Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Area:
19,741 square miles (about the size of West Virginia). In both size and popula-
tion, Bosnia is comparable to Croatia.
Geography:
Bosnia and Herzegovina are two distinct regions that share the same
mountainous country. Bosnia constitutes the majority of the country (in the north,
withacontinental climate), whileHerzegovina isthesoutherntip(aboutafifthofthe
totalarea,withahotterMediterraneanclimate).Thenation'scapital,Sarajevo,hasan
estimated 310,000 people; Mostar is Herzegovina's biggest city (with approximately
130,000 people) and unofficial capital.
Red Tape:
To enter Bosnia-Herzegovina, Americans and Canadians need only a
passport (no visa required).
Economy:
The country's economy has struggled since the war—the per capita GDP
is just $8,400, and the official unemployment rate is around 43 percent.
Currency:
The official currency is the Convertible Mark (Konvertibilna Marka, ab-
breviated KM locally, BAM internationally). The official exchange rate is $1 = about
1.40 KM. But merchants are usually willing to take euros, and (in Mostar) they'll of-
ten accept Croatian kunas, roughly converting prices with a simple formula:
2 KM = €1 = 8 kn (= about $1.30)
Telephones:
Bosnia-Herzegovina's country code is 387. If calling from another
country, first dial the international access code (00 in Europe, 011 in the US), then
387, then the area code (minus the initial zero), then the number.
Flag:
The flag of Bosnia-Herzegovina is a blue field with a yellow triangle along
the top edge. The three points of the triangle represent Bosnia-Herzegovina's three
peoples(Bosniaks,Croats,Serbs),andthetriangleitselfresemblesthephysicalshape
ofthecountry.Arowofwhitestarsunderscoresthelongestsideofthetriangle.These
stars—and the yellow-and-blue color scheme—echo the flag of the European Union
(a nod to the EU's efforts to bring peace to the region). While this compromise flag
sounds like a nice idea, almost no Bosnian embraces it as his or her own; each group
has its own unofficial but highly prized symbols and flags (such as the fleur-de-lis
for the Bosniaks, the red-and-white checkerboard shield for the Croats, and the cross
with the four C's for the Serbs)—many of which offend the other groups.
With its mountainous landscape, remote from the more mainline areas of the western
Balkans, Bosnia's evolution has followed a unique course. Even now, the people of Bosnia
struggle with being outsiders—afloat on an oddball cultural island flanked by the Roman
