country comparison to the world: 50
narrow gauge: 3,504 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 62,479 km
country comparison to the world: 73
paved: 3,749 km
unpaved: 58,730 km (2004)
Waterways:
10,000 km (commercially navigable almost exclusively in the northern
and eastern parts of the country) (2010)
country comparison to the world: 13
Merchant marine:
total: 22
country comparison to the world: 98
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 11, carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1,
petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 7 (Bahamas 1, Ecuador 1, Iran 1, Syria 4) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Puerto Aguirre (inland port on the Paraguay/Parana waterway at the
Bolivia/Brazil border); Bolivia has free port privileges in maritime
ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay
Military ::Bolivia
Military branches:
Bolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano, EB),
Bolivian Navy (Fuerza Naval Boliviana, FNB; includes marines),
Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
18-49 years of age for 12-month compulsory military service; when
annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory
recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as
14; 15-19 years of age for voluntary premilitary service, provides
exemption from further military service (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,415,712
females age 16-49: 2,482,359 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,714,438
females age 16-49: 1,959,763 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 108,336
female: 104,934 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.3% of GDP (2009)
country comparison to the world: 115
Transnational Issues ::Bolivia
Disputes - international:
Chile and Peru rebuff Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the
Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, but Chile offers instead
unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile for
Bolivian natural gas and other commodities; an accord placed the
long-disputed Isla Suarez/Ilha de Guajara-Mirim, a fluvial island on
the Rio Mamore, under Bolivian administration in 1958, but
sovereignty remains in dispute
Illicit drugs:
world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru)
with an estimated 29,500 hectares under cultivation in 2007,
increased slightly when compared to 2006; third largest producer of
cocaine, estimated at 120 metric tons potential pure cocaine in
2007; transit country for Peruvian and Colombian cocaine destined
for Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Europe; cultivation
generally increasing since 2000, despite eradication and alternative
crop programs; weak border controls; some money-laundering activity
related to narcotics trade; major cocaine consumption (2008)
page last updated on January 20, 2011
======================================================================
@Bosnia and Herzegovina (Europe)
Introduction ::Bosnia and Herzegovina
Background:
Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of sovereignty in October 1991
was followed by a declaration of independence from the former
Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992 after a referendum boycotted by ethnic
Serbs. The Bosnian Serbs - supported by neighboring Serbia and
Montenegro - 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, Bosniaks and Croats reduced the
number of warring factions from three to two by signing an agreement
creating a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On 21 November 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the warring parties initialed
a peace agreement that brought to a halt three years of interethnic
civil strife (the final agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December
1995). The Dayton Peace Accords retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's
international boundaries and created a multi-ethnic and democratic
government charged with conducting foreign, diplomatic, and fiscal
policy. Also recognized was a second tier of government composed of
two entities roughly equal in size: the Bosniak/Croat Federation of
Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska
(RS). The Federation and RS governments were charged with overseeing
most government functions. The Dayton Accords also established the
Office of the High Representative (OHR) to oversee the
implementation of the civilian aspects of the agreement. The Peace
Implementation Council (PIC) at its conference in Bonn in 1997 also
gave the High Representative the authority to impose legislation and
remove officials, the so-called "Bonn Powers." 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 was to deter renewed
hostilities. European Union peacekeeping troops (EUFOR) replaced
SFOR in December 2004; their mission is to maintain peace and
stability throughout the country. EUFOR's mission changed from
peacekeeping to civil policing in October 2007, with its presence
reduced from nearly 7,000 to less than 2,500 troops. Troop strength
at the end of 2009 stood at roughly 2,000. In January 2010, Bosnia
and Herzegovina assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security
Council for the 2010-11 term.
Geography ::Bosnia and Herzegovina
Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia
Geographic coordinates:
44 00 N, 18 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 51,197 sq km
country comparison to the world: 128
land: 51,187 sq km
water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
total: 1,538 km
border countries: Croatia 932 km, Montenegro 249 km, Serbia 357 km
Coastline:
20 km
Maritime claims:
no data available
Climate:
hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short,
cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along
coast
Terrain:
mountains and valleys
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Maglic 2,386 m
Natural resources:
coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt,
manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, timber, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 19.61%
permanent crops: 1.89%
other: 78.5% (2005)
Irrigated land:
30 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
37.5 cu km (2003)
Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
air pollution from metallurgical plants; sites for disposing of
urban waste are limited; water shortages and destruction of
infrastructure because of the 1992-95 civil strife; deforestation
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
within Bosnia and Herzegovina's recognized borders, the country is
divided into a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation (about 51% of the
territory) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska or RS (about
49% of the territory); the region called Herzegovina is contiguous
to Croatia and Montenegro, and traditionally has been settled by an
ethnic Croat majority in the west and an ethnic Serb majority in the
east
People ::Bosnia and Herzegovina
Population:
4,621,598 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120
Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.5% (male 344,760/female 323,303)
15-64 years: 70.7% (male 1,645,274/female 1,617,136)
65 years and over: 14.8% (male 279,781/female 403,160) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 40.3 years
male: 39.1 years
female: 41.5 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.016% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 192
Birth rate:
8.87 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 213
Death rate:
8.71 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
Urbanization:
urban population: 47% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.074 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 8.88 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 156
male: 10.18 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.66 years
country comparison to the world: 44
male: 75.09 years
female: 82.49 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.26 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 214
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 166
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
900 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
100 (2001 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150
Nationality:
noun: Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s)
adjective: Bosnian, Herzegovinian
Ethnic groups:
Bosniak 48%, Serb 37.1%, Croat 14.3%, other 0.6% (2000)
note: Bosniak has replaced Muslim as an ethnic term in part to avoid
confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of Islam
Religions:
Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, other 14%
Languages:
Bosnian (official), Croatian (official), Serbian
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.7%
male: 99%
female: 94.4% (2000 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years (2007)
Education expenditures:
NA
Government ::Bosnia and Herzegovina
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina
local long form: none
local short form: Bosna i Hercegovina
former: People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Socialist
Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Government type:
emerging federal democratic republic
Capital:
name: Sarajevo
geographic coordinates: 43 52 N, 18 25 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
2 first-order administrative divisions and 1 internationally
supervised district* - Brcko district (Brcko Distrikt)*, the
Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federacija Bosna
i Hercegovina) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska; note -
Brcko district is in northeastern Bosnia and is a self-governing
administrative unit under the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina
and formally held in condominium between the two entities; the
District remains under international supervision
Independence:
1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia; referendum for independence completed
on 1 March 1992; independence declared on 3 March 1992)
National holiday:
National Day, 25 November (1943)
Constitution:
the Dayton Peace Accords, signed on 14 December 1995 in Paris,
included a constitution; note - each of the entities also has its
own constitution
Legal system:
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age, 16 if employed; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Chairman of the Presidency Nebojsa RADMANOVIC
(chairman of the presidency since 10 November 2010; presidency
member since 1 October 2006 - Serb); other members of the
three-member presidency rotate every eight months: Bakir IZETBEGOVIC
(presidency member since 3 October 2010 - Bosniak); Zeljko KOMSIC
(presidency member since 1 October 2006 - Croat)
head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Nikola
SPIRIC (since 11 January 2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the council chairman;
approved by the state-level House of Representatives
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: the three members of the presidency (one Bosniak, one
Croat, one Serb) elected by popular vote for a four-year term
(eligible for a second term, but then ineligible for four years);
the chairmanship rotates every eight months and resumes where it
left off following each general election; election last held on 3
October 2010 (next to be held in October 2014); the chairman of the
Council of Ministers appointed by the presidency and confirmed by
the state-level House of Representatives
election results: percent of vote - Nebojsa RADMANOVIC with 48.9% of
the votes for the Serb seat; Zeljko KOMSIC with 60.6% of the votes
for the Croat seat; Bakir IZETBEGOVIC with 34.9% of the votes for
the Bosniak seat
note: President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Borjana
KRISTO (since 21 February 2007); Vice Presidents Spomenka MICIC
(since 21 February 2007) and Mirsad KEBO (since 21 February 2007);
President of the Republika Srpska: Milorad DODIK (since 3 October
2010); took office 15 November 2010
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or Skupstina consists of the House
of Peoples or Dom Naroda (15 seats, 5 Bosniak, 5 Croat, 5 Serb;
members elected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Peoples
and the Republika Srpska's National Assembly to serve four-year
terms); and the state-level House of Representatives or
Predstavnicki Dom (42 seats, 28 seats allocated for the Federation
of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 14 seats for the Republika Srpska;
members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional
representation to serve four-year terms); note - Bosnia's election
law specifies four-year terms for the state and first-order
administrative division entity legislatures
elections: House of Peoples - last constituted in February 2007
(next to be constituted in 2011); state-level House of
Representatives - elections last held on 3 October 2010 (next to be
held in October 2014)
election results: House of Peoples - percent of vote by
party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition - NA; state-level
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party/coalition - NA;
seats by party/coalition - SDP BiH 8, SDA 7, SNSD 7, SDS 5, SBBBiH
4, HDZ-BiH 3, SBiH 2, HDZ-1990/HSP 2, other 4
note: the Bosniak/Croat Federation has a bicameral legislature that
consists of a House of Peoples (58 seats - 17 Bosniak, 17 Croat, 17
Serb, 7 other); last constituted February 2007; and a House of
Representatives (98 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms); elections last held on 3 October 2010 (next to be
held in October 2014); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party/coalition - SDP 28, SDA 23, SBBBiH 13, HDZ-BiH 12,
HDZ-1990/HSP 5, other 17; the Republika Srpska has a National
Assembly (83 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms); elections last held on 3 October 2010 (next to be
held in October 2014); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party/coalition - SNSD 37, SDS 18, PDP 7, DNS 6, SP 4, DP 3, SDP 3,
SDA 2, NDS 2 SRS-RS 1; as a result of the 2002 constitutional reform
process, a 28-member Republika Srpska Council of Peoples (COP) was
established in the Republika Srpska National Assembly including 8
Croats, 8 Bosniaks, 8 Serbs, and 4 members of the smaller communities
Judicial branch:
BiH Constitutional Court (consists of nine members: four members are
selected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Representatives,
two members by the Republika Srpska's National Assembly, and three
non-Bosnian members by the president of the European Court of Human
Rights); BiH State Court (consists of 44 national judges and seven
international judges and has three divisions - Administrative,
Appellate and Criminal - having jurisdiction over cases related to
state-level law and cases initiated in the entities that question
BiH's sovereignty, political independence, or national security or
with economic crimes that have serious repercussions to BiH's
economy, beyond that of an entity or Brcko District); a War Crimes
Chamber opened in March 2005
note: the entities each have a Supreme Court; each entity also has a
number of lower courts; there are 10 cantonal courts in the
Federation, plus a number of municipal courts; the Republika Srpska
has five district courts and a number of municipal courts
Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for a Better Future of BiH or SBB-BiH [ Fahrudin RADONCIC];
Alliance of Independent Social Democrats or SNSD [Milorad DODIK];
Bosnian Party or BOSS [Mirnes AJANOVIC]; Bosnian Patriotic Party or
BPS [Sefer HALILOVIC]; Civic Democratic Party or GDS [Ibrahim
SPAHIC]; Croat Party of Rights or HSP [Zvonko JURISIC]; Croat
Peasants' Party-New Croat Initiative or HSS-NHI [Ante COLAK];
Croatian Christian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina or
HKDU [Ivan MUSA]; Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and
Herzegovina or HDZ-BiH [Dragan COVIC]; Croatian Democratic Union
1990 or HDZ-1990 [Bozo LJUBIC]; Croatian Peoples Union [Milenko
BRKIC]; Democratic National Union or DNZ [Rifat DOLIC]; Democratic
Party or DP [Dragan CAVIC]; Democratic Peoples' Alliance or DNS
[Marko PAVIC]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDS [Rasim KADIC]; Nasa
Stranka or NS [NA; leadership elections late 2010/early 2011]; New
Socialist Party or NSP [Zdravko KRSMANOVIC]; Party for Bosnia and
Herzegovina or SBiH [Haris SILAJDZIC]; Party of Democratic Action or
SDA [Sulejman TIHIC]; Party of Democratic Progress or PDP [Mladen
IVANIC]; Peoples' Party of Work for Progress or NSRzB [Mladen
IVANKOVIC-LIJANOVIC]; Serb Democratic Party or SDS [Mladen BOSIC];
Serb Radical Party of the Republika Srpska or SRS-RS [Milanko
MIHAJLICA]; Serb Radical Party-Dr. Vojislav Seselj or SRS-VS [Mirko
BLAGOJEVIC]; Social Democratic Party of BiH or SDP BiH [Zlatko
LAGUMDZIJA]; Social Democratic Union or SDU [Nermin PECANAC];
Socialist Party of Republika Srpska or SPRS [Petar DJOKIC]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
other: war veterans; displaced persons associations; family
associations of missing persons; private media
International organization participation:
BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,
IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), OAS
(observer), OIC (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI, UN, UN Security
Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mitar KUJUNDZIC
chancery: 2109 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 337-1500
FAX: [1] (202) 337-1502
consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Patrick S. MOON
embassy: Alipasina 43, 71000 Sarajevo
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [387] (33) 445-700
FAX: [387] (33) 659-722
branch office(s): Banja Luka, Mostar
Flag description:
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; the triangle approximates the shape of the country
and its three points stand for the constituent peoples - Bosniaks,
Croats, and Serbs; the stars represent Europe and are meant to be
continuous (thus the half stars at top and bottom); the colors
(white, blue, and yellow) are often associated with neutrality and
peace, and traditionally are linked with Bosnia
National anthem:
name: "Drzavna himna Bosne i Hercegovine" (The National Anthem of
Bosnia and Herzegovina)
lyrics/music: Dusan SESTIC and Benjamin ISOVIC/Dusan SESTIC
note: music adopted 1999; lyrics adopted 2009
Economy ::Bosnia and Herzegovina
Economy - overview:
The interethnic warfare in Bosnia and Herzegovina caused production
to plummet by 80% from 1992 to 1995 and unemployment to soar. With
an uneasy peace in place, output recovered in 1996-99 at high
percentage rates from a low base; but output growth slowed in
2000-02. Part of the lag in output was made up in 2003-08 when GDP
growth exceeded 5% per year. However, the country experienced
negative GDP growth of almost 3% in 2009 due in large part to a
reduction in exports caused by the global economic crisis. One of
Bosnia's main economic challenges in 2010 has been to reduce
spending on public sector wages and social benefits to meet the
IMF's criteria for obtaining funding for budget shortfalls. Banking
reform accelerated in 2001 as all the Communist-era payments bureaus
were shut down; foreign banks, primarily from Austria and Italy, now
control most of the banking sector. The konvertibilna marka
(convertible mark or BAM)- the national currency introduced in 1998
- is pegged to the euro, and confidence in the currency and the
banking sector has increased. Bosnia's private sector is growing and
foreign investment is slowly increasing, but government spending, at
roughly 50% of GDP, remains high because of redundant government
offices at the state, entity and municipal level. Privatization of
state enterprises, however, has been slow, particularly in the
Federation where political division between ethnically-based
political parties makes agreement on economic policy more difficult.
A sizeable current account deficit and high unemployment rate remain
the two most serious macroeconomic problems. Successful
implementation of a value-added tax in 2006 provided a predictable
source of revenue for the government and helped rein in gray market
activity. National-level statistics have also improved over time but
a large share of economic activity remains unofficial and
unrecorded. Bosnia and Herzegovina became a full member of the
Central European Free Trade Agreement in September 2007.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$30.56 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107
$30.23 billion (2009 est.)
$31.23 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$16.2 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.1% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175
-3.2% (2009 est.)
5.7% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$6,600 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
$6,600 (2009 est.)
$6,800 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 9.8%
industry: 25.9%
services: 64.3% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
1.863 million (2007)
country comparison to the world: 123
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 20.5%
industry: 32.6%
services: 47% (2008)
Unemployment rate:
27.2% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175
24.1% (2009 est.)
note: official rate
Population below poverty line:
25% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 27.4% (2004)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
56.2 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 11
Public debt:
39% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
35% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.9% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
-0.4% (2009 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
7.93% (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
6.98% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$4.098 billion (31 December 2010 est)
country comparison to the world: 99
$4.182 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$9.307 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 104
$9.236 billion (31 December 2009 est.)