Portal:Bosnia and Herzegovina

Welcome to the Bosnia and Herzegovina Portal

Bosnia and Herzegovina (pronounced /ˈbɒzni.ə hɜrtsɨˈɡoʊvɨnə/ ( listen) (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian Latin: Bosna i Hercegovina; Serbian Cyrillic: Босна и Херцеговина) is a country in Southeastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula with an area of 51,129 square kilometres (19,741 sq mi). 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 kilometres of Adriatic Sea coastline, centered on 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. Bosnia is the largest geographic region of the modern state with a moderate continental climate, marked by hot summers and cold, snowy winters. Smaller Herzegovina is at the southern tip of the country, with a Mediterranean climate and topography. Bosnia and Herzegovina's natural resources are highly abundant.

The country is home to three ethnic "constituent peoples": Bosniaks, the most numerous population group of three, with Serbs in second and Croats in third. Regardless of ethnicity, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina is often identified in English as a Bosnian. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 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.

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. Additionally, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a member of the Council of Europe since April 24, 2002 and a founding member of the Mediterranean Union upon its establishment on July 13, 2008.

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Sarajevo is the capital city and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 304,614 people in the four municipalities that make up the city proper, and an estimated urban area population of 421,289 people in the Sarajevo Canton as of June 2008^[update]. It is also the capital of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity, as well as the center of the Sarajevo Canton. Sarajevo is located in the Sarajevo valley of Bosnia proper, surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated around the Miljacka river. The city was famous for its traditional religious diversity, with adherents of Islam, Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Judaism coexisting there for centuries. Due to this long and rich history of religious diversity and coexistence Sarajevo has often been called the "Jerusalem of Europe".

Although settlement in the area stretches back to prehistoric times, the modern city arose as an Ottoman stronghold in the 15th century. Sarajevo has attracted international attention several times throughout its history: In 1914 it was the site of the assassination that sparked World War I, while seventy years later it became the host city of the 1984 Winter Olympics. More recently, Sarajevo underwent the longest siege in modern military history during the Bosnian War. Today the city is recovering and adjusting to a post-war reality, as a major center of culture and economic development in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sarajevo was also the first city in Europe and the second city in the world to have a full-time operational electric tram network running through the city, the first being San Francisco.

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Did you know...

Featured at Did you know section at the Wikipedia's Main Page

• ...that archeological excavations proved that the Visoko valley (pictured) was the center of the medieval Bosnian state and later kingdom?
• ...that NATO pilots flew more than 100,000 sorties over Bosnia during Operation Deny Flight?
• ...that linguist Asim Peco is an expert in the language of eastern Herzegovina?

Cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Selected biography

Stephen Tvrtko I (Bosnian, Croatian: Stjepan Tvrtko, Serbian: Stefan Tvrtko, Stjepan Tvrtko, Cyrillic: Стефан Твртко) (1338 – 10 March 1391), was a ruler of medieval Bosnia. He ruled in 1353–1366 and again in 1367–1377 as Ban and in 1377–1391 as the first Bosnian King.

Tvrtko I was an able ruler, and his state included most of Bosnia as well as the neighbouring territories, which included Bosnia, Dalmatia, Croatia and Rascia. Tvrtko was a member of the House of Kotromanić. He transformed the country from an autonomous banate into an independent and prosperous kingdom.

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Find more about Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wikipedia's sister projects:

Definitions from Wiktionary
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Images and media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews
Learning resources from Wikiversity

• B&H Tourism - Official Web Site
• Tourism Association of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Official Web Site
• Duga-Tehna

Other Links:

• Bosnian National Monument - Muslibegovica House
• Bosnia and Herzegovina entry at The World Factbook
• Human Rights Archives on the Genocide in Bosnia
• Bosnia & Herzegovina Economy
• Bosnia and Herzegovina Map
• Bosnia News
• Bosnia's location on a 3D globe (Java)
• rjecnik.ba English-Bosnian and German-Bosnian On-line Dictionary (Bosnian)/(English)/(German)

• The State of Media Freedom in Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Public Service BroadcastingReport by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media

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