Bosnia and Herzegovina Geography
LocationSoutheastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia
Geographic coordinates
44 00 N, 18 00 E
Area
total: 51,129 sq km
land: 51,129 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries
total: 1,459 km
border countries: Croatia 932 km, Serbia and Montenegro 527 km
Coastline
20 km
Maritime claims
No data available
Climate
hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along coast
Terrain
mountains and valleys
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Maglic 2,386 m
Natural resources
coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, forests, hydropower
Land use
arable land: 13.6%
permanent crops: 2.96%
other: 83.44% (2001)
Irrigated land
20 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards
destructive earthquakes
Environment - current issues
air pollution from metallurgical plants; sites for disposing of urban waste are limited; water shortages and destruction of infrastructure because of the 1992-95 civil strife; deforestation
Environment - international agreements
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
within Bosnia and Herzegovina's recognized borders, the country is divided into a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation (about 51% of the territory) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska or RS (about 49% of the territory); the region called Herzegovina is contiguous to Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro (Montenegro), and traditionally has been settled by an ethnic Croat majority in the west and an ethnic Serb majority in the east
