BOSNIA

May

Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Categories: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina (na Bosnanski jezik: Bosna i Hercegovina) is a country on the Balkan peninsula of Southern Europe with an area of 51,280 square kilometres (19,741 sq mi). Around 4.3 million people lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1991. The country is home to three ethnic “constituent peoples”: Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats. Regardless of ethnicity, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina is often identified in English as a Bosnian. In Bosnia however, the distinction between a Bosnian and a Herzegovinian is maintained as a regional, rather than an ethnic distinction. The country is decentralized and comprises two entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska.

Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the south, Bosnia and Herzegovina is mostly landlocked, except for 26 kilometres of the Adriatic Sea coastline, centered around the town of Neum. The interior of the country is mountainous in the center and south, hilly in the northwest, and flat in the northeast. The nation’s capital and largest city is Sarajevo, seated between several high mountains and was thus the host of the 1984 Winter Olympic Games.

The region of Bosnia is the largest geographic region of the modern state with moderate continental climate, marked by hot summers and cold, snowy winters. Smaller Herzegovina is the southern tip of the country, with Mediterranean climate and topography. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s natural resources are abundant.

Formerly one of the six federal units constituting the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina gained its independence during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. As a result of the Dayton Accords, the civilian peace implementation is supervised by the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina selected by the Peace Implementation Council. The High Representative has many governmental and legislative powers, including the dismissal of elected and non-elected officials. More recently, several central institutions have been established (such as defense ministry, security ministry, state court, indirect taxation service etc.) in the process of transferring part of the jurisdiction from the entities to the state.

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May

Geography

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Categories: Geography

Bosnia is located in the western Balkans, bordering Croatia (932 km) to the north and south-west, Serbia (302 km) to the east, and Montenegro (225 km) to the southeast. The country is mostly mountainous, encompassing the central Dinaric Alps. The northeastern parts reach into the Pannonian basin, while in the south it borders the Adriatic. The country has only 20 kilometres (12 mi) of coastline, around the town of Neum in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, although enclosed within Croatian territory and territorial waters. Neum has many hotels and an is important tourism destination.

The country’s name comes from the two regions Bosnia and Herzegovina, which have a very vaguely defined border between them. Bosnia occupies the northern areas which are roughly four fifths of the entire country, while Herzegovina occupies the rest in the south part of the country. The major cities are the capital Sarajevo, Banja Luka in the northwest region known as Bosanska Krajina, Bijeljina and Tuzla in the northeast, Zenica in the central part of Bosnia and Mostar, the capital of Herzegovina.

The south part of Bosnia has Mediterranean climate and a great deal of agriculture. Central Bosnia is the most mountainous part of Bosnia featuring predominate mountains Vlasic, Cvrsnica, and Prenj. Eastern Bosnia also features mountains like Trebevic, Jahorina, Igman, Bjelasnica and Treskavica. It was here that the Olympic games were held in 1984.

Eastern Bosnia is heavily forested along the river Drina, and overall close to 50% of Bosnia and Herzegovina is forested. Most forest areas are in Central, Eastern and Western parts of Bosnia. Northern Bosnia contains very fertile agricultural land along the river Sava and the corresponding area is heavily farmed. This farmland is a part of the Parapannonian Plain stretching into neighbouring Croatia and Serbia. The river Sava and corresponding Posavina river basin hold the cities of Brcko, Bosanski Samac, Bosanski Brod and Bosanska Gradiska.

The northwest part of Bosnia is called Bosanska Krajina and holds the cities of Banja Luka, Sanski Most, Cazin, Velika Kladisa and Bihać. Kozara National Park is in this forested region. There are seven major rivers in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Una river in the northwest part of Bosnia flows along the northern and western border of Bosnia and Croatia and through the Bosnian city of Bihac. It is a very beautiful river and popular for rafting and adventure sports.

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May

Economy

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Categories: Economy

Bosnia faces the dual problem of rebuilding a war-torn country and introducing market reforms to its formerly centrally-planned economy. One legacy of the previous era is a greatly overstaffed military industry; under former leader Josip Broz Tito, military industries were promoted in the republic, resulting in the development of a large share of Yugoslavia’s defense plants but fewer commercially viable firms.

For the most of Bosnia’s history, agriculture has been based on small and inefficient privately-owned farms; food has traditionally been a net import for the republic. When it was a part of Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina financed many large construction projects throughout that country. The Highway “Bratstvo i jedinstvo”, a pan-Yugoslavian project, which linked Ljubljana (Slovenia) - Zagreb (Croatia) - Belgrade (Serbia) - Skopje (Macedonia), was financed by Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite the lack of direct benefit to that region. The funneling of capital to that project resulted in an increase in unemployment and a decrease in production in the region.

The war in the 1990s caused a dramatic change in the Bosnian economy. Production fell to 6%, GDP fell 75% and the destruction of physical infrastructure created massive economic trauma. While much of the production capacity has been restored, the Bosnian economy still faces considerable difficulties. Figures show GDP and per capita income increased 10% from 2003 to 2004; this and Bosnia’s shrinking national debt being positive trends, but high unemployment and a large trade deficit remain cause for concern.

Legal tender coins from Bosnia-Herzegovina.The national currency is the Euro-pegged Convertible Mark (BAM), controlled by a currency board. Annual inflation is the lowest relative to other countries in the region at 1.9% in 2004. The international debt was $3.1 billion (2005 est) - the smallest amount of debt owed of all the former Yugoslav republics. Real GDP growth rate was 5% for 2004 according to the Bosnian Central Bank of BiH and Statistical Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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May

Tourism

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Categories: Tourism

Bosnia and Herzegovina has been a top performer in recent years in terms of tourism development; tourist arrivals have grown by an average of 24% annually from 1995 to 2000 (360,758 in 2002). According to an estimation of the World Tourism Organization, Bosnia and Herzegovina will have the third highest tourism growth rate in the world between 1995 and 2020.

The major sending countries in 2002 have been Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Germany, Italy, U.S., Poland, Great Britain, Austria, and Spain. With its #43 spot, Sarajevo has come ahead of Dubrovnik, #59, Ljubljana at #84, Bled at #90, Belgrade at #113 and Zagreb at #135 , making Sarajevo the best ranking city on the Balkan peninsula.

Tourism in Sarajevo is chiefly focused on historical, religious, and cultural aspects (see Sites of interest in Sarajevo). Sarajevo, the national capital, hosted the 1984 Winter Olympic Games, which, at the time, were the largest Winter Games ever (in terms of athletes and media). The country lost its reputation as an excellent ski destination during the war-torn period between 1992 and 1995. Presently, the economy and tourism are on the way back up, and the area provides some of the best-value ski vacations in Europe.

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May

Demographics

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Categories: Demographics

In 1910 Bosnia and Herzegovina had a population of 1,898,044 where 825,918 (43.49%) were Orthodox, 612,137 were Muslims (32.25%), 434,061 were Catholics (22.87%) and 26,428 (1.39%) others. According to the 1931 census, there were 2,323,555 persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Orthodox 1,028,139 (44.25%); Muslims 718,079 (30.90%); Catholics 547,949 (23.58%); other: 29,388 (1.27%) of the total population.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina in the course of World War II the Serbian population had greatest losses in men and material. The Serbs, Jews and Gypsies were the victims of the genocide executed in the Independent State of Croatia (which included the whole of present day Bosnia and Herzegovina) between 1941 and 1945.

The list of victims of the 1941-1945 war, made in 1964, is kept in the Documentation of the Federal Bureau of Statistics in Belgrade. It contains the names of 179,173 persons killed in the war born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This list is not complete. The ethnic structure in this fragmental list of the war victims confirms the well-known fact that the Serbian population had greatest losses in this region. The war victims in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to the above mentioned excerpt from the census, were 72.1% Serbs (129,114), 16.5% Muslims (29,539), 4.4% Croats (7850) and 7.0% of other nationalities.

Large population migrations during the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s have caused a large demographic shift in the country. No census has been taken since 1991, and none is planned for the near future due to political disagreements. Since censuses are the only statistical, inclusive, and objective way to analyze demographics, almost all of the post-war data is simply an estimate. Most sources, however, estimate the population at roughly 4 million (representing a decrease of 350,000 since 1991).

Muslims by nationalityAccording to the 1991 census, Bosnia and Herzegovina had a population of 4,377,053. Ethnically, 43.47% were Muslims by nationality, 31.21% Serbs, and 17.38% Croats, with 5.54% declaring themselves Yugoslavs. According to 2000 data from the CIA World Factbook, Bosnia and Herzegovina is ethnically 48% Bosniak, 37.1% Serb, 14.3% Croat, 0.6% Other.

There is a strong correlation between ethnic identity and religion in Bosnia and Herzegovina. as is shown by the fact that 90% of Bosniaks are Muslims, 95% of Croats are Catholics whilst 93% of Serbs are Orthodox Christians. Tensions between the three constitutional peoples remain high in BiH and often provoke political disagreements.

Nearly half the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina is estimated to be Muslim, with Sunni Muslims constituting the largest single religious group. The second largest group, Serb Orthodox Christians, account for an estimated 37%, while Roman Catholics, the third largest group, account for a further 15%.

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May

Culture

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Categories: Culture

Bosnia has a rich culture, including poets such as Mak Dizdar and Abdulah Sidran; writers such as Dzevad Karahasan, Aleksandar Hemon, Miljenko Jergovic, Dario Dzamonja and Nedzad Ibrisimovic; and musicians such as Dino Merlin and Tomo Miličević. Ivo Andrić won the Nobel Prize for Literature, while Vladimir Prelog won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1975.

Noted Bosnian film-makers are Mirza Idrizović, Aleksandar Jevdjević, Ivica Matić, Danis Tanović, Ademir Kenovic, Pjer Žalica, Dino Mustafić, Jasmila Zbanić, Srdjan Vuletić, and Emir Kusturica.

The Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo (Akademija scenskih umjetnosti Sarajevo) was founded in 1981.

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May

Sports

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Categories: Sports

Bosnia and Herzegovina has produced many athletes. Many of them were famous in the Yugoslav national teams before Bosnia and Herzegovina’s independence.

The Yugoslav national basketball team, which medaled in every world championship from 1963 through 1990, has included Bosnian stars like Dražen Dalipagić and Mirza Delibašić. Other internationally famous players from Bosnia and Herzegovina include Zoran Savić, Vladimir Radmanović, Zoran Planinić and Aleksandar Nikolić. Bosnia and Herzegovina regularly qualifies for the European Championship in Basketball.

In football, Bosnia and Herzegovina has not qualified for a championship. Mirsad Hibić, Elvir Bolić, Elvir Baljić, Mirsad Bešlija, Meho Kodro, Sergej Barbarez, and Hasan Salihamidžić are famous Bosnian football players who have played for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team. The former Yugoslav national football team included famous Bosnian players, such as Josip Katalinski, Dušan Bajević, Ivica Osim, Safet Sušić, and Mirsad Fazlagić.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is the current world champion in paralympic volleyball. Many of the players lost their legs in the War of 1992-1995.

Vučko, the official mascot of the 1984 Winter Olympics held in Sarajevo.Bosnian national teams struggle to draft the best national players. Many players born in Bosnia and Herzegovina choose to play for other countries due to their ethnic identification and because of higher salaries offered by other teams. For example Mario Stanić and Mile Mitić were both born in Bosnia, but choose to play for Croatia and Serbia respectively.

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