2000 Edition

Background

Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of sovereignty in October of 1991, was followed by a referendum for independence from the former Yugoslavia in February of 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, Bosnia's 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 divides Bosnia and Herzegovina roughly equally between the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb Republika Srpska. 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, with troop levels to be reduced to about 19,000 by spring 2000.

Area

land

51,129 sq km

total

51,129 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than West Virginia

Climate

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

Coastline

20 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Maglic 2,386 m

lowest point

Adriatic Sea 0 m

Environment - current issues

air pollution from metallurgical plants; sites for disposing of urban waste are limited; widespread casualties, water shortages, and destruction of infrastructure because of the 1992-95 civil strife

Environment - international agreements

party to

Air Pollution, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

44 00 N, 18 00 E

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 (about 49% of the territory); the region called Herzegovina is contiguous to Croatia and traditionally has been settled by an ethnic Croat majority

Irrigated land

20 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Croatia 932 km, Serbia and Montenegro 527 km (312 km with Serbia, 215 km with Montenegro)

total

1,459 km

Land use

arable land

14%

forests and woodland

39%

other

22% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

5%

permanent pastures

20%

Location

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia

Map references

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe

Maritime claims

NA

Natural hazards

destructive earthquakes

Natural resources

coal, iron, bauxite, manganese, forests, copper, chromium, lead, zinc, hydropower

Terrain

mountains and valleys

Age structure

0-14 years: 20% (male 401,554; female 379,303) 15-64 years: 71% (male 1,403,618; female 1,323,307) 65 years and over: 9% (male 138,173; female 189,822) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

12.92 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

7.87 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

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

Infant mortality rate

25.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian

Life expectancy at birth

female

74.38 years (2000 est.)

male

68.78 years

total population

71.49 years

Literacy

definition

NA

female

NA%

male

NA%

total population

NA%

Nationality

adjective

Bosnian, Herzegovinian

noun

Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s)

Net migration rate

25.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

3,835,777

note

all data dealing with population are subject to considerable error because of the dislocations caused by military action and ethnic cleansing (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

3.1% (2000 est.)

Religions

Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, Protestant 4%, other 10%

Sex ratio

at birth

1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female

total population

1.03 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.71 children born/woman (2000 est.)

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

Capital

Sarajevo

Constitution

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

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Bosnia and Herzegovina

local long form

none

local short form

Bosna i Hercegovina

Data code

BK

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Thomas J. MILLER

embassy

Alipasina 43, 71000 Sarajevo

mailing address

use street address

telephone

(71) 445-700

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2109 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20037

chief of mission

Ambassador Sven ALKALAJ; note - Igor DAVIDOVIC should become ambassador in early 2000

telephone

(202) 337-1500

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers nominated by the council chairmen

chief of state

Chairman of the Presidency Alija IZETBEGOVIC (chairman since 14 February 2000, presidency member since 14 March 1996 - Bosniak); other members of the three-member rotating (every 8 months)

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

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 cochairmen of the Council of Ministers are appointed by the presidency

head of government

vacant; note - in February 2000, the Supreme Court ruled that the structure of the Council of Ministers was unconstitutional; a new structure is being negotiated

note

President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Ejup GANIC (since 28 December 1999; Vice President Ivo ANDRIC-LUZANIC (since 28 December 1999); note - president and vice president rotate every year; President of the Republika Srpska: vacant since Nikola POPLASEN was removed by the Office of the High Representative on 5 March 1999 (see Government note)

presidency

Zivko RADISIC (since 13 October 1998 - Serb) and Ante JELAVIC (since NA September 1998 - Croat)

FAX

(202) 337-1502

(71) 659-722

consulate(s) general

New York

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'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.

Government type

emerging democracy

Independence

NA April 1992 (from Yugoslavia)

International organization participation

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, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Judicial branch

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

Legal system

based on civil law system

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or Skupstina consists of the National House of Representatives or Vijece Opcina (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 Vijece Gradanstvo (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)

election results

National House of Representatives - percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition - KCD 17, HDZ-BiH 6, SDP-BiH 6, Sloga 4, SDS 4, SRS-RS 2, DNZ 1, NHI 1, RSRS 1; House of Peoples - percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition - NA

elections

National House of Representatives - elections last held 12-13 September 1998 (next to be held in fall 2000); House of Peoples - last constituted 4 December 1998 (next to be constituted in fall 2000)

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 4-year terms); elections last held fall 1998 (next to be held fall 2000); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party/coalition - KCD 68, HDZ-BiH 28, SDP-BiH 25, NHI 4, DNZ 3, DSP 2, BPS 2, HSP 2, SPRS 2, BSP 1, KC 1, BOSS 1, HSS 1; and a House of Peoples (72 seats - 30 Bosniak, 30 Croat, and 12 others); last constituted November 1998; the Republika Srpska has a National Assembly (83 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve 4-year terms); elections last held fall 1998 (next to be held fall 2000); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party/coalition - SDS 19, KCD 15, SNS 12, SRS-RS 11, SPRS 10, SNSD 6, RSRS 3, SKRS 2, SDP 2, KKO 1, HDZ-BiH 1, NHI 1; as of January 1999, 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

National holiday

Bosnia and Herzegovina - BiH National Day, 25 November

Political parties and leaders

Bosnian Party of Rights or BSP [leader NA]; Bosnian Party or BOSS ; Bosnian Patriotic Party or BPS ; Center Coalition or KC (includes LBO, RS) ; Civic Democratic Party or GDS ; Coalition for King and Fatherland or KKO (Dubravko Prstojevic]; Coalition for a United and Democratic BIH or KCD [Alija IZETBEGOVIC; includes SDA and SBH]; Croatian Democratic Union of BiH or HDZ-BiH ; Croatian Party of Rights or HSP ; Croatian Peasants Party of BiH or HSS-BiH ; Democratic Party for Banja Luka and Krajina ; Democratic Party of Pensioners or DSP ; Democratic Peoples Union or DNZ ; Liberal Bosniak Organization or LBO ; Liberal Party or LS ; Muslim-Bosnia Organization or MBO ; New Croatian Initiative or NHI ; Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina or SBH ; Party for Democratic Action or SDA ; Party of Democratic Progress of the Republika Srpska ; Party of Independent Social Democrats or SNSD ; Radical Party Republika Srpska of RSRS ; Republican Party or RS [Stjepan KLJUIC]; Serb Coalition for Republika Srpska or SKRS [Predrag LAZAREVIC]; Serb Democratic Party or Serb Lands or SDS [Dragan KALINIC]; Serb National Alliance or SNS ; Serb Radical Party-Republika Srpska or SRS-RS (banned by the Office of the High Representative - see Government note - from participation in the April elections); Sloga or Unity (includes SNS, SPRS, SNSD); Social Democratic Party BIH or SDP-BiH ; Socialist Party of Republika Srpska or SPRS

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

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

Agriculture - products

wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables; livestock

Budget

expenditures

$1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

revenues

$NA

Currency

1 convertible marka (KM) = 100 convertible pfenniga

Debt - external

$4.1 billion (1997 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$1.2 billion (1997 pledged)

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 has been almost all in private hands, farms have been small and inefficient, and the republic traditionally has been 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 on a low base; but output growth slowed appreciably in 1999, 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. In 1999, the convertible mark - the national currency introduced in 1998 - gained wider acceptance, and the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina dramatically increased its reserve holdings. Implementation of privatization, however, faltered in both areas. Banking reform is also lagging. 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.

Electricity - consumption

2.065 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

2.22 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

32.43%

hydro

67.57%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1998)

Exchange rates

convertible marks per US$1 - 1.9 (1999)

Exports

$450 million (1997 est.)

Exports - commodities

NA

Exports - partners

NA

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $6.2 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

19%

industry

23%

services

58% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,770 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$2.95 billion (1997 est.)

Imports - commodities

NA

Imports - partners

NA

Industrial production growth rate

5%-10% (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 (much of capacity damaged or shut down) (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5% (1997 est.)

Labor force

1.026 million

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

35%-40% (1999 est.)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

2 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 8, FM 16, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

940,000 (1997)

Telephone system

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

Telephones - main lines in use

238,000 (1995)

Telephones - mobile cellular

4,000 (1999)

Television broadcast stations

33 (plus 292 repeaters) (September 1995)

Televisions

NA

Airports

27 (1999 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 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 10 (1999 est.)

Heliports

4 (1999 est.)

Highways

note

roads need maintenance and repair

paved

11,425 km

total

21,846 km

unpaved

10,421 km (1996 est.)

Merchant marine

none (1999 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 174 km; natural gas 90 km (1992); note - pipelines now disrupted

Ports and harbors

Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanski Brod, Bosanski Samac, and Brcko (all inland waterway ports on the Sava none of which are fully operational), Orasje

Railways

standard gauge

1,021 km 1.435-m gauge (1995); note - some segments still need repair and/or reconstruction

total

1,021 km (electrified 795 km; operating as diesel or steam until grids are repaired)

Waterways

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

Military branches

Federation Army or VF (composed of both Croatian and Bosniak elements), Army of the Serb Republic (composed of Bosnian Serb elements); note - within both of these forces air and air defense are subordinate commands

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA%

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 1,114,180 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 886,464 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

19 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

29,325 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

disputes with Serbia over Serbian populated areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Illicit drugs

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

BOTSWANA