Bosnia and Herzegovina - Useful information for your trip

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country located in the Western Balkans in Europe, with Sarajevo as a capital city and the town of Neum, where the population is mostly Croatian, is the only access to the Adriatic Sea. The territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina is mostly mountainous and hilly. The western part of the country is crossed by the Dinaric Alps, whose summits exceed 2,000 m in several points.

The Adriatic coast of Bosnia and Herzegovina extends only for 25 km and roughly corresponds to the territory of the town of Neum. The rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina are nine: Una, Sana, Sava, Vrbas, Bosna Drina, Lim, Piva and Neretva. The climate is continental, with cold, snowy winters and summers with extreme temperature changes. Rainfall is abundant as in the entire Balkans.

Regarding the environment, air pollution caused by industry, the shortage of water and poor or non-existent health services are some of the environmental problems that Bosnia and Herzegovina has had to face after the end of the civil war. Among the protected areas, however, there are Kozara National Park, in the north of the country, and Sutjeska National Park, on the border with Montenegro.

The economy, though growing, is still suffering the effects of the civil war. The destruction of economic infrastructure was a big loss to the GDP of the country, which fell by 60%. One area that is of some importance in the economy of the country, however, is tourism, especially in the major cities - Sarajevo in the first place - for historical, religious and cultural reasons.

Medjugorje has become one of the main sites of pilgrimage for the Christian world, but Bosnia is becoming well known also as a destination for ecotourism.