View Intelligence Dossier Back to 1999 CSV Excel Print All Years

Communications

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 8, FM 16, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios [time series]

840,000

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

telephone and telegraph network is in need of modernization and expansion; many urban areas are below average when compared with services in other former Yugoslav republics domestic: NA international: no satellite earth stations

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones) [time series]

727,000

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

21 (1997)

Televisions [time series]

1,012,094

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture--products) [time series]

wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables; livestock

Budget [time series]

revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 convertible marka (KM) = 100 convertible pfenniga

Debt - external (Debt--external) [time series]

$3.5 billion (yearend 1995 est.)

Economic aid (Economic aid--recipient) [time series]

$1.2 billion (1997 pledged)

Economic overview (Economy--overview) [time series]

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 by 80% from 1990 to 1995, unemployment to soar, and human misery to multiply. With an uneasy peace in place, output has recovered in 1996-98 at high percentage rates on a low base, but remains far below the 1990 level. Key achievements in 1998 included approval of privatization legislation, the introduction of a national currency--the convertible mark, agreement with the Paris Club to reschedule official debt, and the conclusion of a Standby Agreement with the IMF. Economic data are of limited use because, although both entities issue figures, national-level statistics are not available. Moreover, official data do not capture the large share of activity that occurs on the black market. The country receives substantial amounts of reconstruction assistance and humanitarian aid from the international community. Wide regional differences in war damage and access to the outside world have resulted in substantial variations in living conditions among local areas and individual families. In 1999, Bosnia's major goals are to implement privatization and make progress in fiscal reform and management. In addition, Bosnia will have to prepare for an era of declining assistance from the international community.

Electricity - consumption (Electricity--consumption) [time series]

2.504 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity - exports (Electricity--exports) [time series]

182 million kWh (1996)

Electricity - imports (Electricity--imports) [time series]

386 million kWh (1996)

Electricity - production (Electricity--production) [time series]

2.3 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity - production by source (Electricity--production by source) [time series]

fossil fuel: 34.78% hydro: 65.22% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)

Exchange rates [time series]

Exports [time series]

$152 million (1995 est.)

Exports - commodities (Exports--commodities) [time series]

Exports - partners (Exports--partners) [time series]

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity--$5.8 billion (1998 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP--composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 19% industry: 23% services: 58% (1996 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP--per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity?$1,720 (1998 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP--real growth rate) [time series]

30% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports [time series]

$1.1 billion (1995 est.)

Imports - commodities (Imports--commodities) [time series]

Imports - partners (Imports--partners) [time series]

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

35% (1998 est.)

Industries [time series]

steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite, vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden furniture, tank and aircraft assembly, domestic appliances, oil refining (much of capacity damaged or shut down) (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

NA%

Labor force [time series]

1,026,254

Labor force - by occupation (Labor force--by occupation) [time series]

NA%

Population below poverty line [time series]

NA%

Unemployment rate [time series]

40%-50% (1996 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 51,233 sq km land: 51,233 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative (Area--comparative) [time series]

slightly smaller than West Virginia

Climate [time series]

hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along coast

Coastline [time series]

20 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Maglic 2,386 m

Environment - current issues (Environment--current issues) [time series]

air pollution from metallurgical plants; sites for disposing of urban waste are limited; widespread casualties, water shortages, and destruction of infrastructure because of the 1992-95 civil strife

International environmental agreements (Environment--international agreements) [time series]

party to: Air Pollution, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates [time series]

44 00 N, 18 00 E

Geography - note (Geography--note) [time series]

within Bosnia and Herzegovina's recognized borders, the country is divided into a joint Muslim/Croat Federation (about 51% of the territory) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Herzegovina is contiguous to Croatia and traditionally has been settled by an ethnic Croat majority

Irrigated land [time series]

20 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 1,459 km border countries: Croatia 932 km, Serbia and Montenegro 527 km (312 km with Serbia, 215 km with Montenegro)

Land use [time series]

arable land: 14% permanent crops: 5% permanent pastures: 20% forests and woodland: 39% other: 22% (1993 est.)

Location [time series]

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia

Map references [time series]

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe

Maritime claims [time series]

Natural hazards [time series]

frequent and destructive earthquakes

Natural resources [time series]

coal, iron, bauxite, manganese, forests, copper, chromium, lead, zinc

Terrain [time series]

mountains and valleys

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

there are two first-order administrative divisions--the Muslim/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federacija Bosna i Hercegovina) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska; note--the status of Brcko in north eastern Bosnia is to be determined by arbitration

Capital [time series]

Sarajevo

Constitution [time series]

the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995, included a new constitution now in force

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina local long form: none local short form: Bosna i Hercegovina

Data code [time series]

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard D. KAUZLARICH embassy: Alipasina 43, 71000 Sarajevo mailing address: use street address

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Dragan BOZANIC chancery: 2109 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 consulate(s) general: New York

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: Chairman of the Presidency Zivko RADISIC (since 13 October 1998--Serb); other members of the three-member rotating (every 8 months) presidency: Ante JELAVIC (since NA September 1998--Croat) and Alija IZETBEGOVIC (since 14 March 1996--Muslim) head of government: Cochairman of the Council of Ministers Haris SILAJDZIC (since NA January 1997); Cochairman of the Council of Ministers Suetozar MIHAJLOVIC (since 3 February 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the council chairmen note: President of the Muslim/Croat Federation of Bosnia and

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a yellow isosceles triangle abutting the band and the top of the flag; the remainder of the flag is medium blue with seven full five-pointed white stars and two half stars top and bottom along the hypotenuse of the triangle

Government type [time series]

emerging democracy

Government - note (Government--note) [time series]

Until declaring independence in spring 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina existed as a republic in the former Yugoslavia. Bosnia was partitioned by fighting during 1992-95 and governed by competing ethnic factions. Bosnia's current governing structures were created by the Dayton Agreement, the 1995 peace agreement which was officially signed in Paris on 14 December 1995 by then Bosnian President IZETBEGOVIC, Croatian President TUDJMAN, and then Serbian President MILOSEVIC. This agreement retained Bosnia's exterior border and created a joint multi-ethnic and democratic government. This national government--based on proportional representation similar to that which existed in the former socialist regime--is charged with conducting foreign, economic, and fiscal policy. The Dayton Agreement also recognized a second tier of government, comprised of two entities--a joint Muslim/Croat Federation and the Bosnian Serb Republika Srpska (RS)--each presiding over roughly one-half the territory. The Federation and RS governments are charged with overseeing internal functions.

Herzegovina [time series]

Ivo ANDRIC-LUZANIC (since 1 January 1999); Vice President is Ejup GANIC; note--president and vice president rotate every 3 months; President of the Republika Srpska: Nikola POPLASEN (since 29 October 1998) elections: the three-person presidency members (one Muslim, one Croat, one Serb) are elected by popular vote for a four-year term; the president with the most votes becomes the chairman unless he was the incumbent chairman at the time of the election; election last held 12-13 September 1998 (next to be held September 2002); the cochairmen of the Council of Ministers are appointed by the presidency election results: percent of vote--Zivko RADISIC with 52% of the Serb vote was elected chairman of the collective presidency for the first 8 months; Ante JELAVIC with 52% of the Croat vote will follow RADISIC in the rotation; Alija IZEBEGOVIC with 87% of the Muslim vote won the highest number of votes in the election but was ineligible to serve consecutive terms as chairman

Independence [time series]

NA April 1992 (from Yugoslavia)

International organization participation [time series]

CE (guest), CEI, EBRD, ECE, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Judicial branch [time series]

Constitutional Court, consists of nine members: four members are selected by the Muslim/Croat Federation's House of Representatives, two members by the Republika Srpska National Assembly, and three non-Bosnian members by the president of the European Court of Human Rights

Legal system [time series]

based on civil law system

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or Skupstina consists of the National House of Representatives or Vijece Opcina (42 seats--14 Serb, 14 Croat, and 14 Muslim; members elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) and the House of Peoples or Vijece Gradanstvo (15 seats--5 Muslim, 5 Croat, 5 Serb; members elected by the Muslim/Croat Federation's House of Representatives and the Republika Srpska's National Assembly to serve two-year terms) elections: National House of Representatives--elections last held 12-13 September 1998 (next to be held in the fall 2000); House of Peoples--last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: National House of Representatives--percent of vote by party/coalition--NA; seats by party/coalition--KCD 17, HDZ-BiH 6, SDP 4, Sloga 4, SDS 4, SDBIH 2, SRS-RS 2, DNZ 1, NHI 1, RSRS 1; House of Peoples--percent of vote by party/coalition--NA; seats by party/coalition--NA note: the Muslim/Croat Federation has a House of Representatives (140 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve NA year terms); elections last held NA (next to be held NA); percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party/coalition--KCD 68, HDZ-BiH 28, SDP 19, SDBIH 6, NHI 4, DNZ 3, DSP 2, BPS 2, HSP 2, SPRS 2, BSP 1, KC 1, BOSS 1, HSS 1; the Republika Srpska has a National Assembly (83 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve NA year terms); elections last held NA (next to be held NA); percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party/coalition--SDS 19, KCD 15, SNS 12, SRS-RS 11, SPRS 10, SNSD 6, RSRS 3, SKRS 2, SDP 2, KKO 1, HDZ-BiH 1, NHI 1

National holiday [time series]

Republika Srpska--"Republic Day," 9 January; Independence Day, 1 March; Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina--"Republic Day," 25 November

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Bosnian Party of Rights or BSP IZETBEGOVIC; includes SDA, SBH, GDS, LS]; Croatian Democratic Union BIH or SDP (formerly the Democratic Party of Socialists or DSS) note: note--SDP and SDBIH announced a merger in 1999

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

Suffrage [time series]

16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age, universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

On 21 November 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the former Yugoslavia's three warring parties signed a peace agreement that brought to a halt over three years of interethnic civil strife in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the final agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December 1995). The Dayton Agreement, signed then by Bosnian President IZETBEGOVIC, Croatian President TUDJMAN, and Serbian President MILOSEVIC, divides Bosnia and Herzegovina roughly equally between the Muslim/Croat Federation and the Republika Srpska while maintaining Bosnia's currently recognized borders. In 1995-96, a NATO-led international peacekeeping force (IFOR) of 60,000 troops served in Bosnia to implement and monitor the military aspects of the agreement. IFOR was succeeded by a smaller, NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR) whose mission is to deter renewed hostilities. SFOR remains in place. A High Representative appointed by the UN Security Council is responsible for civilian implementation of the accord, including monitoring implementation, facilitating any difficulties arising in connection with civilian implementation, and coordinating activities of the civilian organizations and agencies in Bosnia. The Bosnian conflict began in the spring of 1992 when the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina held a referendum on independence and the Bosnian Serbs--supported by neighboring Serbia--responded with armed resistance aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic lines and joining Serb-held areas to form a "greater Serbia." In March 1994, Bosnia's Muslims and Croats reduced the number of warring factions from three to two by signing an agreement in Washington creating their joint Muslim/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Federation, formed by the Muslims and Croats in March 1994, is one of two entities (the other being the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska) that comprise Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Military

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Federation Army or VF (composed of both Croatian and Bosnian Muslim elements), Army of the Serb Republic (composed of Bosnian Serb elements); note--within both of these forces air and air defense are subordinate commands

Military expenditures - dollar figure (Military expenditures--dollar figure) [time series]

$NA

Military expenditures (Military expenditures--percent of GDP) [time series]

NA%

Military manpower - availability (Military manpower--availability) [time series]

males age 15-49: 951,541 (1999 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service (Military manpower--fit for military service) [time series]

males age 15-49: 764,992 (1999 est.)

Military manpower - military age (Military manpower--military age) [time series]

19 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually (Military manpower--reaching military age annually) [time series]

males: 28,438 (1999 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 17% (male 310,430; female 294,298) 15-64 years: 71% (male 1,221,791; female 1,240,097) 65 years and over: 12% (male 166,876; female 249,003) (1999 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

9.36 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate [time series]

10.81 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Serb 40%, Muslim 38%, Croat 22% (est.); note--the Croats claim they now make up only 17% of the total population

Infant mortality rate [time series]

24.52 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Languages [time series]

Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 66.98 years male: 62.55 years female: 71.71 years (1999 est.)

Literacy [time series]

Nationality [time series]

noun: Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s) adjective: Bosnian, Herzegovinian

Net migration rate [time series]

33.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Population [time series]

3,482,495 (July 1999 est.) note: all data dealing with population is subject to considerable error because of the dislocations caused by military action and ethnic cleansing

Population growth rate [time series]

3.2% (1999 est.)

Religions [time series]

Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Catholic 15%, Protestant 4%, other 10%

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.21 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international (Disputes--international) [time series]

disputes with Serbia over Serbian populated areas

Illicit drugs [time series]

minor transit point for marijuana and opiate trafficking routes to Western Europe

Transportation

Airports [time series]

25 (1998 est.)

Airports - with paved runways (Airports--with paved runways) [time series]

total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways (Airports--with unpaved runways) [time series]

total: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 8 (1998 est.)

Heliports [time series]

3 (1998 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 21,846 km paved: 11,425 km unpaved: 10,421 km (1996 est.) note: roads need maintenance and repair

Merchant marine [time series]

none

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil 174 km; natural gas 90 km (1992); note--pipelines now disrupted

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanski Brod, Bosanski Samac, and Brcko (all inland waterway ports on the Sava none of which are fully operational), Orasje

Railways [time series]

total: 1,021 km (electrified 795 km; operating as diesel or steam until grids are repaired) standard gauge: 1,021 km 1.435-m gauge (1995); note--some segments still need repair and/or reconstruction

Waterways [time series]

NA km; large sections of Sava blocked by downed bridges, silt, and debris