About Bosnia and Herzegovina
LOCATION
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is located in the Eastern-Central part of Europe. It a country in the area commonly known as the Balkans. Its’ neighboring countries are Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro. BiH also shares a coastline across the Adriatic Sea with Italy. Mountainous regions encompass the majority of this country and nearly 50% of the country is forested.
- Interesting Fact: Because of the Yugoslav Wars, most of the mountainous regions had their roads destroyed and they have never been repaired.
A Brief Video on BiH's Geography |
Travel to BiH! |
Tour Guide Master. (2017). |
Dan Flying Solo. (2016). |
Ethnicity and Religion
Because of the country’s history, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a melting pot of people and beliefs. There are three major ethnic and religious groups in BiH. The first group is the Bosniaks, who make up 50.1% of the population. The Bosniaks are majority Muslims. The second group is the Serbs, who make up 30.87% of the population. The Serbs are a majority Orthodox Christians. The third group is the Croats, who are make up 15.43% of the population. The Croats are a majority of Catholic Christians. There are a few smaller groups including Jews and Roma, however they make up an insignificantly small part of the country. If you add up all of the percentages, there is an almost 50/50 split in Christians and Muslims. However, in BiH religion is more of a tradition and a cultural identity rather than a set of rules that the followers live by.
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Political System
The political organization in BiH is a highly complex system. There are two autonomous entities that have most of the power in the country: The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska. The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina part of the country is divided into ten cantons (Imamovič and Džanić, 2016, p.11). Out of these ten cantons, five are in Bosniak-majority areas, three are Croat-Majority areas, and two are in mixed areas. This break-up of the country has each canton operating as its' own entity, but with each ultimately reporting to the national government. However, the central government's power is highly limited. The educational system is also fragmented as a consequence of this canton system. There are twelve ministries of education in BiH. Ten of these ministries are in the the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the other two are apart of the Republika Srpska. This creates a system with a lack of follow up on the rules and the regulations in each individual teaching canton.
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Figure 1. Map of Bosnia and Herzegovina. |
Economic
Bosnia and Herzegovina has a transitional economy with limited market reforms. Due to the highly decentralized government, it has one of the weakest economies in the region. Bosnia and Herzegovina's currently has a couple of top economic priorities which the country wants to improve over the next couple of years including, the acceleration of integration into the EU; strengthening the fiscal system; public administration reform; World Trade Organization membership; and securing economic growth by fostering a dynamic, competitive private sector.
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Figure 2. Bosnian Convertible Mark. |
The Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina |
The Highest Peak in Bosnia and Herzegovina |