Statistical information Bosnia and Herzegovina 1998

Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World
top of pageBackground: On 21 November 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the former Yugoslavia's three warring parties signed a peace agreement that brought to a halt over three years of interethnic civil strife in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the final agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December 1995). The Dayton Agreement, signed then by Bosnian President IZETBEGOVIC, Croatian President TUDJMAN, and Serbian President MILOSEVIC, divides Bosnia and Herzegovina roughly equally between the Muslim/Croat Federation and the Bosnian Serbs while maintaining Bosnia's currently recognized borders. 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 will remain in place until June 1998. A High Representative appointed by the UN Security Council is responsible for civilian implementation of the accord, including monitoring implementation, facilitating any difficulties arising in connection with civilian implementation, and coordinating activities of the civilian organizations and agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Bosnian conflict began in the spring of 1992 when the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina held a referendum on independence and 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 Muslims and Croats reduced the number of warring factions from three to two by signing an agreement in Washington creating their joint Muslim/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Federation, formed by the Muslims and Croats in March 1994, is one of two entities (the other being the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska) that comprise Bosnia and Herzegovina.
top of pageLocation: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia
Geographic coordinates: 44 00 N, 18 00 E
Map reference:
Bosnia and Herzegovina, EuropeAreaTotal: 51,233 km²
Land: 51,233 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundariesTotal: 1,459 km
Border countries: (3) Croatia 932 km;
, Serbia and Montenegro 527 km;
(312 km;
with Serbia, 215 kmCoastline: 20 km
Maritime claims: NA
Climate: hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along coast
Terrain: mountains and valleys
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Maglic 2,386 m
Natural resources: coal, iron, bauxite, manganese, forests, copper, chromium, lead, zinc
Land useArable land: 14%
Permanent crops: 5%
Permanent pastures: 20%
Forests and woodland: 39%
Other: 22% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 20 km² (1993 est.)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: frequent and destructive earthquakes
GeographyNote: within Bosnia and Herzegovina's recognized borders, the country is divided into a joint Muslim/Croat Federation (about 51% of the territory) and a Serb Republic, The Republika Srpska [RS] (about 49% of the territory; the region called Herzegovina is contiguous to Croatia and traditionally has been settled by an ethnic Croat majority
top of pagePopulation: 3,365,727 (July 1998 est.)
Note: all data dealing with population is subject to considerable error because of the dislocations caused by military action and ethnic cleansing
Growth rate: 3.63% (1998 est.)
NationalityNoun: Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s)
Adjective: Bosnian, Herzegovinian
Ethnic groups: Serb 40%, Muslim 38%, Croat 22% (est.)
Languages: Serbo-Croatian (often called Bosnian) 99%
Religions: Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Catholic 15%, Protestant 4%, other 10%
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 18% (male 307,857; female 291,424)
15-64 years: 71% (male 1,177,516; female 1,195,419)
65 years and over: 11% (male 156,041; female 237,470) (July 1998 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 3.63% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 8.72 births/1000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 12.32 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 39.91 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent 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
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 30.8 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 63.03 years
Male: 58.35 years
Female: 68.02 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.14 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: NA
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local long form: none
Local short form: Bosna i Hercegovina
Government type: emerging democracy
Capital: Sarajevo
Administrative divisions: there are two first-order administrative divisions approved by the US Government_the Muslim/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federacija Bosna i Hercegovina) and Republika Srpska; it has been reported that the Muslim/Croat Federation is comprised of 10 cantons identified by either number or name - Goradzde (5), Livno (10), Middle Bosnia (6), Neretva (7), Posavina (2), Sarajevo (9), Tuzla Podrinje (3), Una Sana (1), West Herzegovina (8), Zenica Doboj (4)
Dependent areasIndependence: NA April 1992 (from Yugoslavia)
National holiday: Republika Srpska_"Republic Day," 9 January; Independence Day, 1 March; Bosnia_"Republic Day," 25 November
Constitution: the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995, included a new constitution now in force
Legal system: based on civil law system
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age, universal
Executive branchChief of state: Chairman of the Presidency Alija IZETBEGOVIC (since 14 September 1996); other members of the three-member rotating presidency:Kresimir ZUBAK (since 14 September 1996_Croat) and Momcilo KRAJISNIK (since 14 September 1996 - Serb): ead of
Government: Cochairman of the Council of Ministers Haris SILAJDZIC (since NA January 1997); Cochairman of the Council of Ministers Boro BOSIC (since NA January 1997) NA
Cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the council chairmen
Note: president of the Muslim/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina:Ejup GANIC (since 1 January 1998); president of the Republika Srpska:Biljana PLAVSIC (since September 1996)
Elections: the three presidency members (one each Muslim, Croat, Serb) are elected by direct election (first election for a two-year term, thereafter for a four-year term); the president with the most votes becomes the chairman; election last held 14 September 1996 (next to be held September 1998); the cochairmen are nominated by the presidency
Election results: Alija IZETBEGOVIC elected chairman of the collective presidency with the highest number of votes; percent of vote_Alija IZETBEGOVIC received 80% of the Muslim vote to Haris SILAJDZIC's 14%; Kresimir ZUBAK received 88% of the Croat vote to Ivo KOMSIC's 11%; Momcilo KRAJISNIK received 68% of the Serb vote to Mladen IVANIC's 30%
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 Muslim; members serve two-year terms) and the House of Peoples or Vijece Gradanstvo (15 seats_5 Muslim, 5 Croat, 5 Serb; members serve two-year terms)
Elections: National House of Representatives_elections last held 14 September 1996 (next to be held NA); note_the House of Peoples is elected by the Muslim/Croat Federation's 140-seat House of Representatives (two-thirds) and the Republika Srpska's 83-seat National Assembly (one-third)
Election results: National House of Representatives:two-thirds chosen from the Muslim/Croat Federation:percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_SDA 16, HDZ-BiH 7, Joint List of Social Democrats 3, Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2; one-third chosen from the Bosnian Serb Republic:percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_SDS 9, SDA 3, Democratic Patriotic Front/Union for Peace and Progress 2
Note: the Muslim/Croat Federation has a House of Representatives with 140 seats:seats by party_SDA 80, HDZ-BiH 33, Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina 11, Joint List of Social Democrats 10, other 6; the Republika Srpska has a National Assembly with 83 seats:seats by party_SDS 24, Serb Radical Party 15, Serb National Alliance 15, Socialist Party 9, Independent Social Democrats 2, Coalition for United Bosnia and Herzegovina and others 18
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, supervised by the Ministry of Justice; Constitutional Court, supervised by the Ministry of Justice
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participationDiplomatic representationFlag description
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overviewReal gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rateReal gdp per capitaGross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture productsIndustriesIndustrial production growth rateLabor forceUnemployment rateYouth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetTaxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal yearInflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExportsImportsReserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt externalStock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange ratestop of pageElectricityCoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephonesTelephone systemBroadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresMilitary and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirportsHeliportsPipelinesRailwaysRoadwaysWaterwaysMerchant marinePorts and terminalstop of pageDisputes internationalRefugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs