|BEconomy|N: Rich resources of several minerals, among others iron ore, bauxite and coal that form the base for big aluminium- and steelworks. In the valleys of Sava and Drina cereals, potatoes and sugar beets are grown. About 50% of the land is forested which is the base for an extensive forest industry.
|BHistory|N: Bosnia was a part of the Roman Empire. In the 7th century the original population was forced away by Slavs and during the following centuries Bosnia belonged to a number of nations.
From 1376 to 1463 Bosnia experienced a period of prosperity as a sovereign kingdom which was later on conquered by the Turks.
During the 19th century several uprisings were made but none was successful. In 1878 the Berlin-congress decided that Bosnia and Herzegovina still would be under Turkish sovereignty, but should be administrated by Austro-Hungaria. 1908 Austro-Hungaria gained formal sovereignty.
Especially the Serbs were against this, which led to extensive political instability, which culminated when a Serb assassinated the Austro-Hungarian successor to the throne Frans Ferdinand at Sarajevo June 28th 1914. This assassination was the starting shot of World War I.
After World War I Bosnia and Herzegovina was a province of the newfounded kingdom of Yugoslavia. In World War II the king was dethrowned and a federation of republics declared. Bosnia and Herzegovina formed one of these republics.
In 1991 the parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared sovereignty, which was passed in a referendum in 1992. Ethnic Serbs opposed independency and spurred violent clashes and bombings. This violence has developed to a fullscale civil war between all three ethnic groups. Several cease-fires have been broken and UN-forces have not yet been able to stop the fighting which have led to the death of thousands of civilians.
