Country Background
In 1991, areas within the country of Yugoslavia began to pull away and assert their independence. The first areas to declare independence were Croatia and Slovenia. Other areas soon followed. In 1992, an already fragmented Yugoslavia plunged into war. As a result of the war, Yugoslavia separated into several independent nations. One is Bosnia-Herzegovina. As the name implies, Bosnia-Herzegovina contains two regions - Bosnia and Herzegovina. The capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina is Sarajevo. A second country is the new Yugoslavia, which remains as a country in its own right, though it is much smaller than it used to be. The new Yugoslavia is composed of Serbia and Montenegro. Three other new independent states formed from the breakup. They are Croatia, Macedonia, and Slovenia.

The war in the former Yugoslavia has drastically impacted the lives of people living there. The people of Bosnia-Herzegovina are still working to rebuild and recreate and their lives, a difficult task. The country is a poor one. On a national level, the cost of the country's imports outweighs the revenue from its exports. On an individual level, much of the population has a hard time earning a living. Bosnia-Herzegovina is mostly rural, and farming is an important industry. Most of the farmland is found to the south of the country, in the Herzegovina region. Bosnia is a more mountainous region and is heavily forested.

The Bosnia-Herzegovina region of Europe has a strong tradition of Balkan music. Recently, people have started to use their music to help repair their war-torn country. For example, the Pavarotti Music Centre is using music therapy to help children who were traumatized during the war.

Related Links

Read more to learn about Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Explore these sites for facts and figures about Bosnia-Herzegovina: • ABCNews.com Country Profile: Bosnia and Herzegovina • Atlapedia Online: Bosnia-Herzegovina • CIA World Factbook: Bosnia and Herzegovina • The Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina • Information Please: Bosnia and Herzegovina • UtahLINK Field trip: Bosnia and Herzegovina Listen to the national anthem of Bosnia-Herzegovina and read a translation of the words in English, from Domovina Net. Explore the difficult process of choosing a new flag for Bosnia-Herzegovina. Read about important events and records set during the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo in 1984. Look at a number of pictures about daily life in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Let Information Please show you a timeline of Yugoslavia's history.

More Countries (past hosts of Olympic Games)

Japan United States Norway Spain Canada South Korea Bosnia Russia Austria

Germany France Mexico Italy Finland Switzerland Great Britain Netherlands

Not every participating country has had the honor of hosting the Olympic Games. To learn more about countries represented at the Olympics, browse the following sites.

3-D Atlas Discovery School A-Z Geography National Geographic Sydney 2000: Countries USA TODAY Parade of Nations