Bosnia

Land Highlighted in yellow, Bosnia is surrounded by Croatia and Serbia Away from the damaged areas of war, the landscape is made up of beautiful trees and mountains

Land Almost half the size of Iowa but has almost 50% more people!

National Resources Some of the countries big natural resources include: coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead and hydropower

Climate Planning a trip to Bosnia??? Summer: Make sure you pack light weight clothing and your rain jacket, the average temperature is in the 70’s. Winter: Bring your heavy warm clothing because it won’t be getting much warmer than 45 degrees!

History Bosnia has signs of human settlements dating all the way back to the stone ages. The earliest known people were called Illyrians. These Illyrians were soon drove out of their land by the Celts

History Ottoman Empire expands and takes over Bosnia. Now under Ottoman rule, many Christians were forced to be Muslim. When Serbia fought against the Ottoman Empire, they took over Bosnia. Serbia then became Yugoslavia. In 1991, Bosnia declared independence from Yugoslavia! Ottoman Empire Crest

People and History “The number of Muslims who were expelled from their homes in Serb- occupied areas of Bosnia is usually placed at between 700,00 and one million.” The people of Bosnia then declared independence from Yugoslavia in Led to war as the Serbs living in Bosnia did not agree and thought they would be pushed out. There was a terrible, violent war for three years. Croatians and Bosnians fought back against the Serbs in 1995 and took back a lot of their land.

Population Bosnians possess diverse backgrounds Prior to the civil strife the people of Bosnia were able to maintain their multicultural backgrounds, without being in peril.

Language JEDNA SI JEDINA Autor: Dino Dervishalidovic Zemljo tisucljetna Na vjernost ti se kunem Od mora do Save Od Drine do Une Jedna si jedina Moja domovina Jedna si jedina Bosna i Hercegovina Bog nek' te sacuva Za pokoljenja nova Zemljo mojih snova Mojih pradjedova Jedna si jedina Moja domovina Jedna si jedina Bosna i Hercegovina YOU ARE UNIQUE Author: Dino Dervishalidovic I pledge my loyalty to you My thousand year old land From Sava to the sea From Drina to Una You are unique The only homeland I have You are unique Bosnia and Herzegovina May God save you For the generations to come You are the land of my dreams The land of my forefathers You are unique The only homeland I have You are unique Bosnia and Herzegovina

Religion Volunteers acting in a live nativity scene in downtown Sarajevo, marking seasons greetings for upcoming Christmas. The city still keeps the tradition of celebrating holidays of all four religions present in Bosnia - Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Islam and Judaism despite the war fought between Bosnian Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats and Bosnian Muslims. Bosnian Muslim people pray during a mass funeral for Bosnian Muslims. Thousands of Bosnian Muslims attended a funeral of 93 men, women and children killed by Serb forces at the beginning of the country's war, from eastern Bosnian town of Bratunac. All of the bodies were found and exhumed from a mass grave site Bljeceva last year and identified by DNA method. Two main religions: Christian and Muslim

General Attitudes Bosnian girl smiles as she and others collect coal, dumped by industry, to sell on a local market. The biggest political crisis since the end of the Bosnian war 12 years ago has sent the cost of basic food items rocketing, and government statistics show most people are struggling just to make ends meet. Much of the Bosnian people are unemployed and those lucky enough to have a job also struggle to survive, receiving their salaries sometimes with several months' delay.

Personal Appearance Many Bosnian’s dress according to their religious customs (in this picture, Muslim women wearing hijabs)

Personal Appearance ~ Bridge over troubled water... The reconstructed Old Bridge at Mostar is one of the many attractions along Bosnia's Neretva River.

Greetings Bosnian 101: Try these out next time your out and about… 1.Hello 2.How are you? 3.What is your name? 4.My name is _______ 5.Thank you 6.Yes 7.No 1.Zdravo 2.Kako Ste? 3.Kako se zovete? 4.Zovem se ________ 5.Hvala 6.Da 7.Ne

Greetings The “Do’s and Don’ts” of Bosnian Greetings Use first names with close friends and family members. Introduce your guest from oldest to youngest. Always start introducing women first, then men. Men should not shake hands with women unless the women extends her hand first. Do not use first names with people you first meet. Introduce from oldest to youngest

Visiting Never bring chrysanthemums as a gift to someone’s house! They are usually related to death because they are used at funerals and on gravestones. But don’t worry…it is very common to bring alcohol like whiskey!

Eating Common Ingredients in Bosnian Food Tomatoes Onions Garlic Cabbage Spinach Potatoes Zucchini Mushrooms Milk Pavlaka (cream) Popular Dishes Cevapcici Burek Dolma Sarma Goulash Kljukusa Grasak

What’s on the Menu Cevopi Grilled beef served in flatbread with chopped onions Sarma Minced meat (beef or pork) mixed with rice and onions, rolled in cabbage leaves. Main DishesDesserts Baklava Rich, sweet pastry made of layers of dough, sweetened with syrup or honey

Family Too Many People? Bosnian culture promotes living with extended family members. One house usually will consist of Grandparents, parents and children. The children are taught the values of taking care of their elders because they to one day will be the elders.

Marriage Propose to girlfriend Wedding Day!!! Wedding engagements usually last about a week and they get married on the weekend after he asks “the big question.” The weddings are not very lavish like they are here, they tend to get married at the justice of the piece and anywhere else is just for show.

Recreation Probably one of Bosnia’s most famous land marks, the “Old Bridge” in Mostar. This bridge was what divided the Muslim and Croat communities until it was destroyed during the Balkan War. It is now reconstructed and a very popular tourist attraction.

Recreation You can visit Sutjeska National Park, Bosnia’s oldest national park, where you can hike and camp in one of the two last primeval forests in Europe. This park is home to the highest point of the country. Also at Sutjeska, you can see this 80 foot tall waterfall called Skakaavac waterfall, that is surrounded by lush forest.

Holidays January 1 – New Year’s Day January 6 – Orthodox Christmas January 14 – Orthodox New Year January 27 – St. Sava’s Day March 1 – Independence Day April – Easter May 1 – Labor Day August 15- Valika Gospa November 1 – All Saints Day November 25 – National Statehood Day December 25 - Christmas

Art Bosnia has mostly been known for their decorative art, such as this unique looking bridge.

Commerce American Chamber of Commerce in Bosnia and Herzegovina also known as AmCham BiH Helps the U.S. stay involved with Bosnia Its goal is to build bridges among businesses nationally and abroad. Its goal is to also to help them succeed more than they could on their own.

Government The Bosnian government has been reformed by the Dayton Agreement which was signed in The goal of the Dayton Agreement is to create a multiethnic and democratic government through proportional representation. To do this, the country was split into three regions and three presidents were elected.

Transportation Transportation is crippled in all regions of Bosnia. There are a lot of railways, highways, bridges, etc. that have been damaged from the war. There are parts of the Sava River that are blocked due to fallen down bridges, silt and debris. None of the inland ports are operational right now.

Communication One internet server for the WHOLE country!

Education There are 350,000 students in primary schools and only 162,000 of them graduate high school. 162, ,000 = 46% Graduation Rate!

Health Because of the war, most of the country’s doctor’s have left. A lot of the hospitals were destroyed during the war and ones that weren’t were left functioning at minimal levels.

Closing Note Even though the war is over, Bosnia is still in turmoil. People are still dying because of the war. There is still an umbrella of war that looms over the country. War

References (These are references that were not used in the papers.) Infoplease. All the knowledge you need. Retrieved July 1,2009, from Google. Google Images. Retrieved July 1, 2009, from