ended with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s
independence. The capital is Sarajevo.
Geography
Bosnia and Herzegovina is located on
the Balkan Peninsula in central Europe.
It is bordered by Croatia, Montenegro,
Serbia, and the Adriatic Sea. Bosnia is
the larger of the two regions. It occupies
the northern and central parts of the
republic.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a mountainous
country. It has many rivers, including
the Bosna, from which the country
takes its name.
Plants and Animals
Pine, beech, and oak forests cover about
half of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The
country’s varied wildlife includes bears,
wolves, wild pigs, wildcats, chamois
(goatlike animals), otters, foxes, badgers,
and falcons.
People
The major ethnic groups are Bosniacs
(Muslims), Serbs, and Croats. Bosniacs
constitute more than two fifths of the
population, Serbs less than one third,
and Croats less than one fifth. All three
peoples speak the same language, Serbo-
Croatian.
The Serbs are mostly Orthodox Christians,
while the Croats are mainly
Roman Catholic. The Bosniacs are
descended from Slavs who converted to
Islam under the rule of the Ottoman
Empire.
Economy
Almost half of the people work in
manufacturing and mining. Manufacturers
produce cement, steel, and pig
iron. Mines provide coal, iron ore, and
other metals. Trade and services are
other key parts of the economy.
Agriculture and logging are also important.
Crops include corn, potatoes,
wheat, cabbages, oats, plums, and
tobacco.
History
Slavic peoples settled in what is now
Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 500s and
600s. Between brief periods of indepen-
112 Bosnia and Herzegovina BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
dence, a series of other groups controlled
the region.
The Ottoman Empire conquered Bosnia
in the 1400s. Much of the native population,
mainly landowners, converted to
Islam. In the 1700 and 1800s, tensions
grew between the Muslim landowners
and the Christian peasants, who were
Serbs and Croats.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire officially
claimed the area in 1908. Bosnian Serbs
soon began protesting against Austro-
Hungarian rule. In 1914 a Bosnian
Serb killed Austrian archduke Francis
Ferdinand. The assassination triggered
World War I. After the war Bosnia and
Herzegovina became part of a new
Serbian-controlled kingdom named
Yugoslavia.
AfterWorldWar II Yugoslavia became a
Communist state. When the Communist
government fell in 1989, the tensions
between Serbs, Croats, and
Muslims reemerged. Bosnian Croats and
Muslims wanted an independent republic.
Bosnian Serbs, however, refused to
separate from Yugoslavia.
Shortly after Bosnians voted for independence
in early 1992, a civil war
broke out between Serbs, Croats, and
Muslims. The fighting left more than 2
million people homeless and killed more
than 200,000. The warring parties
finally agreed to peace in 1995. Bosnia
and Herzegovina had gained its independence.
..More to explore
Austria-Hungary • Montenegro
• Ottoman Empire • Sarajevo • Serbia
Fireworks light up the sky at a celebration in Mostar. The city’s bridge was destroyed during
the civil war that broke out in the 1990s. But it was rebuilt and reopened in 2004.
Facts About
BOSNIA AND
HERZEGOVINA
Population
(2008 estimate)
3,858,000
Area
19,772 sq mi
(51,209 sq km)
Capital
Sarajevo
Form of
government
Federal republic
Major cities
Sarajevo, Banja
Luka, Zenica,
Tuzla, Mostar
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Bosnia and Herzegovina 113
Boston
Population
(2007
estimate), city,
599,351;
(2008
estimate),
metropolitan
area,
4,522,858
Boston is the capital of the U.S. state of
Massachusetts. The city lies on a harbor
where the Charles River flows into the
Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the oldest
cities in the United States. Boston is a
leading center of education, culture,
medicine, and business in the New
England region.
Insurance, finance, and computer industries
are central to Boston’s economy.
Many important hospitals and universities
are located in the city. In nearby
Cambridge is Harvard University. It is
the oldest university in the United
States. Other important industries in
Boston include food processing, publishing,
and electronics manufacturing.
Boston was one of the first cities that
Europeans settled in what is now the
United States. English settlers founded
the town in 1630. It soon became the
capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Boston’s fine natural harbor made it an
important city. It grew as a center of
shipping as well as of culture and education.
Two important events happened in Boston
in the years leading up to the American
Revolution. In the Boston Massacre
of 1770 British troops shot at an angry
crowd. In the Boston Tea Party of 1773
colonists dumped shiploads of British
tea into the harbor. They did this to
protest British taxes on tea. During the
war American troops gained control of
the city from the British.
In the 1800s the people of Boston took
a leading role in the movement to end
slavery in the United States. For a time
the city was an important manufactur-
Quincy Market is a shopping and gathering
place in Boston.
The USS Constitution, which is nicknamed
Old Ironsides, was launched from Boston in
