Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of
sovereignty in October 1991 was followed by a declaration of
independence from the former Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992 after a
referendum boycotted by ethnic Serbs. The Bosnian Serbs -
supported by neighboring Serbia and Montenegro - responded with
armed resistance aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic
lines and joining Serb-held areas to form a "Greater Serbia." In
March 1994, Bosniaks and Croats reduced the number of warring
factions from three to two by signing an agreement creating a
joint Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 21
November 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the warring parties initialed a
peace agreement that brought to a halt three years of
interethnic civil strife (the final agreement was signed in
Paris on 14 December 1995). The Dayton Peace Accords retained
Bosnia and Herzegovina's international boundaries and created a
joint multi-ethnic and democratic government charged with
conducting foreign, diplomatic, and fiscal policy. Also
recognized was a second tier of government comprised of two
entities roughly equal in size: the Bosniak/Croat Federation of
Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska
(RS). The Federation and RS governments were charged with
overseeing most government functions. The Office of the High
Representative (OHR) was established to oversee the
implementation of the civilian aspects of the agreement. In
1995-96, a NATO-led international peacekeeping force (IFOR) of
60,000 troops served in Bosnia to implement and monitor the
military aspects of the agreement. IFOR was succeeded by a
smaller, NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR) whose mission was
to deter renewed hostilities. European Union peacekeeping troops
(EUFOR) replaced SFOR in December 2004; their mission is to
maintain peace and stability throughout the country. EUFOR plans
to phase out its mission beginning in 2007.
Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic
Sea and Croatia
Area:
51,129 sq km
Border countries:
Croatia 932 km, Montenegro 225 km, Serbia 302
km
Climate:
hot summers and cold winters; areas of high
elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters;
mild, rainy winters along coast
Geography:
within Bosnia and Herzegovina's recognized
borders, the country is divided into a joint Bosniak/Croat
Federation (about 51% of the territory) and the Bosnian Serb-led
Republika Srpska or RS (about 49% of the territory); the region
called Herzegovina is contiguous to Croatia and Serbia and
Montenegro (Montenegro), and traditionally has been settled by
an ethnic Croat majority in the west and an ethnic Serb majority
in the east
Population:
4,498,976
Nationality:
Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s)
Ethnic groups:
Bosniak 48%, Serb 37.1%, Croat 14.3%, other
0.6% (2000)
note: Bosniak has replaced Muslim as an ethnic term in part to
avoid confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of
Islam
Religions:
Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%,
other 14%
Languages:
Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian
Government type:
emerging federal democratic republic
Capital:
Sarajevo
Time zone:
GMT/UTC +01:00
National holiday:
National Day, 25 November (1943)
Currency:
marka (BAM)
Communications:
Telephones – main lines in use: 968,900;
telephone and telegraph network needs modernization and
expansion; many urban areas are below average as contrasted with
services in other former Yugoslav republics
Transportation:
Airports: 28, Railways: 608 km, Roadways:
21,846 km, Waterways: Sava River (northern border) open to
shipping but use limited (2006)