| Key Demographic
Features of Bosnia and Herzegovnia* |
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Bosnia_and_Herzegovina
Geography
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic
Sea and Croatia
Map references: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe
People
Population: 2,656,240 (July 1996 est.)
note: all data dealing with population is subject to
considerable error because of the dislocations caused by
military action and ethnic cleansing
Age structure:
0-14 years: 20% (male 276,530; female 248,519)
15-64 years: 68% (male 892,807; female 915,686)
65 years and over: 12% (male 133,081; female 189,617)
(July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: -2.84% (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 43.2 deaths/1,000 live births
(1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 56.11 years
male: 51.16 years
female: 61.39 years (1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions: Serb 40%, Muslim 38%, Croat 22%
(est.)
Religions: Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Catholic 15%,
Protestant 4%, other 10%
Languages: Serbo-Croatian 99%
Literacy: NA
Government
Government note: The US recognizes the Republic of
Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, formed by the Muslims and Croats in March 1994,
remains in the implementation stages.
Country Abbreviation: BK
Type of government: emerging democracy
Independence: NA April 1992 (from Yugoslavia)
National holiday: NA
Constitution: first promulgated in 1974 (under the
Communists), amended 1989, 1990, and 1991; constitution of
Muslim/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina ratified
April 1994; under the Dayton Agreement signed 21 November
1995, the Muslim/Croat Federation and the Serb republic
government agreed to accept new basic principles in their
constitutions
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of
age, universal
the new constitution signed as part of the Dayton agreement on
21 November 1995 provides for a new bicameral Parliamentary
assembly which will consist of a House of Peoples with 15
delegates, two-thirds from the Muslim/Croat Federation and
one-third from the Serbian republic, and a House of
Representatives with 42 members, two-thirds from the
Muslim/Croat Federation and one-third from the Serbian
republic; elections are scheduled to be held six to nine
months after the entry into force of the Dayton Agreement
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders: Civic Democratic Party
(GDS), Ibrahim SPAHIC; Party for Bosnia, Haris SILAJDZIC;
Croatian Democratic Union of BiH (HDZ), Bozo RAJIC; Croatian
Peasants' Party of BiH (HSS), Stanko STISKOVIC; Independent
Serbian Democratic Party (NSDS), Petar DODIK; Liberal Bosniak
Organization (LBO), Muhamed FILIPOVIC; Liberal Party (LS),
Rasim KADIC, president; Muslim-Bosniac Organization (MBO),
Adil ZULFIKARPASIC; Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Alija
IZETBEGOVIC; Republican Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Stjepan KLUJIC; Serb Democratic Party (SDS), Radovan KARADZIC,
president; Serbian Civic Council (SGV), Mirko PEJANOVIC;
Serbian Consultative Council, Ljubomir BERBEROVIC; Social
Democratic Party (SDP - formerly the Democratic Party of
Socialists (DSS)), Nijaz DURAKOVIC, president; Socialist Party
of Republika Srpska, Zivko RADISIC; Union of Social Democrats
(SSDB), Salim BESLAGIC; United Left of the Bosnian Serb
Republic (ULRS), Mile IVOSEVIC; Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO),
Milan TRIVUNCIC, note - this party participated in the 1990
elections, but may not exist now; Party of Democratic Changes,
leader NA, note - this party participated in the 1990
elections, but may not exist now; Alliance of Reform Forces of
Yugoslavia for Bosnia and Herzegovina (SRSJ BiH), Dr. Nenad
KECMANOVIC, president, note - this party participated in the
1990 elections, but may not exist now; Democratic League of
Greens (DSZ), Drazen PETROVIC, note - this party participated
in the 1990 elections, but may not exist now; Yugoslav United
Left (JUL), CAREVIC; Serb Liberal Party, Miodrag ZIVANOVIC;
Serb Radical Party; Serb Patriotic Party, Slavko ZUPLJANIN;
Serb Homeland Party
Other political or pressure groups: NA
International organization participation: CE (guest),
CEI, ECE, FAO, ICAO, IFAD, ILO, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory
user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM (guest), OSCE,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sven ALKALAJ
chancery: Suite 760, 1707 L Street NW, Washington, DC
20036
telephone: [1] (202) 833-3612, 3613, 3615
FAX: [1] (202) 833-2061
consulate(s) general: New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador John K. MENZIES
embassy: 43 Ul. Djure Djakovica, Sarajevo
mailing address: use street address
telephone: [387] (71) 645-992, 445-700, 659-743
Flag: white with a large blue shield; the shield
contains white fleurs-de-lis with a white diagonal band
running from the upper hoist corner to the lower outer side
Economy
Economic 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 rigidities of communist central planning and
management. 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,
unemployment and inflation to soar, and human misery to
multiply. No economic statistics for 1992-95 are available,
although output clearly has fallen substantially below the
levels of earlier years and almost certainly is well below
$1,000 per head. The country receives substantial amounts of
humanitarian aid from the international community.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: NA%
GDP per capita: $300 (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Communications
Telephones: 727,000
Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 2, shortwave 0
Radios: 840,000
Television broadcast stations: 6
Televisions: 1,012,094
*Source: World Factbook 1996, U.S.
Central Intelligence Agency
The World Factbook contains many additional demographic
variables that may be of interest to persons who wish to
examine a particular country in more depth. To access the
World Factbook, Click
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