Bosnia and Herzegovina has a largely mountainous terrain. The Dinaric Alps dominate the western border with Croatia, and numerous ranges, including the Kozara, Vlašic, Plješevica, Grmeč, Cincar, and Raduša, run through the country, generally in a northwest-southeast direction. The highest peak, reaching 7, 828 feet (2, 386 metres), is Maglić, near the border with Montenegro.

Bosnia and Herzegovina | Facts, Geography, History, & MapsAudio File: national anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina Head Of Government: Prime Minister: Borjana Krišto (Chair of the Council of Ministers) Capital: Sarajevo Population: (2023 est. ) 3, 428, 000 Head Of State: nominally a tripartite presidency with a chair that rotates every eight months; Chair: Željka Cvijanović Form Of Government: emerging republic with two legislative houses (House of Peoples [151]; House of Representatives [42]) Summary Read a brief summary of this topic Bosnia and Herzegovina, country situated in the western Balkan Peninsula of Europe.

In the south and southwest is the Karst, a region of arid limestone plateaus that contain caves, potholes, and underground drainage. The uplands there are often bare and denuded (the result of deforestation and thin soils), but, between the ridges, depressions known as poljes are covered with alluvial soil that is suitable for agriculture.

In 1918 it was incorporated into the newly created Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, where it had no formal status of its own. After World War II it became a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Following the disintegration of that state in 1991, the majority of the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina voted for independence in a 1992 referendum. Much of the country’s Serb population, however, opposed independence and boycotted the referendum.

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Although the vast majority of citizens continue to desire sustainable peace, they hold to different ideas about the best configuration of the state, and some even question its future existence. Britannica Quiz The Country Quiz Land Relief The roughly triangular-shaped Bosnia and Herzegovina is bordered on the north, west, and south by Croatia, on the east by Serbia, on the southeast by Montenegro, and on the southwest by the Adriatic Sea along a narrow extension of the country.

War soon consumed the region, as ethnic nationalists within Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the support of Serbia and Croatia in some cases, tried to take control of territories they claimed as their own. Horrific ethnic cleansing campaigns between 1992 and the end of 1995 killed thousands and violently displaced more than two million people in much of Bosnia and Herzegovina. International intervention into the Bosnian conflict led finally to a peace agreement, the Dayton Accords, in late 1995. The Dayton agreement ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it also established the country as a fragile, highly decentralized, and ethnically divided state in which an international civilian representative remains authorized to impose legislation and to remove domestic officials in order to protect the peace.

Bosnia and Herzegovina | Country Page | WorldAuthorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina show little interest in addressing long-standing human rights problems in the country. Authorities fail to adequately tackle discrimination and protect women and LGBT people from violence. Asylum seekers lack adequate shelter and protection, and pushbacks to Bosnia and Herzegovina exacerbate the poor situation for migrants. Over a decade since provisions in the constitution were ruled discriminatory by Europe’s top human rights court, they have yet to be changed. Media professionals face interference in their work.

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Elevations of more than 6, 000 feet (1, 800 metres) are common, and the plateaus descend abruptly toward the Adriatic Sea. The coastline, limited to a length of 12 miles (20 km) along the Adriatic Sea, is bounded on both sides by Croatia and contains no natural harbours. In central Bosnia the rocks and soils are less vulnerable to erosion, and the terrain there is characterized by rugged but green and often forested plateaus. In the north, narrow lowlands extend along the Sava River and its tributaries. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content.