Courtesy of World
Fact Book
Bosnia
and Herzegovina is formally
one
of six federal units that constituted
the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
and
gained its independence in 1990's after
the
Yugoslav Wars with the weakening of the
Communist system of government.
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It
is home to three ethnic groups; Bosniaks
or Bosnian
Muslims, Serbs, and Croats.
Herzegovina has no
defined boarders and the terms
Bosnia and Herzegovina are regional definations
rather than ethnic.
Early
in its history the lands of Bosnia and Herzegovina
were
occupied by the Romans, possibly the Ostrogoths,
the Alans, the Huns,
the
Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman
Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian
Empire ending with
World War I after the assignation
of Archduke Franz
Ferdinand in Sarajevo.
Following
WWI, it became a part Yugoslavia, the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1928 which later fell under
Nazi domination and
was ceded to the Independent
State of Croatia. Following WWII and the establishment
establishment of
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
it
came under Soviet control.
In
the 21st century, Bosnia and Herzegovina became a
member of
the Council of Europe in 2002, and a
founding
member of the Mediterranean Union in 2008.
It is a potential candidate for membership in the European
Union and in 2010 a
possible NATO member. Continue
Source: Wikipedia
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