Bosnia and Herzegovina: Facts & Figures
Area: 51,129 km²
Population: 2011: 3,839,737 = 75,099 per km2 (BH Statistics Office, figures as of 30 June 2011)
Population statistics: (no census since 1991, estimates according to World Factbook 2006): Bosniak (Bosnian Muslims): 2,160,000 (48%), Serb: 1,670,000 (37.1%), Croat: 645,000 (13.1%), minorities (e.g. Roma and Jews): 0.6%. Trends: since 1991 the number of Bosniaks has remained extensively unchanged, the number of Serbs has risen by around 115,000 and the number of Croats has decreased by around 3%.
| City | 1991 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| Sarajevo | 416,497 | 311.161 |
| Banja Luka | 195,692 | 227,603 |
| Tuzla | 131,618 | 131,768 |
| Zenica | 145,517 | 127,202 |
| Mostar | 126,628 | 111,602 |
| Prijedor | 112,543 | 93,991 |
| Bihać | 70,732 | 64,491 |
| Brčko | 87,627 | 94,242 |
| Bijeljina | 96,988 | 109,167 |
Official languages: Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian; Cyrillic and Latin alphabet.
Religion (1991 census): Muslim 43.7%, Serbian Orthodox 31.4%, Catholic ~17.3%, minorities (e.g. Jews) 7.6%. Small Protestant communities (e.g. in Mostar).
Government type: republic
Independence from ex-Yugoslavia since 1991
Emerging federal democratic republic based on peace agreement signed in Dayton, Ohio, on 21 November 1995: two "entities": Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (also known as the Bosniak/Croat Federation) and Republika Srpska.
The Federation consists of ten cantons with their own competencies. Republika Sprksa does not have any cantons to date. An administrative district in the area of the northern Bosnian city of Brčko (a condominium under international law) is under the direct sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Both entities and Brčko District have their own competencies. Decisions on foreign and defence policy, finance and foreign trade are made by the central government. Development of a joint, democratic multi-ethnic state continues and is not yet complete.
Trend: strengthening of a joint democratic centralised state without ethnic proportional representation. Current status: no final breakthrough to date in key issues such as joint security forces (no joint police).
Administrative divisions: 2 entities, Brčko District (208 km2) and jointly administered capital Sarajevo.
Political system: constitution of 1995 (most recently amended 2002), republic since 1992. Bicameral parliament: House of Representatives with 42 members (28 from the Bosniak-Croat Federation, 14 from Republika Sprska); elections every four years.
House of Peoples with 15 members (5 Bosniak, 5 Croat and 5 Serb); elections every four years - direct election of three-member Presidency (1 Bosniak, 1 Croat, 1 Serb, rotating chairmanship every eight months) every four years. Voting age 18.
Political leadership: Head of state (triumvirate): Nebojša Radmanović (Serb, Alliance of Independent Social Democrats - SNSD), Bakir Izetbegović (Bosniac, Party of Democratic Action SDA), Željko Komšić (Croat, former member of the Social Democrats - SDP, now independent).
Head of government: Vjekoslav Bevanda (Croat, Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ).
UNO/EU: representative of the international community (Office of the High Representative, OHR): Valentin Inzko (Austria, since end of March 2009). International peacekeeping troops: EUFOR/Althea (600); first EU Special Representative since September 2011 Peter Sørensen.
Capital: Sarajevo
Mayor: Ivo Komšić, Social Democratic Union (SDU), since 27 March 2013
2 deputy mayors: Aljoša Čampara (SDU), Ranko Čović (SDU)
Currency: 1 convertible marka (BAM) = 100 fening (since 1998, 1.95583 to €1)
International vehicle code: BiH
Internet country code: .ba
International telephone access code: +387
Economic Data 2010 - 2014 Bosnia and Herzegowina:
