Bosnia and Herzegovina at glance
Geography, History and Politics
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) lies in the heart of south-eastern
Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. The country has a total area of
51,129 square kilometres, which is about two-thirds the size of
Ireland. BiH is bordered by Croatia to the north and west and Serbia
and Montenegro to the east.
 A
20 kilometre stretch of coastline in the south of the country gives
it access to the Adriatic Sea. Much of BiH is mountainous, with
the Dinaric Alps running along the western border. In the north
lies a fertile agricultural plain bordering the Sava River. The
central, eastern and north-western parts of the country are heavily
forested. Herzegovina in the south is more Mediterranean in character
and climate.
Throughout history, a series of outside powers have left their
mark on present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, most notably the Roman,
Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires. It was during the four hundred
years of Ottoman rule, which ended in the nineteenth century, that
large numbers of people converted to Islam, with BiH representing
the boundary between the Islamic and Christian worlds. These were
mostly peaceful times, however, with the Muslim, Croat and Serb
populations living side by side.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, and its capital Sarajevo, are fondly remembered
in the sports world as the site of the 14th Olympic Games in 1984.
As the crossroads of western and eastern Europe, the country has
a diverse cultural landscape. However, much of BiH’s twentieth-century
history has been shaped by war and ethnic and nationalist tensions.
From 1992 to 1995, BiH witnessed over three years of brutal war
among the Serb, Croat and Bosniac populations, following the break-up
of Yugoslavia. The conflict ended in December 1995 with the signing
of the General Framework Agreement for Peace (the Dayton Peace Accord).
According to the 1991 census, BiH had 4.4 million inhabitants,
of which 43.7 per cent were Bosniacs, 31 per cent were Serbs, 17.3
per cent were Croats and 7.6 per cent were other nationalities.
The population is similarly split along religious lines: Bosniacs
are Muslim, Serbs are Orthodox Christian, and Croats are Roman Catholic.
The remainder of the population is made up of some seventeen “national”
minority groups, the largest of which is the Roma. There has been
no census since the war, and therefore there are no official statistics
on the current ethnic make-up of the country. However, best estimates
place the population at about four million people.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has many natural resources (timber, ore
deposits and hydro-electric industrial potential) and until 1992
also developed industrial production with an average annual increase
of 1.5 per cent. The national product per capita in 1991 was around
USD $2,500, which meant that Bosnia and Herzegovina was considered
a “medium developed” country.
Political and Administrative Structure
The State of Bosnia and Herzegovina is divided into two Entities:
the Republika Srpska, which covers 49 per cent of the territory
of the State and forms a semi-circular shape around the north and
east, and the Federation, which forms 51 per cent of the territory
of the State .
Sarajevo is the capital of BiH and its
administrative, cultural and educational centre situated in
an area known as Sarajevsko polje (Sarajevo´s field). |
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Each Entity has its own political structure and administration,
with an overarching central government. The central (BiH State)
government consists of a Parliamentary Assembly, which is divided
into a House of Representatives and a House of Peoples, a rotating
tripartite presidency (with one member from each of the constituent
peoples – Bosniac, Croat and Serb), and a Council of Ministers with
nine ministries.
The political structure of the Federation is divided into three
levels:
- the Entity level, with a two-house parliament
(House of Representatives and House of Peoples), a president,
two vice-presidents, and a government under a prime minister;
- the Cantonal level, with each of the ten cantons
having its own assembly with the power to adopt cantonal laws
and cantonal government;
- the Municipal level, with each municipality having
its own municipal council and administrative structures.
By contrast, the Republika Srpska (RS) has no cantons, only municipalities.
At the RS level there is a National Assembly, a Council of Peoples,
a president, two vice presidents, and a government under a Prime
Minister. The municipalities all have their own assemblies and administrative
structures.
There are three constitutional courts, one at the State-level and
one in each Entity.
Brcko
Brcko is situated in Bosanska Posavina,
and is the social, economical and cultural centre of this
region. |
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Worth a special mention is the District of Brcko, whose status
was not resolved by the Dayton Peace Accords, but left subject to
international arbitration. Brcko’s status was finally decided in
1999, when it was established as a district, under the exclusive
sovereignty of the State of BiH, with a single, multi-ethnic, democratic
government.
Brcko is currently under the supervision of the International Supervisor, appointed by the High Representative. The first local elections in Brcko District were held in 2004. Sixty-six per cent of eligible registered voters elected 29 councillors to the District Assembly. Due to the multiethnic character of the District, the Mayor was not elected in a direct way. The first general elections will be held in October 2006. The District authorities consist of the District Assembly, a multi-ethnic Government, police force and judiciary. |
