People
Population: 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
Age structure:
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.)
Population growth rate: 3.2% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 9.36 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 10.81 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 33.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
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.)
Infant mortality rate: 24.52 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 66.98 years male: 62.55 years female: 71.71 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.21 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s) adjective: Bosnian, Herzegovinian
Ethnic groups: Serb 40%, Muslim 38%, Croat 22% (est.); note—the
Croats claim they now make up only 17% of the total population
Religions: Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Catholic 15%, Protestant 4%,
other 10%
Languages: Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian
Literacy: NA
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina
local long form: none
local short form: Bosna i Hercegovina
Data code: BK
Government type: emerging democracy
Capital: Sarajevo
Administrative divisions: 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
Independence: NA April 1992 (from Yugoslavia)
National holiday: Republika Srpska—"Republic Day," 9 January;
Independence Day, 1 March; Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina—"Republic Day," 25 November
Constitution: the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995,
included a new constitution now in force
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age, universal
Executive branch:
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
Herzegovina: 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
Legislative branch: 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