and livestock.
  • The main industries are steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite, vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden furniture, tank and aircraft assembly, domestic appliances and oil refining.
  • Export commodities include metals, clothing and wood products.
  • Import commodities include machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels and foodstuffs.
BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA INFRASTRUCTURE
  • Telecommunication system is in developmental stage and limited to urban areas.
  • There are 25 radio broadcast stations and 33 television broadcast stations.
  • Internet facilities are average.
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina has 28 airports of which 8 have paved runways.
  • The country has 5 heliports.
  • Railways spread over a distance of 608 km.
  • Roadways span a distance of 21,846 km.
  • Waterways are based on Sava River and are open to shipping.
  • Main ports and terminals are located in Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanski Brod, Bosanski Samac, Brcko and Orasje.
EDUCATION IN BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA
  • Primary education lasts for nine years.
  • Secondary education last for four years.
  • Secondary education has a compulsory element of vocational training.
  • A Matura is awarded on completion of general secondary education.
  • A Matura enables a student to enroll in a institution for higher education.
  • Students graduating from technical secondary schools are awarded a diploma.
  • Students may need to pass a qualifying examination for admission into certain institutions.
BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA NEIGHBOUR COUNTRIES

Bosnia and Herzegovina is surrounded by:

  • Croatia (north, west and south)
  • Serbia (east)
  • Montenegro (south)
BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA GEOGRAPHICAL SETTINGS
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina is located in Southeastern Europe.
  • Its geographic coordinates are 44 00 N, 18 00 E.
  • The country covers a total area of 51,209.2 sq km.
  • The coastline is 20 km long along the Adriatic Sea.
  • The region generally experiences hot summers and cold winters.
  • High altitude areas have short, cool summers and long, severe winters.
  • The winters along the coast are mild and rainy.
  • The terrain mostly constitutes of mountains and valleys.
  • Natural resources include coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromites, cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, forests and hydropower.
  • 19.61% of the land is arable.
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina are situated on an earthquake- prone belt.
  • Air pollution from metal industries and urban waste disposal are the main environmental concerns.
BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA FREEDOM
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina declared its independence from Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992.
NOTABLE PEOPLE FROM THE BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA
Poets:
  • Antun Branko Šimić
  • Aleksa Šantić
  • Jovan Dučić
  • Mak Dizdar
Writers:
  • Ivo Andrić (won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961)
  • Meša Selimović
  • Branko Ćopić
  • Miljenko Jergović
  • Petar Kočić
  • Nedžad Ibrišimović.
Musicians:
  • Goran Bregović
  • Davorin Popović
  • Kemal Monteno
  • Zdravko Čolić
  • Johnny Štulić
  • Edo Maajka
  • Dino Merlin
  • Tomo Miličević.
Composers:
  • Đorđe Novković
  • Esad Arnautalić
  • Kornelije Kovač
  • Dušan Šestić
  • Marija Šestić
  • Sasha Toperich
Film-makers:
  • Mirza Idrizović
  • Aleksandar Jevđević
  • Ivica Matić
  • Danis Tanović (Oscar winner for “No Man's Land”)
  • Ademir Kenoviċ
  • Benjamin Filipoviċ
  • Jasmin Dizdar
  • Pjer Žalica
  • Jasmila Žbaniċ
  • Dino Mustafić
  • Srđan Vuletić
  • Emir Kusturica.
BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA COUNTRY FAMOUS FOR
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the most popular tourist destinations of the world.
  • The country has a rich variety of historical, religious and cultural sites.
  • Bosnia has also become an increasingly popular for skiing and Ecotourism.
  • The recently discovered Bosnian pyramids also attract thousands of visitors.
TOTAL POPULATION OF BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA
  • According to a 2008 census, the total population was estimated to be 4,590,310.
  • The annual population growth rate is 0.666% (2008 est.)
  • Birth rate: 8.82 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
  • Death rate: 8.54 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)  
PREVIOUS RECORDS MEDALS FOR BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina competed at the Summer Olympic Games  for the first time in 1992.
  • The country has never won any Olympic medals till date.
London Olympics 2012
NHL Playoffs 2012






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