Brčko (city)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Brčko Брчко |
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|---|---|
  Brčko
|
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| Coordinates: 44°52′N 18°49′E / 44.87°N 18.81°E | |
| Country |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Territory | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| District | Brčko District |
| Government | |
| - Municipality president | Dragan Pajić |
| Population (2006)[1] | |
| - Total | 41,000 |
| Area code(s) | 76100 |
| Website | www.brcko.org |
Brčko (Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian: Брчко (Cyrillic) and Brčko (Latin)) is a city in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina, administrative seat of the Brčko District. It lies on the country's border along the Sava river across from Gunja, Croatia. Its name is very likely linked to the Breuci, an Illyrian tribe inhabiting the area in antiquity (see [1]).
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Brčko is the seat of the Brčko District, an independent unit of local self-government created on the territory of Republika Srpska and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina following an arbitration process; the process is viewed by some as a violation of the Dayton Peace Accords because it created the district while it could only arbitrate the disputed portion of the Inter-Entity Boundary Line, also known as the Zone of Separation (ZOS). The local administration is aided by an international supervisory regime headed by Raffi Gregorian of the United States of America.
[edit] History
Brčko was a geographic point of contention in 1996 when the U.S.-led Implementation Forces (IFOR) built Camp McGovern on the outskirts of the city. Camp McGovern as it is known, was built in the (Zone of Separation) ZOS for the purpose of establishing peacekeeping operations, specifically between Muslims in Gornji Rahić near Brka and Serbs in Brčko.
The initial US Army unit to deploy into Brcko was Task Force 3-5 CAV, a Task Force composed of individual units of the 1st Armored Division. The commander of Task Force 3-5 was LTC Anthony Cucolo. The Task Force headquarters was located at Camp McGovern.
Although Brčko was a focal point for tension in the late 1990s, considerable progress in multi-ethnic integration in Brčko has since occurred including integration of secondary schooling. Reconstruction efforts and the Property Law Implementation Plan has improved the situation regarding property and return.
Brcko remains an important component of the Dayton Peace Accords and the Brcko Arbitration which ruled in May 1997 that Brcko would be a special district outside the jurisdiction of the Bosnian Croat Federation and Republika Srpska, the Serb "entity" connected by the 3 mile wide link to east and west.
[edit] Demographics
In 1991, the largest ethnic group in the town were Muslims (Bosniaks). [2]
Since then, there has been no official census conducted (as of November 2007).
[edit] Transport
[edit] Rail
A railway station is near the city centre with connections to Vinkovci and Tuzla. Even so, only 1 train crosses the border daily.
[edit] Sport
The local football club, FK Jedinstvo Brčko, plays in the First League of the Republika Srpska. There is another fotball club in Brcko, FK Lokomotiva which plays in second league (center) of Republik of Srpska.
[edit] Features
Brčko has the largest port in Bosnia, on the Sava river. It is also home to an economics faculty and to a rather important theater festival;
[edit] Famous residents
The city's most famous citizens are rapper Edo Maajka (Edin Osmić), Lepa Brena (real name Fahreta Jahić Živojinović), a popular folk music singer in the Balkans and Croatian international football player Mladen Petrić.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 44°52′N 18°49′E / 44.87°N 18.81°E
![[2]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:1991_BiH_towns.GIF){kind=link}