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is a country on the Balkan peninsula of
Southern Europe with an area of 51,129 square kilometers (19,741 sq mi). 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 post-war population of
3.9 million. Its 2007 residential population is estimated at approximately 4 million.
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. Bosnia and Herzegovina can be described as a federal democratic
republic that is transforming its economy into a market-oriented system, and it is a
potential candidate for membership in the European Union and NATO.
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The country is home to three ethnic "constituent peoples": Bosnians, Serbs and Croatians.
Regardless of ethnicity, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina is often identified in English as a
Bosnian. In Bosnia, the distinction between a Bosnian and a Herzegovinian is maintained as a
regional, rather than an ethnic distinction. The country is politically decentralized and
comprises two governing entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika
Srpska,
with
District
Brčko
as
a
de
facto
third
entity.
Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the
south, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for 26 kilometers 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. Sarajevo was the host site 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 highly abundant. The name of Herzegovina was forced
upon Bosnia by Otto Von Bismarck during the Congress of Berlin in 1878. This was a
continuation of Hungarian hegemony upon Slavic tribes in the Austro-Hungarian empire.
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 kilometers (12 mi) of coastline,[2] around the
town of Neum in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, although surrounded by Croatian
peninsulas it is possible to get to the middle of the Adriatic from Neum. Although the city is
surrounded by Croatian peninsulas, by United Nations law, Bosnia has a right of passage to
the outer sea. Neum has many hotels and is an 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 and Doboj 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 Vlašić, Čvrsnica, and Prenj.
Eastern Bosnia also features mountains like Trebević, Jahorina, Igman, Bjelašnica and
Treskavica. It was here that the 1984 Winter Olympics were held. 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
neighboring Croatia and Serbia. The river Sava and corresponding Posavina river basin hold
the cities of Brčko, Bosanski Šamac, Bosanski Brod and Bosanska Gradiška. The northwest
part of Bosnia is called Bosanska Krajina and holds the cities of Banja Luka, Prijedor, Sanski
Most, Cazin, Velika Kladuša 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 Bihać. It is a very beautiful river and popular for rafting and
adventure sports. The Sana flows through the city of Sanski Most and Prijedor and is a
tributary of the river Sava in the north. The Vrbas flows through the cities of Gornji Vakuf Uskoplje, Bugojno, Jajce, Banja Luka, Srbac and reaches the river Sava in the north. The
Vrbas flows through the central part of Bosnia and flows outwards to the North. The River
Bosna is the longest river in Bosnia and is fully contained within the country as it stretches
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from its source near Sarajevo to the river Sava in the north. It gave its name to the
country. The Drina flows through the eastern part of Bosnia, at many places in the border
between Bosnia and Serbia. The Drina flows through the cities of Foča, Goražde and
Višegrad. The Neretva river is a large river in Central and Southern Bosnia, flowing from
Jablanica south to the Adriatic Sea. The river is famous as it flows through the famous city
of Mostar. The Sava river is the largest river in Bosnia and Herzegovina but not the largest
river that is flowing through Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Sava river flows through Serbia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. Sava is making a natural border between Bosnia and
Herzegovina and Croatia and towns like Brčko, Bosanski Šamac, Bosanska Gradiška lies on
the river. Phytogeographically, Bosnia and Herzegovina belongs to the Boreal Kingdom and
is shared between the Illyrian province of the Circumboreal Region and Adriatic province of
the Mediterranean Region. According to the WWF, the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina
can be subdivided into three ecoregions: the Pannonia mixed forests, Dinaric Mountains
mixed forests and Illyrian deciduous forests.
Sincerely
MTC Meteorologie Technologie
Consulting GmbH
Franz Mikulits
Managing Director
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Eisenstadt, 2 0 0 8