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Background:
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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's mission changed from peacekeeping to civil policing in October 2007, with its presence reduced from nearly 7,000 to 2,500 troops.
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Location:
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Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia
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Geographic coordinates:
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44 00 N, 18 00 E
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Map references:
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Area:
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total: 51,129 sq km
land: 51,129 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than West Virginia
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,459 km
border countries: Croatia 932 km, Montenegro 225 km, Serbia 302 km
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Coastline:
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20 km
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Maritime claims:
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no data available
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Climate:
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hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along coast
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Terrain:
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mountains and valleys
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Maglic 2,386 m
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Natural resources:
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coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, forests, hydropower
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Land use:
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arable land: 19.61%
permanent crops: 1.89%
other: 78.5% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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30 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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37.5 cu km (2003)
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Natural hazards:
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destructive earthquakes
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Environment - current issues:
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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; deforestation
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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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 Montenegro, and traditionally has been settled by an ethnic Croat majority in the west and an ethnic Serb majority in the east
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Population:
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4,552,198 (July 2007 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 15% (male 353,163/female 331,133)
15-64 years: 70.4% (male 1,615,011/female 1,587,956)
65 years and over: 14.6% (male 273,240/female 391,695) (2007 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 38.9 years
male: 37.7 years
female: 40.1 years (2007 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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1.003% (2007 est.)
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Birth rate:
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8.8 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Death rate:
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8.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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9.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.067 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.017 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.698 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 9.58 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.98 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 8.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 78.17 years
male: 74.57 years
female: 82.03 years (2007 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.23 children born/woman (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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900 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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100 (2001 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s)
adjective: Bosnian, Herzegovinian
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Ethnic groups:
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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
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Religions:
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Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, other 14%
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Languages:
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Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.7%
male: 99%
female: 94.4% (2000 est.)
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This page was last updated on 24 January, 2008
- The Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook - |
