Geography
Climate
History
Population
Public Administration
Time
Languages
Tourism

Geography

Bosnia and Herzegovina (Latin: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic: Босна и Херцеговина) is a country on the Balkan peninsula of Southern Europe of 51,129 square kilometres.  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, centred around the town of Neum. The country is mountainous in the centre and south, hilly in the northwest, and flat in the northeast. The nation's capital and largest city is Sarajevo.

The name “Bosnia and Herzegovina” derives from the two provinces of the country, Bosnia in the north and Herzegovina to the south.

Climate

Typical to the region, Bosnia has hot summers and cold winters. Winters average a daily high around 3°C and snow tends to linger at higher altitudes. Herzegovina has warmer winters, and hot summers, with July and August temperatures occasionally reaching 40°C.

History

For the first centuries after Christ, Bosnia was part of the Roman Empire. After the fall of Rome, Bosnia was contested by Byzantium and Rome's successors in the west. By the 7th century AD, Bosnia was settled by the Slavs. In the 11th-12th centuries, Bosnia was governed by local nobles under the authority of the Kings of Hungary. In the beginning of the 13th century, the independent medieval Kingdom of Bosnia was established. Bosnia remained independent until 1463, when Ottoman Turks conquered the region. From 1878 until 1918, Bosnia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It formed part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, established in 1918 in the aftermath of the First World War (changed to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929). Following the Second World War, Bosnia became part of the federal Yugoslavia. Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1992, which was followed by war until November 1995. The General Framework for Peace, known as the Dayton Peace Agreement, signed in Dayton, Ohio, in December 1995, brought the war to the end.

Population

The last official census in 1991 recorded 4.4 million people, which was prior to the 1992-1995 war, while an unofficial census in 1996 by UNHCR recorded a postwar population of 3.9 million. Its 2007 residential population is estimated at approximately 4 million.

Public Administration

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a parliamentary democracy. Its complex administrative structures were established by the Dayton Peace Agreement and have made the country one of the most decentralised public administration systems in the world.

The main levels of administration are federal (i.e. central Government) and entity [there are two entities – the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (51% of the land area), sometimes called the Muslim/Croat Federation, and the Republika Srpska (49% of the land area)]. 

Federal Level

The Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Predsjedništvo Bosne i Hercegovine/Предсједништво Босне и Херцеговине) is the Head of State of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Presidency consists of three members: one Bosniak (Muslim) and one Croat elected from the Federation and one Serb elected from the Republika Srpska. Together, they serve one four-year term, with the Chairmanship rotating among members every eight months. 

Council of Ministers (Vijeće ministara/ Савјет министара) is the executive power body of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is headed by the Chairman (Prime Minister) for a four-year term.

The Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Parlamentarna Skupština Bosne i Hercegovine) is the bicameral legislative body of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It consist of the House of Representatives (Predstavnički dom/Zastupnički dom) elected directly for a four year terms and the House of Peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Dom Naroda), appointed by the parliaments of the entities.

Entity Level

Bosnia and Herzegovina is subdivided into two entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine/, Федерација Босне и Херцеговине) and the Republic of Srpska (Republika Srpska/ Република Српска).

The Brčko District (Brčko distrikt/Брчко дистрикт) is a self-governing administrative unit and it is formally part of both the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska.

The President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the Head of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Government of the Federation is headed by the Prime Minister (Predsjednik Vlade/ Предсједник Владе).  

Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a legislative body of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is divided into ten cantons (kanton or županija). All of them have their own cantonal government, which is under the law of the Federation as a whole.

President of the Republic of Srpska (Predsjednik Republike/Предсједник Републике) is the Head of the Republika Srpska.

The Republic of Srpska Government is headed by the Prime Minister (Predsjednik Vlade/ Предсједник Владе).
 
National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska (Narodna skupština/Народнa скупштинa) is a legislative body of Republika Srpska.

The next level of political division in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the municipalities headed by Mayors.

The Dayton Peace Agreement also established the post of High Representative of the International Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who is also EU Special Representative (EUSR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  More information about the Office of the High Representative can be found on their website.

Time

GMT + 1 (Summer time from end March till the end October GMT + 2 hours)

Languages

There are three official languages spoken in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian.  In practice, the three languages are very similar and speakers of one can easily understand the others.  Serbian is normally written in Cyrillic script, while Bosnian and Croatian are written in Latin script.

Tourism

There are many fascinating destinations throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina for every type of tourist. Here, the most interesting and attractive sites are a wonderful mix of this country's cultural and natural heritage.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is justifiably famous for winter sports (Sarajevo hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics) and other outdoor activities such as hill walking and mountain climbing.