Bosnia and Herzegovina

In brief

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country in Southeast Europe. Its capital is Sarajevo. With 3.1 million inhabitants in 2025, it ranks 133rd in the world by population, out of the 195 countries recognised by the UN. Its area is 51,209 km². It shares land borders with Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia.

GDP per capita stands at $10,382 (2025), 83rd in the world. Life expectancy at birth is 78 years (2024). 53% of the population lives in cities.

History of Bosnia and Herzegovina

A medieval kingdom, Bosnia was conquered by the Ottomans in 1463, then administered by Austria-Hungary from 1878 and annexed in 1908. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914 triggered the First World War. Part of Yugoslavia, it declared independence in 1992, followed by a three-year war that included the siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica genocide in 1995. The Dayton Agreement (1995) split the country into two entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, plus the Brčko District.

Geography of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The country is mostly mountainous, crossed by the Dinaric Alps. It has only about twenty kilometres of Adriatic coast, around Neum. The Sava marks the northern border; the Drina and the Neretva are its other main rivers.

Map of Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina is blue and yellow. Its official proportions are 1:2 (height to width).

• Blue71%
• Yellow25%
• White4%

Share of the flag’s surface taken by each colour.

What the flag stands for

Chosen in 1998 by the international High Representative, the flag shows a yellow triangle on blue, edged with white stars. The triangle evokes the shape of the country and its three peoples; the stars and colours echo the European flag.

Sources: Wikipedia, articles “Bosnia and Herzegovina” and “Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina”.

See also: flags with a star.

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Fact file

Economy and society