Bosnia/Herzegovina

Audrey Malone

LocationBosnia/Herzegovina is located in Southeastern Europe. It is in the Balkan Peninsula. Bosnia/Herzegovina is surrounded by Croatia (north and west), Serbia (east), and Montenegre (southeast). South of Bosnia is the Adriatic Sea.

History•In the 11th century, the region known as Bosnia/Herzegovina was controlled by Croatia and Hungary. During that time, Bosnia achieved independence from them, but were soon conquered by the Ottoman Turks. In the 19th century, the Turkish Empire was weakened by the Russo-Turkish War and Bosnia/Herzegovina fell under the Austrian-Hungarian rule. In 1914, the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian was killed by a Serbian, which caused World War I. After the war, the people of Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, and Montenegro/Macedonia formed together to make Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was run as a communist government and when the ruler died, the republicans of the country broke away and declared independence.

CultureEthnicity- Bosniaks- 48%

•Serbian- 37% •Croats-15%

Religion- Muslim-40% •Orthodox-31% •Roman Catholic- 15%•Non-religious-14%

Language- Bosnian

Cultural Landmarks

Medjugorje• Holy shrine located in Medjugorje

• It is said that The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a group of people and spoke to them about spreading God's Word. They then in return built this shrine.

Sarajevo Cathedral•Constructed in 1889 by

Josip Vancas.

•Modeled after the Notre Dame cathedral in Dijon, France.

• Center of Christian religion in Sarajevo.

•Located in the heart of the city.

Ashkenazi Synagogue

•Built in 1902 in Sarajevo.

•Only functioning synagogue in Sarajevo today.

Geographic Landmarks

Kravica FallsKravica Falls is a waterfall located near the Medjugorje village. It is used for recreation such as swimming, picnicing and fishing.

Sava River

The Sava River acts as the northern border of Bosnia/Herzegovina and Croatia.

Dinaric AlpsThe Dinaric Alps are a large mountain range in Southern Europe. They cover many countries including Bosnia/Herzegovina. They are also along the border of Croatia and Bosnia/Herzegovina.

Historic Landmarks

Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun

The Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun or Visocica Hill is located by the town of Visoko. It is the first ancient man-made pyramid found in Europe. The site of the pyramid is where a medieval, walled town once was. It was the base of the Bosnian King Tvrtko of Kotromanic.

Stari Most BridgeThe Stari Most Bridge

connects two parts of the town Mostar. It goes all the way back to the 16th century. Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent ordered the people to replace the old wooden suspension bridge that was there. In 1993, Herzegovinian Croat forces destroyed the bridge during the Bosnia-Herzegovina war. In 2004, the bridge was rebuilt.

Visegrad BridgeThe Visegrad Bridge is located in eastern Bosnia, across the Drina River. The bridge was built during the Ottomon Empire in the 16th century. The empire was planning to take control of the inner Balkans and defeat Istanbul. The bridge was used to link the plains of the Danube to Sarajevo and the Adriatic coast together.

Sports

HandballHandball is a game that is played in Bosnia/Herzegovina. It is a mixture between soccer and basketball. The Borac handball club in Bosnia/Herzegovina won the Yogoslav National Championship seven times. They have also won the European Championship Cup in 1976.

Football/SoccerFootball a.k.a soccer, is another popular sport played in Bosnia/Herzegovina. It goes all the way back to 1903, but really started catching on after World War II. The former Yugoslav national football/soccer team won the Yugoslavian Championship title in 1967 and 1984. Since the country became Bosnia/Herzegovina, the team hasn't qualified for any big tournaments.

1984 Winter Olympics

The 1984 Winter Olympics were held in Sarajevo, Bosnia/Herzegovina.

Food

BaklavaBaklava is a sweet pastry that is made of layers of filo dough. It is filled with chopped nuts and honey or sweet syrup.

Bosansi LonacBosansi Lonac (Bosnian Pot) is a type of stew. It can be made many different ways, but the same ingredients are used every time: meat and vegetables.

TufahijeTufahije is a Bosnian dessert. It is made of walnut-stuffed apples and stewed in sugared water.

Festivals

Bascarsija Nights• Lasts one month in

the summer.

•Music performances, theatre, films, and book readings

• Largest and most popular event in Bosnia/Herzegovina.

Jazzfest Sarajevo•Music festival held in Sarajevo

• Held during the first week of November

•Largest festival of its kind

• Brings in many jazz musicians from around the world.

International Sarajevo Winter Festival

•Held in Sarajevo

• 1161 days long (December-April)

•Symbol of freedom and creativity.

•Many different cultures come to this festival to interact with one another.

Current Events

Mostar Tries to Piece Together Bosnia's

Broken Dream•December 25, 1998- People of Mostar try to rebuild the bridge that was destroyed during the war.

Mahmoud Abbas in First Visit to

Sarajevo•April 14, 2011- Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas visits Bosnia/Herzegovina to try to gain votes for the upcoming UN vote on their statehood.

Croatia deports warcrimes suspect to

Bosnia•1995- Croatia sends warcrimes suspect over to Bosnia.

Bosnia and Herzegovina will follow EU stand on Palestinian

Case•August 15, 2011- Bosnia/Herzegovina decide to follow the EU stand of the Palestinian case to have a seat in the General Assembly.