Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country in Europe with a population of 3,233,526. Its capital is Sarajevo. The official currency is BAM, and the main languages are Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian.
Quick facts
- Capital: Sarajevo
- Continent: Europe
- Population: 3,233,526
- Area: 51,197 km²
- Density: 63.2 people per km²
- Currency: BAM
- Languages: Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian
- ISO code: BA
Where Bosnia and Herzegovina sits
Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦 is one of 46 countries in Europe, with its capital at Sarajevo. It covers 51,197 square kilometres — 125th in the world — and is home to about 3,233,526 people, 135th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include Russia, Germany, United Kingdom, France and Italy. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Bosnia and Herzegovina compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Bosnia and Herzegovina sits closest to Moldova and Mongolia. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Costa Rica and Slovakia.
At 63.2 people per square kilometre it is close to the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by area than by population, so it is more spacious than its population alone suggests.
Bosnian is listed as official in Bosnia and Herzegovina alone. The BAM is used by Bosnia and Herzegovina and no one else.
To see Bosnia and Herzegovina next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sarajevo is the capital, and it hosted the Winter Olympics in 1984. For the flag, the yellow triangle is a rough map of the country, with white stars running down beside it.
The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina: blue, yellow and white
🇧🇦 The flag is a blue flag with a large yellow triangle and a line of white stars running along one side of it. The triangle is roughly the shape of the country, and its three points stand for its three main peoples: Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs. The stars stand for Europe.
Region and neighbours
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country in the Balkans in southeastern Europe, almost landlocked except for a short stretch of Adriatic coast. It shares land borders with 3 countries: Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro.
- Croatia 🇭🇷 — capital Zagreb
- Serbia 🇷🇸 — capital Belgrade
- Montenegro 🇲🇪 — capital Podgorica
Three facts about Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Its coastline is only about 20 km long, around the town of Neum.
- The Old Bridge (Stari Most) in Mostar is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Sarajevo hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics.
Sources: Wikipedia: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wikipedia: Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wikipedia: Sarajevo, Wikipedia: Stari Most, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Bosnia and Herzegovina
- European capitals quiz — match Bosnia and Herzegovina to Sarajevo
- European flags quiz — spot the Bosnia and Herzegovina flag among its neighbours
Quizzes that include Bosnia and Herzegovina
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Bosnia and Herzegovina those are:
- Europe map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Europe flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Europe capitals quiz — match it to Sarajevo
- Bosnia and Herzegovina capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sarajevo — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 46 countries of Europe
Nearby countries
- Albania 🇦🇱 — capital Tirana
- Andorra 🇦🇩 — capital Andorra la Vella
- Austria 🇦🇹 — capital Vienna
- Belarus 🇧🇾 — capital Minsk
- Belgium 🇧🇪 — capital Brussels
- Bulgaria 🇧🇬 — capital Sofia
- Croatia 🇭🇷 — capital Zagreb
- Cyprus 🇨🇾 — capital Nicosia
- Czechia 🇨🇿 — capital Prague
- Denmark 🇩🇰 — capital Copenhagen
- Estonia 🇪🇪 — capital Tallinn
- Finland 🇫🇮 — capital Helsinki
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Bosnia and Herzegovina flag?
The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a blue flag with a large yellow triangle and a line of white stars running along one side of it. The triangle is roughly the shape of the country, and its three points stand for its three main peoples: Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs. The stars stand for Europe.
Which countries border Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Bosnia and Herzegovina shares land borders with Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro.
How can I remember the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Sarajevo is the capital, and it hosted the Winter Olympics in 1984. For the flag, the yellow triangle is a rough map of the country, with white stars running down beside it.