A Brief History of Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Bosnia and Herzegovina has a complex history, which underpins its more recent troubles.
• Illyrian tribes originally inhabited the region that is currently Bosnia, until the Roman Empire conquered it in the first century AD.
• Slavic tribes settled the area during the sixth and seventh centuries.
• The Banate of Bosnia emerged as an autonomous principality in the twelfth century. King Tvrtko I led the state to its peak power and territory during the fourteenth century.
• The Ottoman Empire conquered Bosnia in 1463 and introduced Islam to the region. A distinct Bosnian Muslim identity developed alongside Orthodox Serb and Catholic Croat populations.
• Bosnia was subsumed into The Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1878.

• The assassination of heir to the imperial throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in Sarajevo, in 1918, was pivotal in starting the First World War.
• Bosnia joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, in 1918, which later became Yugoslavia.
• As the Nazis extended their grip, Bosnia became a fascist puppet state annexed by Croatia, during World War II,
• When the Second World War ended, Bosnia became part of communist Yugoslavia, within the USSR.
• On the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Bosnia became an independent country in name. However, it is in effect two main federations or proto states, the Republic of Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia Herzegovina, plus the small Brcko district, which also has its own government. To complicate things even further, the population of Bosnia is composed in the main, of three different ethnicities: Serbs (Srpska), Croats and Moslems /Bosniaks (Bosnia Herzegovinians). Independence, in 1992, led almost immediately to civil war, which lasted until the end of 1995.

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Facts and Factoids

• The brokered ‘peace’ Of Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Dayton Agreement is very complicated) led to a fascinatingly unique political system. Three presidents, one representing each community, alternate power as Chair for eight months over a four year term. The bureaucracy is incredible - each has their own officers and ministers. And it's mostly a paper exercise, as each state just does their own thing anyway.
• The country has three official languages, which are practically identical but written in both Latin and Cyrillic scripts.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina is sometimes known as the 'Heart Shaped Land', because of the country’s slight heart shape. Some struggle to see it. You definitely have to use your imagination.
• Mountainous terrain and deep river canyons cover a vast majority of the national landscape. The country boasts extensive freshwater resources with vast networks of clean rivers and natural springs.
• The name Bosnia comes from the Indo-European word, which means water. The country is full of waterfalls, rivers and lakes
• Sarajevo is the official capital city for the entire country.
• The currency used throughout the entire nation is the convertible mark, which is pegged directly to the euro.
• There are still around 80,000 mines to clear, due to the war - be careful .Most remaining minefields are concentrated in rural, forested, and mountainous zones.
• Traditional coffee culture is as a social ritual practiced across all regions of the country.