World Factbook
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
51,187 sq km
water
10 sq km
total
51,197 sq km
Climate
hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along coast
Terrain
mountains and valleys
Land use
other
36.1% (2023 est.)
forest
42.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
21.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 7.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 1.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 12.8% (2023 est.)
Location
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia
Coastline
20 km
Elevation
lowest point
Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point
Maglic 2,386 m
mean elevation
500 m
Irrigated land
30 sq km (2012)
Map references
Europe
Land boundaries
total
1,543 km
border countries
Croatia 956 km; Montenegro 242 km; Serbia 345 km
Maritime claims
NA
Natural hazards
destructive earthquakes
Geography - note
within Bosnia and Herzegovina's recognized borders, the country is divided into a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation (about 51% of the territory) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska or RS (about 49% of the territory); the region called Herzegovina is contiguous to Croatia and Montenegro
Natural resources
coal, iron ore, antimony, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, timber, hydropower
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than West Virginia
Geographic coordinates
44 00 N, 18 00 E
Population distribution
the northern and central areas of the country are the most densely populated
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
(Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km)