The
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (
BosnianBosnian is a South Slavic language spoken primarily in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the region of Sandžak in Serbia and Montenegro, although it is also spoken in various places throughout the world, as many speakers were forced to become refugees during the Bosnian war...
,
CroatianCroatian is a South Slavic language which is used primarily in Croatia, by Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by Croatian minorities in some neighbouring countries, in the Italian region of Molise, and parts of the Croatian diaspora....
:
Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine SerbianSerbian is a South Slavic language, spoken chiefly in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, and in the Serbian diaspora...
: Федерација Босне и Херцеговине) is one of the two
political entitiesPolitics of Bosnia and Herzegovina takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power...
that compose the sovereign country of
Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( or (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian Latin: Bosna i Hercegovina; Serbian Cyrillic: Босна и Херцеговина) is a country in Southeast Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula...
(the other entity is the
Republika SrpskaRepublika Srpska is one of two main political-territorial divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
). The two entities are delineated by the
Inter-Entity Boundary LineThe Inter-Entity Boundary Line divides Bosnia and Herzegovina into two entities, the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
.
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is primarily inhabited by
BosniaksThe Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller autochthonous population also present in the Sandžak, Croatia, and the Republic of Macedonia. Bosniaks are typically characterized by their tie to the Bosnian historical region,...
and Bosnian Croats, which is why it is informally referred to as the
Bosniak-Croat Federation. However, by decision of the Constitutional court in 2001, the
SerbsSerbs are a South Slavic people living in the Central Europe and the Balkans , between the Balkan- and Carpathian mountains in the east and the Adriatic sea in the west. They are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and, to a lesser extent, in Croatia...
were declared the third constituent ethnic group of the Federation. The same happened to Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats in the
Republika SrpskaRepublika Srpska is one of two main political-territorial divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
.
The Federation was created by the
Washington accordsThe Washington Agreement was a ceasefire agreement between the warring Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina , signed in Washington and Vienna in March 1994...
signed on March 18, 1994, which established a
Constituent assemblyA constituent assembly is a body composed for the purpose of drafting or adopting a constitution...
(
Ustavotvorna skupština/Ustavotvorbeni Sabor). The
Constituent assembly continued its work until October 1996.
The Federation now has its own capital, government, president, parliament, customs and police departments, postal system (in fact, two of them), and airline (BH Airlines). It has its own army, the
Vojska Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine, though it is under the control of the state-level Bosnia-Herzegovina Ministry of Defense, as is the
Vojska Republike Srpske. Entity armies (including Vojska Republike Srpske) should have been united by the end of the 2005 and entity-level Ministry of Defense and their armies should have been abolished by January 1, 2006. On June 6, 2006 it was fully integrated into Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina controlled by the Ministry of Defence of
Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( or (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian Latin: Bosna i Hercegovina; Serbian Cyrillic: Босна и Херцеговина) is a country in Southeast Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula...
.
History
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was formed by the
Washington AgreementThe Washington Agreement was a ceasefire agreement between the warring Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina , signed in Washington and Vienna in March 1994...
of March 1994. Under the agreement, the combined territory held by the Croat and Armija RBiH forces (the Bosnian Croat portion including the
Croatian Republic of Herzeg-BosniaThe Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia was an unrecognised entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina that existed between 1991 and 1994 during the Bosnian war. It proclaimed its existence on November 18, 1991, and claimed to be a separate or distinct "political, cultural, economic and territorial whole"...
) was divided into ten autonomous cantons. The cantonal system was selected to prevent dominance by one ethnic group over another.
In 1995, Bosnian government forces and Bosnian Croat forces of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina defeated forces of the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia, and this territory was added to the federation.
By the
Dayton AgreementThe General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement, Dayton Accords, Paris Protocol or Dayton-Paris Agreement, is the peace agreement reached at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio in November 1995, and formally signed in Paris on...
of 1995, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was defined as one of the two entities of
Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( or (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian Latin: Bosna i Hercegovina; Serbian Cyrillic: Босна и Херцеговина) is a country in Southeast Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula...
and included 51% of the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina (another entity,
Republika SrpskaRepublika Srpska is one of two main political-territorial divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
included 49%).
On March 8, 2000, the
Brčko DistrictBrčko District in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina is a self-governing, entity-neutral, administrative unit under the sovereignty of the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
was formed as an autonomous entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina and it was created from part of the territory of both Bosnian entities. Brčko District is now a shared territory that belongs to both entities.
Discussions about the institutional future of Bosnia and Herzegovina include several options, one of them favored by many Croats being the possible creation of a third, Croatian entity within BIH.
Boundary
The
Inter-Entity Boundary LineThe Inter-Entity Boundary Line divides Bosnia and Herzegovina into two entities, the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
(IEBL) that distinguishes Bosnia and Herzegovina's two entities essentially runs along the military front lines as they existed at the end of the
Bosnian WarThe Bosnian War, also known as the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was an international armed conflict that took place between March 1992 and November 1995. The war involved several sides...
, with adjustments (most importantly in the western part of the country and around Sarajevo), as defined by the
Dayton AgreementThe General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement, Dayton Accords, Paris Protocol or Dayton-Paris Agreement, is the peace agreement reached at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio in November 1995, and formally signed in Paris on...
. The total length of the IEBL is approximately km. The IEBL is an administrative demarcation and not controlled by the military or police and there is free movement across it.
Cantons
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is divided into ten cantons (
kanton or
županija):
I.
Una-SanaThe Una-Sana Canton is one of the 10 cantons of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the northwest of the country and has been named after the rivers Una and Sana. The center of canton government is Bihać.-Population:...
,
Unsko-Sanski Kanton
II.
PosavinaThe Posavina Canton is a canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the smallest canton, with an area of only 325 km² populated by 43,588 people , 83% of them are Croats. Its capital city is Orašje The Posavina Canton is a canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is...
,
Posavski Kanton
III.
TuzlaThe Tuzla Canton is a canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The cantonal seat is in Tuzla.-Municipalities:...
,
Tuzlanski Kanton
IV.
Zenica-DobojThe Zenica-Doboj Canton is one of the cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Geography:This canton is situated in the central part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The cantonal capital is Zenica and the other town mentioned in the name is Doboj, which is in Republika Srpska, but part of the...
,
Zeničko-Dobojski Kanton
V.
Bosnian PodrinjeThe Bosnian Podrinje Canton is one of the 10 cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Geography:It is located in the eastern central part of the country, in the region of Podrinje...
,
Bosanskopodrinjski Kanton
VI.
Central BosniaThe Central Bosnia Canton is one of the ten cantons of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Geography:It is located in the center of the country, to the west of Sarajevo...
,
Srednjebosanski Kanton
VII.
Herzegovina-NeretvaThe Herzegovina-Neretva Canton is one of the 10 cantons of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The canton mainly comprises the Neretva river valley area and parts of Herzegovina west of Mostar, its administrative center.-Municipalities:...
,
Hercegovačko-neretvanski Kanton
VIII.
West HerzegovinaThe West Herzegovina Canton or the West Herzegovina County is one of the 10 cantons of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Geography and population:It is located in the south of the country. It has a total area of 1362 skm and 81,523 inhabitants...
,
Zapadnohercegovački kanton
IX.
SarajevoThe Sarajevo Canton is a canton of the Federation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The capital is Sarajevo.The Canton is basically the metro area of the city it is named after that is inside the Federation...
,
Kanton Sarajevo
X. Canton 10,
Kanton 10
Five of the cantons (Una-Sana, Tuzla, Zenica-Doboj, Bosnian Podrinje and Sarajevo) are Bosniak majority cantons, three (Posavina, West Herzegovina and Canton 10) are Croat majority cantons, and two (Central Bosnia and Herzegovina-Neretva) are 'ethnically mixed', meaning there are special legislative procedures for
protection of the constituent ethnic groups.
A significant portion of
Brčko DistrictBrčko District in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina is a self-governing, entity-neutral, administrative unit under the sovereignty of the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
was also part of the Federation; however, when the district was created, it became shared territory of both entities, but it was not placed under control of either of the two, and is hence under direct jurisdiction of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Currently the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has 79 municipalities.
Cities
List of the largest municipalities in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina:
[The town of Brčko is part of the Brčko District]Brčko District in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina is a self-governing, entity-neutral, administrative unit under the sovereignty of the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
, which is part of both, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska.
- Sarajevo
Sarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 304,614 people in the four municipalities that make up the city proper, and an estimated urban area population of 421,289 people in the Sarajevo Canton . It is also the capital of the Federation of Bosnia and...
- 304,614 (city); 421,289 (Sarajevo CantonThe Sarajevo Canton is a canton of the Federation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The capital is Sarajevo.The Canton is basically the metro area of the city it is named after that is inside the Federation...
)
- Tuzla
Tuzla is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time of the 1991 census, it had 131,000 inhabitants. Taking the influx of refugees into account, the city is currently estimated to have 174,558 inhabitants. After Sarajevo, and Banja Luka, Tuzla is the third largest city in Bosnia...
- 174,558
- Zenica
Zenica is an industrial city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the capital of the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity...
- 145,000
- Mostar
Mostar is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the biggest and the most important city in the Herzegovina region and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva river and is the fifth-largest city in the country...
- 128,488
- Bihać
Bihać is a city and municipality on the river Una in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, center of the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:...
- 105,000
- Travnik
Travnik is a city and municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, 90 km west of Sarajevo. It is the capital of the Central Bosnia Canton, and is located in the Travnik Municipality. Travnik today has some 27,000 residents, with a metro population that is probably close to 70,000 people...
- 75,000
- Cazin
Cazin is a town and municipality in northwest Bosnia and Herzegovina, near the border with Croatia. It is located in the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cazinska Krajina is named after Cazin...
- 66,881
- Sanski Most
Sanski Most is a town and municipality in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located on the Sana River in Bosanska Krajina, between Prijedor and Ključ. Administratively it is part of the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
- 60,307
- Bosanska Krupa
Bosanska Krupa is a town and municipality in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the Una river. It is located northeast from Bihać...
- 58,320
- Zavidovići
Zavidovići is a town and municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, located between Doboj and Zenica on the confluence of rivers Bosna, Krivaja and Gostović. It sits in a valley surrounded by many mountains of which the largest is Klek...
- 57,164
- Lukavac
Lukavac is a town and municipality in northcentral Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town is the seat of a municipality within the Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is also an industrial town...
- 56,830
- Gradačac
Gradačac is a town and municipality in the northeastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located roughly south of the Sava river. Administratively, Gradačac is part of the Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
- 56,378
- Kakanj
Kakanj is an industrial city and a municipality in central Bosnia, located north of Visoko and southeast of Zenica. It was built between the hills on either side of the Zgošća river...
- 55,857
- Gračanica
Gračanica is a town and a municipality in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, located east of Doboj and west of Tuzla.- Gračanica :Gracanica is located in the lower valley of the River Spreca along the main road from Tuzla to Doboj, about 50km west of Tuzla.- Municipality :The Gračanica...
- 55,000
- Živinice
Živinice is a town and municipality in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, located south of Tuzla. It is part of the Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:The origin of the name Živinice is still not established. According to M...
- 54,768
- Tešanj
Tešanj is a city and municipality in the northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located near Teslić, Doboj and Zavidovići. It is administratively part of the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-About Tešanj:...
- 52,249
- Srebrenik
Srebrenik is a town and municipality in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is administratively part of the Tuzla Canton and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town of Srebrenik is located northwest of Tuzla.-History:...
- 47,938
- Velika Kladuša
Velika Kladuša is a city and municipality in the far northwest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located near the border with Croatia. The closest city is Cazin, and a bit farther, the cities of Bihać and Bosanski Novi. Across the border, it is not far from Cetingrad...
- 44,350
- Konjic
Konjic is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in northern Hercegovina, around 50 kilometres south-west of Sarajevo. It is a mountainous, heavily wooded area, and is 268m above sea level. The municipality extends on both sides of the Neretva River. The town of Konjic,...
- 43,878
- Maglaj
Maglaj is a town and municipality in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is situated in the northern part of Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the Zenica-Doboj canton. The city lies south of the city of Doboj, the regional trade, education, culture, entertainment, and business centre. The municipality of Maglaj is one of...
- 43,294
- Goražde
Goražde is a city and municipality in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Drina river. It is located between Foča, Sokolac and Višegrad, and is administratively part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the center of the Bosnian Podrinje Canton....
- 36,496
- Livno
Livno is a town in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located between Tomislavgrad, Glamoč, Bosansko Grahovo and Kupres.- Position :...
- 32,454
- Bugojno
Bugojno is a town and municipality of the same name in central Bosnia and Herzegovina on the river Vrbas. It is located in the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity. The town is to the northwest from Sarajevo, with an estimated population of 50 000 To the west...
- 31,000
- Odžak
Odžak, is a town in the northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located near the river Sava, from the border with Croatia. Odžak is in the Posavina Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:...
- 30,651
Demographics
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina comprises 51% of the land area of
Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( or (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian Latin: Bosna i Hercegovina; Serbian Cyrillic: Босна и Херцеговина) is a country in Southeast Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula...
, and is home to around 60% of the country's total population. All data dealing with population, including ethnic distributions, are subject to considerable error because of the lack of official
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
figures.
1991 (Prewar)
In 1991, the population of the territory of present-day Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina numbered 2,757,888 inhabitants, including:
- Bosniaks
The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller autochthonous population also present in the Sandžak, Croatia, and the Republic of Macedonia. Bosniaks are typically characterized by their tie to the Bosnian historical region,...
= 1,436,498 (52.1%)
- Croats = 610,458 (22.1%)
- Serbs = 485,933 (17.6%)
- others = 224,999 (8.2%)
1996 (Postwar)
In 1996, the population of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina numbered 2,444,665 inhabitants, including:
- Bosniaks
The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller autochthonous population also present in the Sandžak, Croatia, and the Republic of Macedonia. Bosniaks are typically characterized by their tie to the Bosnian historical region,...
= 1,773,566 (72.5%)
- Croats = 556,289 (22.8%)
- Serbs = 56,618 (2.3%)
- others = 58,192 (2.4%)
Government and politics
There is a President of the Federation, and two Vice-presidents, identical to Republika Srpska.
From 2003 until 2007 the president was Croat,
Niko LozančićNiko Lozančić was the president of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina . He is an ethnic Croat and the former deputy president of the HDZ of BiH. He is a lawyer and a diplomat....
of the
HDZThe Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a political party of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is an observer member of the European People's Party ....
party, whereas both the Bosniak (
Sahbaz DžihanovićŠahbaz Džihanović was the vice President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
) and Serb (
Desnica RadivojevićDesnica Radivojević is a Bosnian Serb politician born in Skelani, near Srebrenica.From 2003 until 2007 he served as the vice-president of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is currently a minister for trade in the government of the Federation of BIH....
) Vice-presidents came from the
SDAThe Party of Democratic Action is a Bosniak national political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:The Party of Democratic Action was founded in May 1990 by Alija Izetbegović, representing the Bosnian Muslim population...
party.
The current President is Croat,
Borjana KrištoBorjana Krišto is a Bosnian Croat politician, affiliated with the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is the incumbent president of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina - one of two political entities to compose Bosnia and Herzegovina - since February 22, 2007...
(
HDZThe Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a political party of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is an observer member of the European People's Party ....
), the Bosniak Vice-President is Mirsad Kebo (
SDAThe Party of Democratic Action is a Bosniak national political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:The Party of Democratic Action was founded in May 1990 by Alija Izetbegović, representing the Bosnian Muslim population...
) and the Serb Vice-President is Spomenka Mičić (
SBiHThe Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina is a conservative political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has been described as 'ultranationalist', and is led by Haris Silajdžić...
).
The
CabinetA Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or Executive Committee.- Overview :...
has 16 members with carefully delineated nationality quotas. There are 8 Bosniak, 5 Croat and 3 Serb ministers in the current Government. As of June, 2009, the Prime Minister is Mustafa Mujezinović, Bosniak of the SDA.
The Parliament consists of two houses, the
House of RepresentativesThe House of Representatives of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the legislative body of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
and the House of Peoples. The House of Representatives is an elected body of 98 MPs, whereas the House of Peoples consists of Representatives delegated by the cantonal parliaments.
Interestingly, a number of institutions in the Federation still function under the 'componental' system; there is a Croat postal system and a Bosniak postal system, a Croat telecom and a Bosniak telecom, a Croat army
component and a Bosniak army
component; however, recently many systems have been merged into one single public company, e.g. the pension system or the public broadcasting company of the Federation. Each of the cantons also has broad-ranging authorities, such as having its own courts and police forces.
Federation currently has its own entity police force. Police systems including entity ministries of security of both entities are to be united by 2010 into a new state-level Ministry of Security and entity level police forces are to abolished and replaced with state level police force under regional control.
Armies of both entities are under the control of a new state-level Ministry of Defense as of January 1, 2006.
See also
- Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political-territorial divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
- Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina was created by the Dayton Agreement which recognized a second tier of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina, comprising two entities - a joint Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska - each presiding over roughly one-half...
- PBSBiH
Radiotelevision of Bosnia-Herzegovina formerly known as PBSBiH is an umbrella broadcasting organization and the only member of the European Broadcasting Union from Bosnia and Herzegovina.It was known as RTVBiH from 1992...
- Federalna televizija (FTV)
- Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia
The Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia was an unrecognised entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina that existed between 1991 and 1994 during the Bosnian war. It proclaimed its existence on November 18, 1991, and claimed to be a separate or distinct "political, cultural, economic and territorial whole"...
- Western Bosnia
The Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia was a small unrecognized entity in the northwest of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
External links