GENERAL INFO

Capital city
Sarajevo

Geographic location
BIH is located in the westernpart of the Balkan Peninsula

Neighbouring countries
Republic Serbia and Rebublic Montenegro in the east,   Republic Croatia on the north, west and south

Area
51,209.2 km2 (land-51,197 km2, water- 12.2 km2)

The lowest point
The city of Neum 0 m

The highest point
Maglic 2386 m

Climate
Mostly continental, Mediterranean in the south (Herzegovina)

Population
3,832,301

Official languages
Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian

Official currency
Convertible mark (KM) Parity: 1 EUR=1,95 KM

Public holidays
01.01, 02.01, 01.03, 01.05, 02.05 and 25.11

Entry procedures
EU citizens don't require a visa to enter the country

National Holidays:
Bajrams are the most important Muslim holidays. There are two Bajrams in a year, Ramazan and Kurban Bajram. Dates of Bajrams change every year since the date of celebration for the following year is always ten days before the date of celebration of the previous year.
January 1- New Year
January 7- Orthodox Christmas
January 14- Orthodox New Year
March 1- National day
May 1- Labor day
November 25- Day of State
December 25- Catholic Christmas

What sort of people are Bosnians?
„These pepole are smart. They adopted inaction from the Orient and cozy-life style from the West; they never rush anywhere, because life itself is in a hurry; they are not driven to find out what will come after tommorow- it will be as it was written, and that can hardly depend on them.“

Mesa Selimovic, famous Bosnian writer

Art & Culture
Bosnia and Herzegovina with just over 50,000 square kilometers, is a bridge between east and west. It is an only country where one can find an Ottoman Mosque, a Jewish Synagoque and Catholic and Ortodox churches on the same street corner.You will no doubt be fascinated by the harmony that existed between the followers of these religions. These differences can be best observed in the street Ferhadija, pedestrian zone  in Sarajevo, which begins with an Oriental style and ends with the Western one.  For this reason Sarajevo has often been called „the Jerusalem of Europe“.

International writers such as Ivo Andric, the Nobel prize winner (The Bridge over the Drina), Danis Tanovic who won an Oscar for his film „No Man's Land“ or Jasmila Zbanic who won Golden Berlin Bear for the film „Grbavica“ are just some of the celebrated people from the Bosnian cultural community.

Here a man's wealth is measured in friendships and one takes the time to nurture them. You will find people from north or south, east or west willing to treat you to the great taste of fine Bosnian and Herzegovinian hospitality, the warmest in this region. No one is ready to jocke at their own expense as the people of this country, who are for the most part, the autors of jokes about Mujo and Suljo, Fata, Haso and Huso.

Bosnia is a place where a person's wealth is still measured by the number of people he can call his friends. Therefore, don't be shy when a Bosnian or Herzegovian invites You for a coffe or when the hoast treats You as You were a long lost cousin. That wormth and openness  have a long tradition and are as old as Bosnia itself.....