| a republic in S Europe: formerly (1945–92) a constituent republic of Yugoslavia. 2,607,734; 19,909 sq. mi. (51,565 sq. km). Capital: Sarajevo. |
Bosnia and Herzegovina or Bos·ni·a-Her·ze·go·vi·na also Bos·ni·a-Her·ce·go·vi·na  (bŏz'nē-ə-hěrt'sə-gō'vē-nə, -gō-vē'-)   (click for larger image in new window) A country of the northwest Balkan Peninsula. It was a constituent republic of Yugoslavia from 1946 to 1991, when it declared its independence. In 1992 the country erupted in war among Serb, Bosniak, and Croat factions. A peace agreement was reached in November 1995 by Balkan leaders in Dayton, Ohio, which called for the creation of two substates, a Croat-Bosniak federation to govern one half of the country and a Bosnian Serb republic to constitute the other half, united under a newly created national presidency, assembly, court, and central bank. Population: 4,550,000. |
Republic in southeastern Europe on the west Balkan Peninsula, bordered by Croatia to the west and north, Yugoslavia to the east, with a small outlet to the Adriatic Sea to the west. Sarajevo is the country's capital and largest city.
Note: Sarajevo was the site of the assassination in 1914 of Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand, which sparked World War I.
Note: In the early 1990s, brutal attacks by Serbian militia devastated the region, arousing international condemnation. In 1995, leaders of the rival Balkan states of Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia met in the United States and ended the fighting with a peace accord.