Bosnia and Herzegovina

[pinkopalino]

Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnian, Croatian: Bosna i Hercegovina, Serbian: Босна и Херцеговина) is a country on the Balkan peninsula of South Eastern Europe with an area of 51,129 square kilometres (19,741 sq mi). Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the south, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for 26 kilometres of the Adriatic Sea coastline, centered around the town of Neum. The interior of the country is mountainous in the center and south, hilly in the northwest, and flat in the northeast. It is the largest geographic region of the modern state with moderate continental climate, marked by hot summers and cold, snowy winters. Smaller Herzegovina is the southern tip of the country, with Mediterranean climate and topography. Bosnia and Herzegovina's natural resources are highly abundant.

The country is home to three ethnic "constituent peoples": Bosniaks, the most numerous population group of Bosnia, with Serbs in second and Croats in third. Regardless of ethnicity, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina is often identified in English as a Bosnian. In Bosnia, the distinction between a Bosnian and a Herzegovinian is maintained as a regional, rather than an ethnic distinction. The country is politically decentralized and comprises two governing entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, with District Brčko as a de facto third entity.

Formerly one of the six federal units constituting the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina gained its independence during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. Bosnia and Herzegovina can be described as a federal democratic republic that is transforming its economy into a market-oriented system, and it is a potential candidate for membership in the European Union and NATO. Additionally, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a founding member of the Mediterranean Union upon its establishment on July 13, 2008.

http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/b/ba@fb.gif

[pinkopalino]

Jajce is a town that was first built in the 14th century and which served as the capital of the independent Bosnian kingdom during its time. The town has gates as fortifications, as well as a castle which has walls which lead to the various gates around the town, to protect the castle. When the Bosnian kingdom fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1463, Jajce was taken by the Ottomans but was retaken next year by Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus. About 10–20 kilometres from the Jajce lies the Komotin castle and town area which is older but smaller than Jajce, it is believed the town of Jajce was previously Komotin but was moved after the black death.

During this period, the last Bosnian queen Katarina Kosača-Kotromanić restored the Church of Saint Luke in Jajce, today the oldest church in town. Eventually, in 1527, Jajce became the last Bosnian town to fall to Ottoman rule. There are several churches and mosques built in different times during different rules, making Jajce a rather diverse town in this aspect.

Jajce gained prominence during the Second World War because it hosted the second convention of the Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia on November 29, 1943, a meeting that set the foundation for the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia after WWII.

At the beginning of the Bosnian war, Jajce was inhabited by people from all ethnic groups, and was situated at a junction between areas of Serb majority to the north, Bosnian Muslim majority areas to the south-east and Croatian majority areas to the south-west.

At the end of April and the beginning of May 1992, almost all Serbs left the city and fled to territory under the Republika Srpska control. The Serbian Orthodox Church (Crkva Uspenja Presvete Bogorodice) was blown up in the night between 10th and 11th of October 1992. In the summer of 1992, the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) started heavy bombardment of the city. Serb forces entered Jajce in October 1992, apparently due to lack of cooperation between Bosnian government and Croat forces. The Bosniak and Croat population escaped through Divičani into Travnik. In the Croat counteroffensives of August-September 1995 the town was taken by Croatian forces with most of the Serb population fleeing. Jajce became part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina according to the Dayton Agreement.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Jajce_Total_View.jpg/600px-

[goutham]

Does any one know a very got street map of Banja Luka, Bosnia view the names of the streets?