Blog About Random Country #7 Bosnia and Herzegovina
First published: Monday June 21st, 2021
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The first mention of Bosnia is in De Administrando Imperio, a politico-geographical handbook written by the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII in the mid-10th century. The name is believed to have derived from the hydronym of the river Bosna coursing through the Bosnian heartland. The name Herzegovina ("herzog's [land]", from German word for "duke") originates from Bosnian magnate Stjepan Vukčić Kosača's title, "Herceg (Herzog) of Hum and the Coast".
Origin of the Name
Flag
The flag has a blue field with a yellow triangle, and seven full stars and two half stars at the top and bottom of the hypotenuse of the triangle.The triangle represents the three majority ethnic groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Bosnians, Serbs and Croats, it also represents the map of Bosnia, which kind of looks like a triangle.The stars represent Europe and are meant to go on foreverhence the half stars at the bottom and the top. Some people think that the flag was even partially adapted from the European Union flag.The colours white and blue and yellow are traditionally seen as colours representing peace.
Political Geography
Bosnia and Herzegovina covers 51,129 km2 (19,741 sq mi) area and has a population about 3,332,593. It has border with Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro and consists 2 entities and 1 condominium. The capital is Sarajevo and the 10 most populous cities are:
1) Sarajevo
2) Banja Luka
3) Tuzla
4) Zenica
5) Bijeljina
6) Mostar
7) Prijedor
8) Brčko
9) Doboj
10) Ilidža
Physical Geography
Bosnia and Herzegovina looks like a landlocked country (thanks to Croatia) but actually it has 20 km (12 mi) coastline. It is located in the Balkans in Europe. The longest river is River Drina, the largest lake is Buško Blato with 55.8 km2 (21.5 sq mi) area and the highest point is Mount Maglić with 2,386 m (7,828 ft) elevation.
Like many countries with a coast on the Mediterranean, Bosnia and Herzegovina took its first place in history under the rule of the Roman Empire. After the collapse of the empire, they fought against the Hungarians and Serbs for a while. The Bosnians, who came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire in 1463, thus adopted the religion of Islam. After the bloody civil wars between 1986-1992, Yugoslavia broke up. Later, Slobadon Milosovic carried out a great massacre with his dreams of establishing a 'Greater Serbia'. The United Nations remained silent against this genocide carried out by the killing of innocent civilians, intellectuals and elected officials. Aliya İzzet Begovic, who became the head of state in the elections held at the end of 1990, declared the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina after the referendum held in March 1992.
(Note: My aim is not to denigrate anyone or any state. The events I just mentioned are written objectively. If anyone says something that denigrates anyone about this in the comments, I will delete those comments.)
History
Religion and Ethnic Groups
Ethnic Groups
Religion
50.1% Bosniaks
30.8% Serbs
15.4% Croats
2.7% Other
1% Not Declared / No Answer
50.7% Islam
45.9% Christianity
—30.7% Eastern Orthodoxy
—15.2% Catholicism
1.2% Other
1% No Religion
1.1% Not Declared / No Answer
Languages
Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian languages are official languages which is spoken by the majority of the population. And the minority languages are German, Italian, Turkish and Ladino.
Cuisine
Ćevapi – Bosnian kebabs: small grilled minced meat links made of lamb and beef mix; served with onions, kajmak, ajvar (optional) and Bosnian pita bread (somun)
Tufahija – traditional Bosnian whole stewed apple stuffed with a walnut filling
Grah – a bean soup made of usually white, cranberry or pinto beans, and more rarely kidney beans
Fun Facts!
1) 2014 FIFA World Cup was the first major tournament of the Bosnia and Herzegovina’s national football team.
2) Established in 1995 during the Bosnian War, Sarajevo Film Festival has become the largest and most famous film festival in the Balkans and South-East Europe.
3) One of Europe’s last jungles can be found here.
4) Sarajevo was the first communist city to host a winter games.
5) As a result of the 1992-1995 Bosnian civil war there are still some 30,000 active landmines left in the country, and 2.2% of Bosnia’s total landmass has yet to be completely cleared of them.
6) The country is nicknamed the “Heart Shaped Land” due to the country’s slight heart shape.
7) It is home to a self-proclaimed micronation: Hajdučka Republika Mijata Tomića. Since 2002, as a symbolic protest against the lack of local administration, it has its own flag, currency, consul, Constitution and a sole ruler.
La Galerie
Closing
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Not O Tuvalu? I am heartbroken!!SorrySerbs ethnicity is mostly Eastern Orthodox
Croats ethnicity is mostly Catholic