Bosnia and Herzegovina

§1. Bosnia and Herzegovina Introduction

Background:
  Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of sovereignty in October 1991, was
    followed by a referendum for independence from the former Yugoslavia in
    February 1992. The Bosnian Serbs - supported by neighboring Serbia -
    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 signed a peace agreement that brought to a halt
    the three years of interethnic civil strife (the final agreement was
    signed in Paris on 14 December 1995). The Dayton Agreement retained
    Bosnia and Herzegovina's international boundaries and created a joint
    multi-ethnic and democratic government. This national government is
    charged with conducting foreign, economic, 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 are charged with overseeing internal
    functions. 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 is to deter renewed hostilities.
    SFOR remains in place at a level of approximately 21,000 troops.

§2. Bosnia and Herzegovina Geography

Location:
  Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia

Geographic coordinates:
  44 00 N, 18 00 E

Map references:
  Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe

Area:
  total: 51,129 kmē
  land: 51,129 kmē
  water: 0 kmē

Area - comparative:
  slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries:
  total: 1,459 km border countries: Croatia 932 km, Yugoslavia 527 km

Coastline:
  20 km

Maritime claims:
  NA

Climate:
  hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool
  summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along coast

Terrain:
  mountains and valleys

Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Maglic 2,386 m

Natural resources:
  coal, iron, bauxite, manganese, forests, copper, chromium, lead, zinc,
  hydropower

Land use:
  arable land: 14%
  permanent crops: 5%
  permanent pastures: 20%
  forests and woodland: 39%
  other: 22% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
  20 kmē (1993 est.)

Natural hazards:
  destructive earthquakes

Environment - current issues:
  air pollution from metallurgical plants; sites for disposing of urban waste
  are limited; water shortages and destruction of infrastructure because of
  the 1992-95 civil strife

Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Air Pollution, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Life
    Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
  signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
  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 traditionally has
  been settled by an ethnic Croat majority

§3. Bosnia and Herzegovina People

Population:
  3,922,205
  note: all data dealing with population are subject to considerable error
    because of the dislocations caused by military action and ethnic
    cleansing (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 20.13% (male 405,713; female 383,850)
  15-64 years: 70.78% (male 1,422,796; female 1,353,410)
  65 years and over: 9.09% (male 150,802; female 205,634) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:
  1.38% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:
  12.86 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:
  7.99 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:
  8.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  24.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 71.75 years male: 69.04 years
  female: 74.65 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.71 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.04% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  less than 100 (1999 est.)

Nationality:
  noun: Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s)
  adjective: Bosnian, Herzegovinian

Ethnic groups:
  Serb 31%, Bosniak 44%, Croat 17%, Yugoslav 5.5%, other 2.5% (1991)
  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%, Protestant 4%, other 10%

Languages:
  Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian

Literacy:
  definition: NA
  total population: NA%
  male: NA%
  female: NA%

§4. Bosnia and Herzegovina Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: none
  conventional short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina
  local long form: none
  local short form: Bosna i Hercegovina

Government type:
  emerging democracy

Capital:
  Sarajevo

Administrative divisions:
  there are two first-order administrative divisions - the Bosniak/Croat
  Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federacija Bosna i Hercegovina) and
  the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska; note - Brcko in northeastern Bosnia
  is a self-governing administrative unit under the sovereignty of Bosnia and
  Herzegovina; it is not part of either the Federation or Republika Srpska

Independence:
  1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia)

National holiday:
  National Day, 25 November (1943)

Constitution:
  the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995, included a new constitution
  now in force

Legal system:
  based on civil law system

Suffrage:
  16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age, universal

Executive branch:
  chief of state: Chairman of the Presidency Jozo KRIZANOVI (chairman since
    14 June 2001, presidency member since NA March 2001 - Croat); other
    members of the three-member rotating (every 8 months) presidency: Zivko
    RADISIC (since 13 October 1998 - Serb) and Beriz BELKIC (since NA March
    2001 - Bosniak); note - Ante JELAVIC was dismissed from his post by the
    UN High Representative in March 2001
  head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Zlatko LAGUMDZIJA
    (since 18 July 2001)
  cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the council chairman; approved
    by the National House of Representatives
  elections: the three members of the presidency (one Bosniak, one Croat, one
    Serb) are elected by popular vote for a four-year term; the member with
    the most votes becomes the chairman unless he or she was the incumbent
    chairman at the time of the election; election last held 12-13 September
    1998 (next to be held NA September 2002); the chairman of the Council of
    Ministers is appointed by the presidency and confirmed by the National
    House of Representatives
  election results: percent of vote - Zivko RADISIC with 52% of the Serb vote
    was elected chairman of the collective presidency for the first 8 months;
    Ante JELAVIC with 52% of the Croat vote followed RADISIC in the rotation;
    Alija IZETBEGOVIC with 87% of the Bosniak vote won the highest number of
    votes in the election but was ineligible to serve a second term until
    RADISIC and JELAVIC had each served a first term as Chairman of the
    Presidency; IZETBEGOVIC retired from the presidency 14 October 2000 and
    was temporarily replaced by Halid GENJAC; Ante JELAVIC was replaced by
    Jozo KRIZANOVIC in March 2001
  note: President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Karlo
    FILIPOVIC (since 27 February 2001); Vice President Safet HALILOVIC (since
    27 February 2001); note - president and vice president rotate every year;
    President of the Republika Srpska: Mirko SAROVIC (since 11 November 2000)

Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or Skupstina consists of the National
  House of Representatives or Predstavnicki Dom (42 seats - 14 Serb, 14
  Croat, and 14 Bosniak; members elected by popular vote to serve two-year
  terms) and the House of Peoples or Dom Naroda (15 seats - 5 Bosniak, 5
  Croat, 5 Serb; members elected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of
  Representatives and the Republika Srpska's National Assembly to serve
  two-year terms); note - as of 1 January 2001, Bosnia and Herzegovina does
  not have a permanent election law; a draft law specifies four-year terms
  for the state and first-order administrative division entity legislatures;
  officials elected in 2000 were elected to two-year terms on the presumption
  that a permanent law would be in place before 2002
  elections: National House of Representatives - elections last held 11
    November 2000 (next to be held in the fall of 2002); House of Peoples -
    last constituted after the 11 November 2000 elections (next to be
    constituted in the fall of 2002)
  election results: National House of Representatives - percent of vote by
    party/coalition - NA%; seats by party/coalition - SDP 9, SDA 8, SDS 6,
    HDZ-BiH 5, SBH 5, PDP 2, NHI 1, BPS 1, DPS 1, SNS 1, SNSD-DSP 1, DNZ 1,
    SPRS 1; House of Peoples - percent of vote by party/coalition - NA%;
    seats by party/coalition - NA
  note: the Bosniak/Croat Federation has a bicameral legislature that
    consists of a House of Representatives (140 seats; members elected by
    popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections last held 11 November
    2000 (next to be held NA 2002); percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
    party/coalition - SDA 38, SDP 37, HDZ-BiH 25, SBH 21, DNZ 3, NHI 2, BPS
    2, DPS 2, BOSS 2, GDS 1, RP 1, HSS 1, LDS 1, Pensioners' Party of FBiH 1,
    SNSD-DSP 1, HKDU 1, HSP 1; and a House of Peoples (74 seats - 30 Bosniak,
    30 Croat, and 14 others); last constituted November 2000; the Republika
    Srpska has a National Assembly (83 seats; members elected by popular vote
    to serve four-year terms); elections last held 11 November 2000 (next to
    be held NA 2002); percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
    party/coalition - SDS 31, PDP 11, SNSD 11, SDA 6, DSP 4, SDP 4, SPRS 4,
    SBH 4, DNS 3, SNS 2, NHI 1, DSRS 1, Pensioners' Party 1; as of 1 January
    2001, Bosnia and Herzegovina does not have a permanent election law; a
    draft law specifies four-year terms for the state and first-order
    administrative division entity legislatures; officials elected in 2000
    were elected to two-year terms on the presumption that a permanent law
    would be in place before 2002

Judicial branch:
  BiH Constitutional Court (consists of nine members: four members are
    selected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Representatives, two
    members by the Republika Srpska's National Assembly, and three
    non-Bosnian members by the president of the European Court of Human
    Rights)
  note: a new state court, established in November 1999, has jurisdiction
    over cases related to state-level law and appellate jurisdiction over
    cases initiated in the entities; the entities each have a Supreme Court;
    each entity also has a number of lower courts; there are ten cantonal
    courts in the Federation, plus a number of municipal courts; the
    Republika Srpska has five municipal courts

Political parties and leaders:
  Bosnian Party or BOSS [Mirnes AJANOVIC]; Bosnian Patriotic Party or BPS
  [Sefer HALILOVIC]; Civic Democratic Party of BiH or GDS [Ibrahim SPAHIC];
  Croat Christian Democratic Union or HKDU BiH [Ante PASALIC]; Croatian
  Democratic Union of BiH or HDZ-BiH [leader vacant]; Croatian Party of
  Rights or HSP [Zdravko HRSTIC]; Croatian Peasants Party of BiH or HSS-BiH
  [Ilija SIMIC]; Democratic Action Party or SDA [Alija IZETBEGOVIC];
  Democratic National Alliance or DNS [Dragan KOSTIC]; Democratic Party of
  Pensioners or DPS [Alojz KNEZOVIC]; Democratic Party of RS or DSRS
  [Dragomir DUMIC]; Democratic Peoples Union or DNZ [Fikret ABDIC];
  Democratic Socialist Party or DSP [Nebojsa RADMANOVIC]; Liberal Democratic
  Party or LDS [Rasim KADIC]; New Croatian Initiative or NHI [Kresimir
  ZUBAK]; Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina or SBH [Haris SILAJDZIC]; Party of
  Democratic Progress or PDP [Mladen IVANIC]; Party of Independent Social
  Democrats or SNSD [Milorad DODIK]; Pensioners' Party of FBiH [Husein
  VOJNIKOVIC]; Pensioners' Party of SR [Stojan BOGOSAVAC]; Republican Party
  of BiH or RP [Stjepan KLJUIC]; Serb Democratic Party or Serb Lands or SDS
  [Dragan KALINIC]; Serb National Alliance (Serb People's Alliance) or SNS
  [Biljana PLAVSIC]; Social Democratic Party BIH or SDP-BiH [Zlatko
  LAGUMDZIJA]; Socialist Party of Republika Srpska or SPRS [Zivko RADISIC]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  NA

International organization participation:
  BIS, CE (guest), CEI, EBRD, ECE, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD,
  IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO,
  ITU, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD,
  UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNTAET, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Igor DAVIDOVIC chancery: 2109 E Street NW,
    Washington, DC 20037
  telephone: [1] (202) 337-1500
  FAX: [1] (202) 337-1502
  consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas J. MILLER embassy: Alipasina 43, 71000
    Sarajevo
  mailing address: use street address
  telephone: [387] (33) 445-700
  FAX: [387] (33) 659-722
  branch office(s): Banja Luka, Mostar

Flag description:
  a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a yellow isosceles
  triangle abutting the band and the top of the flag; the remainder of the
  flag is medium blue with seven full five-pointed white stars and two half
  stars top and bottom along the hypotenuse of the triangle

Government - note:
  The Dayton Agreement, signed in Paris on 14 December 1995, retained Bosnia
  and Herzegovina's exterior border and created a joint multi-ethnic and
  democratic government. This national government - based on proportional
  representation similar to that which existed in the former socialist regime
  - is charged with conducting foreign, economic, and fiscal policy. The
  Dayton Agreement also recognized a second tier of government, comprised of
  two entities - a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
  and the Bosnian Serb Republika Srpska (RS) - each presiding over roughly
  one-half the territory. The Federation and RS governments are charged with
  overseeing internal functions. The Dayton Agreement established the Office
  of the High Representative (OHR) to oversee the implementation of the
  civilian aspects of the agreement. About 250 international and 450 local
  staff members are employed by the OHR.

§5. Bosnia and Herzegovina Economy

Economy - overview:
  Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked next to The Former Yugoslav Republic of
  Macedonia as the poorest republic in the old Yugoslav federation. Although
  agriculture is almost all in private hands, farms are small and
  inefficient, and the republic traditionally is a net importer of food.
  Industry has been greatly overstaffed, one reflection of the socialist
  economic structure of Yugoslavia. TITO had pushed the development of
  military industries in the republic with the result that Bosnia hosted a
  large share of Yugoslavia's defense plants. The bitter interethnic warfare
  in Bosnia caused production to plummet by 80% from 1990 to 1995,
  unemployment to soar, and human misery to multiply. With an uneasy peace in
  place, output recovered in 1996-98 at high percentage rates from a low
  base; but output growth slowed appreciably in 1999 and 2000, and GDP
  remains far below the 1990 level. Economic data are of limited use because,
  although both entities issue figures, national-level statistics are not
  available. Moreover, official data do not capture the large share of
  activity that occurs on the black market. The marka - the national currency
  introduced in 1998 - has gained wide acceptance, and the Central Bank of
  Bosnia and Herzegovina has dramatically increased its reserve holdings.
  Implementation of privatization, however, has been slower than anticipated.
  Banking reform accelerated in early 2001 as all the communist-era payments
  bureaus were shut down. The country receives substantial amounts of
  reconstruction assistance and humanitarian aid from the international
  community but will have to prepare for an era of declining assistance.

GDP:
  purchasing power parity - $6.5 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  8% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 19% industry: 23%
  services: 58% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  8% (2000 est.)

Labor force:
  1.026 million

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%

Unemployment rate:
  35%-40% (1999 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $1.9 billion
  expenditures: $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999
    est.)

Industries:
  steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite, vehicle assembly,
  textiles, tobacco products, wooden furniture, tank and aircraft assembly,
  domestic appliances, oil refining

Industrial production growth rate:
  10% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
  2.585 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: 38.68% hydro: 61.32%
  nuclear: 0%
  other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:
  2.684 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:
  150 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:
  430 million kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products:
  wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables; livestock

Exports:
  $950 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  NA

Exports - partners:
  Croatia, Switzerland, Italy, Germany

Imports:
  $2.45 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  NA

Imports - partners:
  Croatia, Slovenia, Germany, Italy

Debt - external:
  $3.4 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $1 billion (1999 est.)

Currency:
  marka (BAM)

Currency code:
  BAM

Exchange rates:
  marka per US dollar - 2.086 (January 2001), 2.124 (2000), 1.837 (1999),
  1.760 (1998), 1.734 (1997), 0.015 (1996)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Bosnia and Herzegovina Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  303,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  9,000 (1997)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: telephone and telegraph network is in need of
    modernization and expansion; many urban areas are below average when
    compared with services in other former Yugoslav republics
  domestic: NA
  international: no satellite earth stations

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 8, FM 16, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
  940,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
  33 (plus 277 repeaters) (September 1995)

Televisions:
  NA

Internet country code:
  .ba

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
  3 (2000)

Internet users:
  3,500 (2000)

§7. Bosnia and Herzegovina Transportation

Railways:
  total: 1,021 km (electrified 795 km; operating as diesel or steam until
    grids are repaired)
  standard gauge: 1,021 km 1.435-m gauge; note - many segments still need
    repair and/or reconstruction (2000)

Highways:
  total: 21,846 km
  paved: 14,020 km
  unpaved: 7,826 km
  note: road system is in need of maintenance and repair (2001)

Waterways:
  NA km; large sections of the Sava blocked by downed bridges, silt, and
  debris

Pipelines:
  crude oil 174 km; natural gas 90 km (1992)

Ports and harbors:
  Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanski Brod, Bosanski Samac, and Brcko (all inland
  waterway ports on the Sava), Orasje

Merchant marine:
  none (2000 est.)

Airports:
  28 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
  under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 7
  under 914 m: 11 (2000 est.)

Heliports:
  4 (2000 est.)

§8. Bosnia and Herzegovina Military

Military branches:
  Federation Army or VF (composed of both Croatian and Bosniak elements),
  Republika Srpska Army or VRS (composed of Bosnian Serb elements); note -
  within both of these forces air and air defense are subordinate commands

Military manpower - military age:
  19 years of age

Military manpower - availability:
  males age 15-49: 1,127,146 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
  males age 15-49: 895,780 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
  males: 29,757 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  NA%

§9. Bosnia and Herzegovina Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  none

Illicit drugs:
  minor transit point for marijuana and opiate trafficking routes to Western
  Europe
