Geography of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Location: | Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia |
Geographic coordinates: | 44 00 N, 18 00 E |
Map references: | Europe |
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, Montenegro 225 km, Serbia 302 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: 19.61% permanent crops: 1.89% other: 78.5% (2005) |
Irrigated land: | 30 sq km (2003) |
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, Desertification, 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 Montenegro, and traditionally has been settled by an ethnic Croat majority in the west and an ethnic Serb majority in the east |