Capital: Sarajevo

Bosnia is bordered by the Adriatic Sea and Croatia.

Bosnia has hot summers and chilly winters.  Areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters. Along the coast it has mild, rainy winters.

Winters average a daily high around 3°C (37°F) and snow tends to linger at higher altitudes. In summer rainfall is slightly heavier but the sunny, 26°C (79°F) July days are a treat. Springtime (April and May) is the best time to come to get a glimpse of the country's rich flora and fauna, though upland areas may still be under snow

Flag description: a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a yellow isosceles triangle abutting the band and the top of the flag; the remainder of the flag is medium blue with seven full five-pointed white stars and two half stars top and bottom along the hypotenuse of the triangle.

Called Illyricum in ancient times, the area now called Bosnia was conquered by the Romans in the 1st and 2nd centuries B.C. and became the Roman province of Dalmatia. In the 4th and 5th centuries A.D. Goths overran that portion of the declining Roman Empire and occupied the area until the 6th century, when the Byzantine Empire claimed it. The medieval kingdom of Bosnia gained its independence around 1200 A.D. Bosnia remained independent until 1463, when Ottoman Turks conquered the region. When Germany invaded Yugoslavia in 1941, Bosnia and Herzegovina were made part of Nazi-controlled Croatia

In December 1991, Bosnia declared independence from Yugoslavia and asked for recognition by the European Union. In a March 1992 referendum, Bosnian voters chose independence, and President Izetbegovic declared the nation an independent state.

The most recent national elections took place in October 2002, electing new state presidency members, entity governments, and State, Entity and cantonal parliaments. The next national elections are scheduled for October 2006.