Did You Know Bosnia & Herzegovina Isn’t Divided Into ‘Bosnia’ and ‘Herzegovina’?

Map Created By TUBSThe map above shows the two federal entities of Bosnia & Herzegovina:

The Republika Srpska (RS): 1,114,819 people, 24,641 km² (9,514 sq mi), GDP per capita $8,458.
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH): 2,219,220 people, 26,110.5 km² (10,081.3 sq mi), GDP per capita: $8,187

And the one condominium (3) of the two entities named the Brčko District: 83,516 people, 493 km² (190 sq mi).

More about the divisions:

Ottoman Rule (1463–1878)

The medieval Kingdom of Bosnia was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1463 (Herzegovina was taken in 1482).
Under Ottoman administration, Bosnia was organized as an eyalet (province) with shifting boundaries, often covering both Bosnia and Herzegovina as one unit.
Ottoman governance reinforced religious divisions rather than ethnic ones: Muslims (Bosniaks), Orthodox Christians (Serbs), and Catholics (Croats) coexisted but within a stratified hierarchy.
By the 19th century, nationalist movements in neighbouring Serbia and Croatia began to influence Bosnia’s Christian populations, planting the seeds of later ethnic conflict.

Austro-Hungarian Rule (1878–1918)

The Congress of Berlin (1878) granted Austria-Hungary the right to occupy and administer Bosnia and Herzegovina, though it remained formally under Ottoman sovereignty until full annexation in 1908.
Austria-Hungary modernized administration, infrastructure, and education, but also sharpened national rivalries:
- Croats looked to Zagreb and Catholic ties to Austria.
- Serbs looked to Belgrade and pan-Serb nationalism.
- Bosnian Muslims became caught between these competing nationalisms, eventually developing their own Bosniak identity.
Sarajevo became internationally known when the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1914) by a Bosnian Serb nationalist triggered World War I.

Kingdom and Socialist Yugoslavia (1918–1991)

After WWI, Bosnia and Herzegovina was incorporated into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia).
Bosnia had no autonomy; it was divided into administrative regions dominated by Serbs and Croats.
During WWII, Bosnia was absorbed into the Nazi puppet state of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), with mass atrocities committed by the Ustaše against Serbs, Jews, and Roma, and retaliatory violence by Chetniks and Partisans.
After the war, Socialist Yugoslavia under Tito (1945–1991) recognized Bosnia and Herzegovina as one of six republics, explicitly to balance Serb and Croat ambitions and to acknowledge the Bosniaks’ distinctiveness.
Bosnia’s multi-ethnic composition (roughly equal Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats) was held together under Tito’s federal socialism.

The Bosnian War (1992–1995)

With Yugoslavia collapsing, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence in 1992, following referendums mostly boycotted by Serbs.
The war (1992–1995) was marked by ethnic cleansing and atrocities, especially by Bosnian Serb forces (supported by Serbia) and Croat forces (backed by Croatia).
The conflict killed ~100,000 people and displaced over 2 million.
Three main sides emerged:
- Bosniaks (Muslims) seeking a unitary state.
- Bosnian Croats seeking either autonomy or union with Croatia.
- Bosnian Serbs seeking union with Serbia.

The Dayton Agreement (1995)

Brokered by the U.S. at Dayton, Ohio, the peace agreement ended the war and created today’s highly decentralized structure:
- Two federal entities:
  - Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) – majority Bosniak and Croat.
  - Republika Srpska (RS) – majority Serb.
- One condominium:
  - Brčko District (2000) – a self-governing unit under the sovereignty of both entities, created to prevent RS from dividing FBiH’s north.
A rotating tripartite presidency was established, with one Bosniak, one Serb, and one Croat member.
A strong Office of the High Representative (OHR), appointed by the international community, was given sweeping powers to enforce the peace.

Post-Dayton Bosnia (1995–Today)

Persistent divisions: The country remains deeply fragmented. Each entity has its own parliament, government, police, and education system. The central government is weak.
Ethnic vetoes: The constitutional system gives each of the three “constituent peoples” (Bosniaks, Serbs, Croats) the ability to block decisions, leading to frequent paralysis.
Republika Srpska tensions: RS leaders, particularly Milorad Dodik, have repeatedly threatened secession and blocked state-level reforms.
Brčko District has become a rare success story of multi-ethnic coexistence, though limited in influence.
EU and NATO aspirations: Bosnia has formally applied for EU membership and aspires to NATO integration, but political gridlock and ethnic rivalries stall progress.
National identity: “Bosnian” identity remains weak compared to ethnic (Bosniak, Serb, Croat) identities, reflecting the state’s fragile legitimacy.

In summary:

Bosnia and Herzegovina is not divided into “Bosnia” and “Herzegovina.” Instead, its postwar structure (1995–present) reflects the compromises of the Dayton Peace Agreement:

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosniaks & Croats)
Republika Srpska (Serbs)
Brčko District (jointly held, self-governing)

This arrangement froze the ethnic frontlines of the 1992–95 war into a constitutional system, ensuring peace but leaving Bosnia perpetually fragile and divided.

Expanding on the explanation above, here’s why the country’s official name does not include “Republika Srpska”:

Historical Roots of the Name

Bosnia (from the Bosna River) and Herzegovina (from the “Herceg of Saint Sava”) are regional names with deep historical usage:
- Ottoman Empire: Bosnia Eyalet often encompassed both Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Austro-Hungarian Empire (1878–1918): Officially administered as Bosnia and Herzegovina, cementing the double name.
- Yugoslavia (1918–1992): Maintained as the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
By the time of independence in 1992, the internationally recognized name of the republic was already Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The War and Creation of Republika Srpska

The Republika Srpska (RS) was proclaimed unilaterally by Bosnian Serb leaders in January 1992, before Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia.
RS was intended as a Serb national entity, eventually to unite with Serbia, not as a coequal name for the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During the war (1992–1995), RS was not recognized internationally as a sovereign state — only as a de facto authority controlling Serb-majority areas.

Dayton Agreement (1995)

The Dayton Peace Accords ended the war and gave RS legal recognition as one of two entities within the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, alongside the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH).
But crucially:
- Bosnia and Herzegovina remained one internationally recognized country, not a union of independent states.
- The name of the country stayed “Bosnia and Herzegovina,” in line with its prewar, Yugoslav-era status.
- RS (and the Federation) were acknowledged as internal administrative divisions, not equal-name partners in the state.

Why “Republika Srpska” Isn’t in the Country’s Name

Historical legitimacy: The names Bosnia and Herzegovina go back centuries, while “Republika Srpska” is a wartime creation from 1992.
International recognition: Bosnia and Herzegovina had already been recognized by the UN under that name in April 1992, long before RS was accepted as an internal entity.
Dayton compromise: The peace agreement preserved Bosnia and Herzegovina’s sovereignty and name, while allowing RS to exist internally. Including “Republika Srpska” in the state’s official name would have implied a looser confederation or dual statehood — something Bosniaks and Croats (and the international community) rejected.
Comparative analogy: Just as the U.S. isn’t called “The United States of California and Texas,” Bosnia and Herzegovina isn’t named after its post-1995 entities.

Post-Dayton Developments

RS leaders, particularly Milorad Dodik, often argue that RS should have greater sovereignty or even independence. They sometimes imply that RS deserves co-equal recognition in the country’s name.
Bosniak and Croat leaders oppose this, since it would validate ethnic partition and undermine the concept of a unified Bosnian state.
The international community has consistently supported keeping Bosnia and Herzegovina as the sole official name.