Monday, August 24, 2015

Up with Geography: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Name:
Bosnia and Herzegovina

Capital:
Sarajevo

Continent:
Europe

Maps:
European continent. Bosnia and Herzegovina
outlined in dark ink & shaded.

Close up of Bosnia and Herzegovina &
its neighbors.

Neighbors:
Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro

Water Borders:
Adriatic Sea (but only for 12 miles)

Total Area:
19,741 square miles

Five Largest Cities:
Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Tuzla, Zenica, Mostar

Famous Geographical Point:
Dinaric Alps

Famous Person:
Selma Harrington, architect

Book Set In/About:
Death and the Dervish by Mesa Selimovic

Set in Sarajevo during the 18th century, it's the fictional account of a man trying to determine what's happened to his brother after his arrest by Turkish authorities (who at the time occupied Bosnia). Released in the 1960s, it's considered a commentary on social & political oppression in then-Yugoslavia and was wildly popular.

Movie Set In/About:
"No Man's Land (Nicija zemlja)" (2001), directed by Danis Tanovic

Set in 1993, during the height of the fighting in former Yugoslavia, it's about two soldiers from opposing sides trapped together in a trench in "no man's land."

Headline of the Day:
"'Our Everyday Life' from Bosnia Enters Oscar 2016 Race" in Focus News

2 comments:

Patricia said...

Ah yes, one of the countries that will always be associated with war and my young adult years. I always felt guilty that I didn't keep up with developments in that war. But I didn't.

balyien said...

I had similar thoughts in my head when I was writing up this post. "Say, what was that war all about?" I wondered. "Muslims versus, uh, Christians, I guess? Man, I'm depressingly ill informed." Maybe I'll see if there's a good book about it and add it to my list.