Project: Bosnia and Herzegovina/Country
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Location
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The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is located in southeastern Europe on the Balkan Peninsula. It borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the north and southwest. The country is divided into two regions: Bosnia, the larger region, occupies the country’s northern and central parts, and Herzegovina is in the south and southwest.
See Also: Geography of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Administrative Divisions
Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of two federal entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and the Republika Srpska (RS), along with one condominium of the two entities named the Brčko District.
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) governs roughly one half of the nation's territory. The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina itself has a federal structure which consists of ten autonomous cantons. Five of the cantons have a Bosniak majority, three have a Croat majority, and two cantons are regarded as ethnically mixed.
The Republika Srpska (RS) is located in the north and east of the country. It was formed in 1992, at the outset of the Bosnian War, with the stated intent to safeguard the interests of the Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The war saw the expulsion of the vast majority of Croats and Bosniaks from the territory claimed by Republika Srpska and an inflow of Serbs expelled from Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Following the Dayton Agreement of 1995, Republika Srpska was recognized as an entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today most of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Serb population lives in Republika Srpska.
The Brčko District is a self-governing administrative unit formed in 1999 to reflect the multi-ethnic nature of Brčko and the surrounding areas and their special status within the newly independent Bosnia. In reality, it functions as a local self-government area, much like the other municipalities in the country.
See Also: Political Divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina is Sajajevo. Other major cities include Banja Luka, Tuzlam, Zenica, Mostar, Bejelgina, Trebinje, and Bihać.
History
The region known today as Bosnia and Herzegovina has had permanent settlement since the Neolithic Age. By the early historical period it was inhabited by Illyrians and Celts. Christianity arrived in the 1st century, and by the 4th century the area became part of the Western Roman Empire. Over the next centuries, the area was conquered by various invaders, such as the Ostrogoths, Huns, Slavs, Byzantines, Franks, Bulgarians, and Hungarians. In the 14th century, Bosnia became a kingdom under Tvrtko I, who expanded his realm to include parts of Serbia, Croatia, and Dalmatia.
After Tvrtko's death, the Kingdom of Bosnia declined until it was eventually conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1463. Under Ottoman rule, Bosnia experienced many changes in its political, social, economic, and cultural life. Many Bosnians converted to Islam, and the region became a center of learning and art. The Ottomans also introduced a feudal system, where the land was divided among the Muslim nobility, known as the beys, to whom the Christian peasants, known as the rayah, had to pay taxes and provide labor.
In the 19th century, Bosnia and Herzegovina witnessed a series of rebellions against the Ottoman authorities, fueled by nationalist and liberal ideas from Europe. The most notable uprising was the Herzegovinian rebellion of 1875-1878, which sparked a diplomatic crisis and led to the intervention of the Great Powers. The Treaty of Berlin in 1878 gave Austria-Hungary the right to occupy and administer Bosnia and Herzegovina, while formally leaving it under Ottoman sovereignty.
In 1908, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, provoking a strong reaction from Serbia and Russia. This increased the tensions in the Balkans, which eventually erupted into the First World War, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by a Bosnian Serb nationalist in Sarajevo in 1914. After the war, Bosnia and Herzegovina became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, later renamed Yugoslavia. The new state was dominated by the Serbs, who tried to suppress the national identities and aspirations of the other peoples.
During the Second World War, Bosnia and Herzegovina was occupied by the Axis powers and divided among the Nazi puppet state of Croatia, the Italian protectorate of Montenegro, and the German military zone. The region also witnessed a brutal genocide against the Jews, Roma, and Serbs, perpetrated by the Croatian fascist Ustaše.
The war also saw the emergence of two resistance movements: the royalist Chetniks, who fought for the restoration of the Yugoslav monarchy, and the communist Partisans, who fought for a socialist federation of equal nations. The Partisans, led by Josip Broz Tito, eventually prevailed and established the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1945. Bosnia and Herzegovina became one of the six constituent republics of the new state, with a mixed population of Muslims, Serbs, and Croats. Under Tito’s rule, Yugoslavia enjoyed relative stability and prosperity, but also faced political and economic challenges, as well as ethnic and religious tensions.
After Tito’s death in 1980, the country entered a period of crisis and disintegration, as the republics sought more autonomy or independence. In 1991, Slovenia and Croatia declared their independence, followed by Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992. However, unlike the other republics, Bosnia and Herzegovina had a large Serb minority, who opposed the secession and wanted to either remain in Yugoslavia or join Serbia. Supported by the Yugoslav People’s Army and Serbia, the Bosnian Serbs rebelled against the Bosnian government and proclaimed their own entity, the Republika Srpska. This triggered a bloody war that lasted until 1995, and involved atrocities, ethnic cleansing, and genocide against the Bosnian Muslims and Croats.
The war ended with the Dayton Accords in 1995, which recognized Bosnia and Herzegovina as a single state, but divided it into two entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, inhabited mostly by Muslims and Croats, and the Republika Srpska, inhabited mostly by Serbs. Today, the country remains ethnically and politically divided, with frequent disputes and deadlock among the three main groups. See also: History of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ethnicities
Bosnia and Herzegovina is home to three main ethnic groups: Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats. These groups share the same South Slav heritage, but differ in their religion, language, and culture. Bosniaks are predominantly Muslim, Serbs are predominantly Eastern Orthodox, and Croats are predominantly Catholic. Bosniaks constitute more than two-fifths, Serbs roughly one-third, and Croats less than one-fifth of the population. There are also smaller minority groups, such as Jews, Roma, Albanians, Montenegrins, Ukrainians, and Turks.
See also: Bosnians, Bosniaks, Bosnian Croats, and Bosnian Serbs.
Language
The three official languages spoken in Bosnia and Herzegovina are Bosnian, Serbian, and Croatian. These languages are all based on the Shtokavian dialect of Serbo-Croatian, but they differ in their alphabets, pronunciation, and vocabulary. Bosnian uses both the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets, Serbian uses mainly the Cyrillic alphabet, and Croatian uses only the Latin alphabet. The languages are mutually intelligible to a large extent, but they also reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of the country.
See also: Languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Religion
Religion and ethnicity are closely intertwined in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and often reflect the political and cultural divisions in the country. The most widely professed religion in Bosnia and Herzegovina is Islam, followed by Christianity. Islam is practiced by the majority of Bosniaks, who constitute approximately 51% of the population. Christianity is divided into two main branches: Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic. Eastern Orthodox Christianity is practiced by the majority of Serbs, who make up roughly 31% of the population. Roman Catholicism is practiced by the majority of Croats, who account for about 15% of the population. There are also other religious groups, such as Protestants, Jews, and others, who together comprise about 3% of the population.
See also: Religion in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
See also: Demographics of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnian and Herzegovinian Naming Conventions
In Bosnia, the family name usually comes before the personal given name (e.g. KAČIĆ Ivan). This naming convention is common across Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats. Family names are typically passed down through the male side of the family. Wives will often take their husband’s family name upon marriage, although some may add their husband’s name to their own. Some Bosnian names often reflect their ethnicity. For example, Bosniaks often may have a name with an Islamic or Turkish origin.
This page was last modified 21:53, 5 November 2024. This page has been accessed 71 times.