Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina Flag Meaning
On February 4, 1998, the current flag of the country was adopted. The reason it changed its appearance was that they wanted it to represent all ethnic groups in the country. The previous flag had symbols that stretched back in the Middle Ages, with a coat of arms with six golden lilies from Tvrtko Kotromanić’s regime.
The triangle in the flag symbolizes Bosnia – Herzegovina, the stars are a symbol of Europe, and there are two half stars that show that the number of stars is indefinite. The blue color of the flag would initially be the same blue as the UN flag , but it was changed to resemble the EU flag instead.
Bosnia and Herzegovina Overview
| Population | 3.9 million |
| Currency | Convertible Mark |
| Area | 51,130 km2 |
| Capital city | Sarajevo |
| Population density | 77.7 residents/km2 |
| HDI location | 68 |
Bosnia-Herzegovina’s northern coastline lies to the Adriatic Sea and is only 20 km (without beaches). To the west, the country borders Croatia, to the southeast to Montenegro and to the east to Serbia. The Dinaric Alps, up to 4,265 m, cover most of the country’s territory, making internal connections difficult. The rivers Sava, Neretva and their tributaries intersect the country. The Bosnia River, one of the Savas tributaries, has given the country its name. Half of the territory is covered by forests, while a quarter is cultivated, especially in the valleys of the Sava and Drine rivers. The main crops are cereals, vegetables and grapes and some cattle breeding. The subsoil is rich in minerals, such as coal, iron, copper, manganese, etc. The severe air pollution causes respiratory diseases especially in urban areas. Just under half the water available is considered to be potable; especially the Sava River is heavily polluted.
The people: of Slavic descent. The ethnic conflicts have historical-religious causes: Muslim slaves make up 49.2% of the population; Orthodox Serbs 31.3%; Catholic Croats 17.3%. The Serbs make up the majority in northeastern Bosnia, with Banja Luka as the center, while the Croats form the majority in eastern Herzegovina, where Mostar is the most important city. It is not possible to draw ethnic boundaries in other areas; In the capital, Sarajevo, Muslims make up the majority, Croats and Serbs. Until 1992, there was also a Jewish community group of 1,200.
Religion: Islam, Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic.
Language: Serbo-Croatian.
Political Parties: Democratic Action Party, Muslim Government Party; The Serbian Democratic Party; The Croatian Democratic Socialist Party; Social Democracy (multi-ethnic); The Democratic Reform Party, formerly Communist; The Party of Bosnia-Herzegovina (moderate Bosnian Muslim).
Social organizations: The trade unions are currently in a reorganization process.
Official name: Republika Bosna in Herzegovina.
Administrative division: 50 districts.
Capital: Sarajevo, 750,000 residents in 2009, reduced to fewer than 50,000 in September 1995.
Other important cities: Banja Luka, 175,700 residents; Tuzla, 111,900 residents; Mostar, 72,000 residents (2000).
Government: Bosnia-Herzegovina consists of two parts: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (where predominantly Muslims and Croats live) and the Republic of Srpska (which is Serbian-dominated). The town of Brcko is autonomous territory.
President since July 2017: Dragan Čović. The post rotates annually between representatives of each of the 3 major ethnic minorities in the country.
Prime Minister (since March 2015): Denis Zvizdić. Parliament has two chambers.
There is an appointed international high commissioner in the country: Austrian Valentin Inzko (since March 2009).
National Day: March 1, Independence Day. (1992).
Armed Forces: 25,000 Men (2003). Because of the conflict, the UN has deployed thousands of “blue berets” from the UNPROFOR force. In addition, there is the presence of soldiers from the Serbian army and from the Serbian militias.