Bosnia and Herzegovina

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Bosnia and Herzegovina can be characterized by two regions. The southern part, which is called Herzegovina, mainly consists of flat land while the northern part, which is called Bosnia, consists of densely forested mountainous terrain. In total, Bosnia and Herzegovina borders three other state with Croatia to its north and its west, Serbia to its east and Montenegro to its south east. It also has a small connection to the Adriatic Sea via the corridor that spans approximately 20 kilometers with the Croatian border on either side.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, named after the river Bosna and the German words for Dukedom, is one of the newest states in Europe that gained its independence. Its history started around the year 1200 when it gained independence from Hungary and remained independent for more than 250 years. After the expansion of the Ottoman Empire around the 14th century, Bosnia became a part of the Ottoman Empire around 1450. After the expulsion of the Ottomans at the end of the 19th century, it became a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire where it became a historical place when the archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914 which was one of the main events that started the first world war. After the first world war, it was annexed by Serbia and with other states it formed Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia existed as an independent state until the start of the second world war when it was invaded by Nazi Germany and controlled by pro-Axis Croatians. After the second world war, Yugoslavia reunited and was aligned with the procommunist block by Joseph Tito. After his death in 1980, Yugoslavia started to fragments it to its original states and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence in 1991.

In total, Bosnia and Herzegovina has a total surface area of 51,500 square kilometers or 19,870 square miles. This ranks Bosnia and Herzegovina as the 125th largest state in the world making it slightly larger than Costa Rica and slightly smaller than Croatia.

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Its water surface is estimated to be around 10 square kilometers or 3.9 square miles which ranks it as the 144th state with the largest amount of water.

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Other bodies of water are the Bosnian rivers that mostly flow throughout the northern parts. With a total percentage of the 0.02, Bosnia and Herzegovina is ranked as the 147th state with the largest share of water.

Due to its location, Bosnia and Herzegovina experiences different types of climates with the southern parts experiencing a Mediterranean climate due to its proximity to the Adriatic Sea and the northern part experiencing a continental European climate which has relatively cool winters and mild summers. It is ranked as the 159th warmest state in the world with an average temperature of 9.8 degrees Celsius or 49.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperature

During the summer months which spans from June to September, the average high temperature is around 13.7 degrees Celsius or 56.6 degrees Fahrenheit which ranks Bosnia and Herzegovina as the 162nd warmest state in the world.

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

During the winter months which spans from November until February, it has an average temperature of 5.6 degrees Celsius or 42 degrees Fahrenheit which ranks it as the 35th coldest state in the world.

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Due to its continental climate as well as a stream of moist air that comes from the Adriatic Sea and falls down in the northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it has an average precipitation of 106 centimeters or 41.8 inches per year. This ranks Bosnia and Herzegovina as the 91st state with the highest precipitation in the world.

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

The capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina is Sarajevo which has a population of approximately 300,000 inhabitants. The capital that is closest located to Sarajevo is Podgorica, Montenegro with a distance of 170 kilometers or 106 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Sarajevo is Wellington New Zealand with a distance of 18,000 kilometers or 11,200 miles.

The economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina is highly reliant the exports of precious metals. This has led to an economic decline in the last decades which has lowered economic growth. The financial crisis of 2008 has also created liquidity problems with the Bosnian banking system. In order to combat this, Bosnia has given more authority to the Austrian and Italian banking systems, has pegged its currency to the euro and has become a candidate member for the European union. At present, the largest trading partners of Bosnia-Herzegovina are Germany, Italy, Croatia and Serbia which make up roughly 50 percent of its total trade.

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

In total, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a member of 10 international economic organizations which ranks it as the 149th most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Bank for International Settlements
Council of Europe Development Bank
Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges
International Monetary Fund
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Energy Charter Treaty
Energy Community
International Renewable Energy Agency

With a GDP of just over US$19 billion, Bosnia and Herzegovina is ranked as the 117th state with the highest GDP representing approximately 0.023 percent of total global GDP.

It is ranked as the 97th highest in terms of GDP per capita with a GDP per capita of US$5740.

The figure below displays the average amount that inhabitant of other states earn for every 1$ that an average Bosnian citizen makes.

Its GDP per surface area is estimated to be around US$3750 per square kilometer or US$9722 per square mile which ranks it as the 109th highest GDP per surface area.

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

The citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina have a purchasing power of US$40,059 which ranks their purchasing power as the 93rd highest in the world.

The graph on the left displays the purchasing power parity of the rest of the world in relation to the purchasing power of 1$ in Bosnia.

The total population of Bosnia and Herzegovina is around 3.3 million people which ranks it as the 114th highest population in the world. Due to its history with and Yugoslavia, Bosnia is made up of different nationalities. Bosnians represent around 53 percent of the total population and is the official language along with Serbian, which represents around 31 percent of the population and Croatian which represents 14.5 percent of the population.

Population

Population density

The population density of Bosnia and Herzegovina is ranked as the 116th densest in the world with a population of 65 people per square kilometer or 169 people per square mile.

Emigration

Since its independence, a large share of the Bosnian population has emigrated. This is mainly due to the reallocation of ethnicities towards neighboring states after the breakup of Yugoslavia as well as the search for better life and job opportunities within the European union. It is estimated that around 1.6 million Bosnians have emigrated which represents a share of 46.6 percent of the total population and ranks Bosnia and Herzegovina as the 41st highest number of emigrants in the world.

Immigration

A minimum of five years of residence is needed in order to obtain permanent residence within Bosnia and Herzegovina. This, along with the restrictions on dual citizenship has led to low immigration into Bosnia. In total, around 35,000 people or around one percent of the total population has emigrated to Bosnia. This represents a total global share of 0.0135 percent of total global immigration.

Literacy

Literacy rates within Bosnia and Herzegovina are fairly high with a rank of 64. This is mainly due to the compulsory education for children between the ages of six and 15 which is provided free of charge by the government. In total, around 97.6 percent of the Bosnian population is literate.

Health

Before the breakup of Yugoslavia, healthcare has been of average standards. In recent decades, healthcare has not improved drastically which has led to the same type of healthcare which was provided decades ago. However, recent diseases are countered slowly which has led to a decrease of health overall. Bosnia and Herzegovina is ranked as the 76th state in the world with an average life expectancy of just under 78 years with women averaging around 80.3 years and men averaging around 75.5 years.

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Overall, Bosnia and Herzegovina is ranked as the 22nd most multi religious state in the world. This is due to its being a central flashpoint over the last century between the Islamic Ottoman conquest and the Crusades. As a result, Bosnia and Herzegovina is mostly represented by these religions

Christianity is represented by around 51.2 percent of the total Bosnian population Which ranks it as the 116th most Christian state in the world. The largest denomination is the Christian Orthodox Church which is followed by half of the Christians within Bosnia and Herzegovina. Another large share is the Catholic Church which is represented by 12 percent of the total population.

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

As a result of the Ottoman conquest, many Bosnians have converted to Islam. At present, around 47 percent of the population adheres to Islam. The Islamic inhabitants are called Bosniaks and follow mostly the Sunni denomination of Islam. However, many Bosniaks do not strictly follow Islamic law with a large share of the Muslim population drinking alcohol as well as a relatively low attendance to Islamic mosques which is estimated to be around 25 percent. With this share of Muslims, Bosnia and Herzegovina is ranked as the 48 most Islamic state in the world.

There are no organizations that represent the Buddhist faith within Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is estimated that around 0.02 percent of the population adheres to Buddhism.

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism is represented by around 0.03 percent of the total Bosnian population. This is mainly represented by the ISKCON movement that has existed in Yugoslavia for 50 years and has been formally recognized by Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2005.

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Some of the first Jews arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Spanish Inquisition. Even though many Jews were also banned from other states within Europe, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a vassal states under the Ottoman Empire, had welcomed the Jewish refugees. After the second world war, most of the Jews have left Bosnia and Herzegovina and the presence of the Jewish population is around 0.036 percent of the total population.

Other religions (share of the total population)

Other religions within Bosnia and Herzegovina are mainly related to pagan religions. Even though these religions exist, they are relatively small in numbers with a share of around 0.07 percent.

Non-religious (share of the total population)

non-religion is represented by around 1.67 percent of the total population.

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

At present, around one percent of the Bosnian GDP is spent on the Army which corresponds to approximately US$183 million which ranks it as the 122nd highest funded Army in the world.

Due to its several official languages, the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina are also named differently. Before 2005, Bosnia had two different armies which consisted of the Bosniak Croatian Army and the Bosnian Serbian Republican Army. After 2005, these armies were united into a single Army.

Military membership

It is also a member of three international military organizations which ranks it as the 148th most militarily interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
International Atomic Energy Agency

Military membership

International wars

Bosnia and Herzegovina has partaken in two international wars since its existence these were:

Croatian War of Independence 1991-1995
Bosnian War 1991-1995

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Bosnia and Herzegovina is the 81st most politically interconnected state in the world with a membership of 12 international political organizations. These are:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
The Council of Europe
Central European Initiative
Energy Community
European Cooperation in Science and Technology
Union for the Mediterranean
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
International Criminal Court
Interpol
Association of World Election Bodies
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Bosnia and Herzegovina is ranked as the 106th most democratic state in the world.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The political system of Bosnia-Herzegovina takes place in the form of a parliamentary representative democracy where decisions mainly take place by nine ministers which are headed by a president. Due to the difference ethnicities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the ethnicity of the president is rotated in order to ensure fair representation towards all Bosnian citizens.