 Bosnia sits on the cultural divide between east and West, has a population that is divided between Bosnian, Croat and Serb, and was consequently very much caught in the middle in the war in the 1990’s. It is estimated that 250,000 people were killed in the fighting and “ethnic cleansing” that took place. This has left deep scars, all the more because this took place among communities that had previously lived together and even intermarried. The divisions persist. Recovery for Bosnia is still a long way off. Bosnia was Europe’s second poorest nation before the war, but now it ranks as the lowest. Rebuilding has hardly begun. Quick Info:
- Area: 51,000 sq.km.
- Population: just under 4 million.
- Peoples: Slav 88%; Other 12%.
- Capital: Sarajevo
- Population: 485,855
- Language: Bosnian
Source: Operation World 2001 |
