West Herzegovina Canton

TheWest Herzegovina Canton(Croatian:ŽupanijaZapadnohercegovačka) is one of thecantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.The West Herzegovina Canton is in theHerzegovinaregion in the southwest ofBosnia and Herzegovina.Its seat of government is inŠiroki Brijeg,while other municipalities within the Canton areGrude,LjubuškiandPosušje.It has 94,898 inhabitants, of whom more than 98% are ethnicCroats.Economically, it is the most developed part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

West Herzegovina Canton Županija Zapadnohercegovačka
Capital and largest city	Široki Brijeg 43°24′N17°25′E
Official languages	Croatian
Ethnic groups (2013)	98.8%Croats 1.2% others
Demonym(s)	West Herzegovinian
Government	Parliamentary system
•Premier	Predrag Čović (HDZ BiH)
• President of Assembly	Ivan Jelčić (HDZ BiH)
Legislature	Assembly of the West Herzegovina Canton
Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Establishment	12 June 1996
Area
• Total	1,362 km2(526 sq mi)
Population
• 2013 census	94,898
• Density	71.87/km2(186.1/sq mi)
GDP(PPP)	2022 estimate
• Per capita	23.378USD
GDP(nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	USD375.825 million
• Per capita	USD9.568
HDI	0.812 very high
Currency	BAM
Time zone	UTC+1(CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2(CEST)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Drives on	right
Website vladazzh

History

The majority of the present-day West Herzegovina Canton was part ofZachlumia,the medievalSouth Slavicprincipality. In the 15th century, it became part of theDuchy of Saint SavaunderStjepan Vukčić Kosača,who proclaimed himself the herzog (duke), thus giving the name for the whole region - Herzegovina. TheOttomansconquered Herzegovina in 1483 when the territory of the West Herzegovina Canton became part of theSanjak of Herzegovina.In 1833 the Sanjak of Herzegovina became more autonomous underAli-paša Rizvanbegović,who becamepashaof theHerzegovina Eyalet,however, after his death, Herzegovina once again became asanjak.In 1878 the whole territory was occupied and later in 1908 annexed by theAustria-Hungary,who held it until 1918. During that time, the territory of the West Herzegovina Canton was part of the District ofMostarin theCondominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ruins of an ancient fort dating back to the Roman Period, in Humac

After the collapse of Austria-Hungary and after the creation of theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes,the territory of the West Herzegovina Canton remained part of the District of Mostar. However, with the creation of banovinas in 1929, the territory became part of theLittoral Banovina,and in 1939 it was incorporated in theBanovina of Croatia,where itde iureremained until 1943.

During World War II, the territory of the West Herzegovina Canton became part of theIndependent State of Croatia,a Nazi-affiliated puppet state created in April 1941. Administratively, it was part of theCounty of Hum,having Mostar as its capital. The puppet state collapsed in May 1945.

TheYugoslav Partisansformed thePeople's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina(later renamed to Socialist Republic), as a federal unit ofYugoslavia,of which the territory of the West Herzegovina Canton became part as well. However, in the process of the collapse of the communist regime, ethnic Croats formed theCroatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia,which encompassed all Croat-majority municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including those of the West Herzegovina Canton.

During theBosnian War,the Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia was later proclaimed a republic in 1993. The following year, in 1994, it became part of the Croat-BosniakFederation of Bosnia and Herzegovina,which led to the formation of tencantonsin June 1996, including the West Herzegovina Canton.

Geography

West Herzegovina Canton is located in the Herzegovina region of southwest Bosnia and Herzegovina. It hasČvrsnicamountain to the north, Croatia to the west and south, and theHerzegovina-Neretva Cantonto the east. The area of the canton is 1,363 km²(526 sq mi).

The canton has three rivers:Lištica,TrebižatandRičina,and theBlidinje Lake.Its highest peak isPločnoon the Čvrsnica mountain, 2,228 metres.

Kravica waterfalls

The canton is a very mountainous area especially in Posušje (where it also becomes mountainous) and the northern parts of Široki Brijeg. The region is interlaced with karst fields with which the mountains of western and northern Herzegovina descend to the sea. Dugo polje (1150–1250 m) is the first step, followed by Rakitno polje (870–910 m), Posuško polje (580–610 m), Bekijsko polje (260–300 m), Mostarsko Blato (220 m) and Ljubuško polje (80–100 m) with which the descent ends. The rivers Lištica and Tihaljina flow through western Herzegovina, Ričina sometimes flows through the Posusje field and Ugrovača through the Kočerin field. The territory as a whole belongs to the Neretva basin or theAdriatic Sea.The highest mountains are Čvrsnica (municipality of Posušje), Čabulja (municipality of Široki Brijeg), Štitar (municipality of Posušje), Zavelim (municipality of Posušje), Kušanovac (municipality of Posušje) and (municipality of Široki Brijeg) and Radovanj ( Municipality of Posušje).

Climate

In all towns in the canton of western Herzegovina, the sub-Mediterranean climate type prevails, except in Ljubuški, where theMediterranean climatepredominates. There is also a significant difference between the sub-Mediterranean climate in Posušje and the sub-Mediterranean climate in Široki Brijeg and Grude. In Posušje, mountain and Mediterranean influences collide, so the sub-Mediterranean climate in Posušje is harsher and closer to the temperatemountain climateprevailing in the area of Tribistovo, Radovnje, etc.Summersin western Herzegovina are hot and temperatures exceed 35 degrees. Inwinter,snow is also not impossible in Ljubuški, but it is more frequent and common in the northernmost towns, especially in Posušje, where it sometimes falls profusely and remains for a long time.

Politics and government

Government seat in Široki Brijeg

Assembly

The Assembly of the West Herzegovina Canton (Croatian:Skupština Županije Zapadnohercegovačke) is the legislature of the West Herzegovina Canton, serving as theunicameralrepresentative bodyof the citizens of the West Herzegovina Canton. It has 23 representatives elected directly at the Bosnian general election. The representatives have a four-year term. The Assembly enacts the local Constitution, laws and other regulations and elects the Government.

Government

The Government of the West Herzegovina Canton (Croatian:Vlada Županije Zapadnohercegovačke) is led by thePrime Ministerwho has one deputy and it consists of seven ministries. The ministries have different seats, with each municipality having two ministries, while the capitalŠiroki Brijegserves as the seat of the Prime Minister.

Position	Portfolio	Seat	Officeholder	Party
Prime Minister		Široki Brijeg	Predrag Čović		HDZ BiH
Deputy Prime Minister	Finance	Ljubuški	Blagica Leko		HDZ BiH
Deputy Prime Minister	Economy	Posušje	Dario Sesar		HDZ BiH
Minister	Internal Affairs	Ljubuški	Mladen Bebek		HDZ BiH
Minister	Judiciary and Administration	Široki Brijeg	Vjekoslav Lasić		HDZ BiH
Minister	Urban Development, Construction and Environment	Posušje	Zvonimir Širić		HDZ BiH
Minister	Education, Science, Culture and Sports	Široki Brijeg	Daniela Perić		HDZ BiH
Minister	Healthcare, Labour and Social Welfare	Grude	Tomislav Pejić		HDZ BiH
Minister	Veterans	Grude	Mladen Begić		HDZ BiH

Flag and coat of arms

Flag and emblem of the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia used as flag in Canton 10 and West Herzegovina Canton

Herzeg-Bosnia flag flying inŠiroki Brijeg

The coat of arms is a variant of the historicalCroatian coat of arms.The flag is a horizontal tricolour of red, white and blue, with the coat of arms in the middle.These symbols were also used byCanton 10and the formerCroatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia.

The flag and coat of arms were originally regulated by the cantonal constitution. However, by a decision of theConstitutional Court,the constitutional provisions on cantonal symbols were marked as unconstitutional in 1998.Acting on the court's decision, the Cantonal Assembly removed the disputed provisions in 2000 and adopted a new law on the flag and coat of arms in 2003 that restored the same symbols.

Economy

According to the data of the Federal Institute for Development Programming, the West Herzegovina Canton had the nominal GDP of 487.211 millionBAM,the seventh largest in theFederation of Bosnia and Herzegovina,before theCanton 10,theBosnian Podrinje Canton Goraždeand thePosavina Canton.It generated 2.90% of the total GDP of theFederation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.The West Herzegovina Canton has fifth largest GDP per capita, amounting to 5,973 BAM, while the average in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is 7,188 BAM.

The Mepas mall in Široki Brijeg

This region, before the war, was one of the poorest regions in BiH. Today it is one of the richest.Despite the canton's small size in area, its agricultural sector is important. In the canton, 30,000 ha (120 sq miles) is used for agriculture; 84,000 ha (320 sq miles) is forest. Around 6,000 ha of arable land is below 100 metres in altitude. The Canton has a strong potentialfor the production of vegetables, fruit and wine, as well as meat and milk processing plants.

Infrastructure

The West Herzegovina Canton has a central location inHerzegovina,and as such has favorable traffic characteristics. The future route of the motorway of theE73 corridor,where there is also a connection with theA1 motorwayfromDubrovniktoZagreb,which means the entire West Herzegovina Canton in encircled by two EU corridors, the E73 and theE65.The crossroad of these corridors is in the hinterland ofPločeport, making the Canton of West Herzegovina the "portal of the South East Europe".

Demographics

According to the latest census data, the vast majority of the local population is made up ofCroats.The most dominant religion in the canton isChristianity,withCatholicismbeing the most numerous denomination. The most significant non-Christian minority areMuslimswith 1.8% of the total population. Most of them were in Ljubuški.

Roman Catholic church of St. Elijah in Tihaljina, Grude

2013 Census

Municipality	Nationality								Total
	Croats	%	Bosniaks	%	Serbs	%	Other	%
Ljubuški	27,327	96.96	689	2.44	23	0.08	556	1.97	28,184
Široki Brijeg	28,814	99.60	6	0.02	45	0.16	64	0.22	28,929
Posušje	20,424	99.74	2	0.01	5	0.02	12	0.06	20,477
Grude	17,206	99.41	3	0.02	10	0.06	11	0.06	17,308
Canton	93,725	98.76	700	0.74	83	0.09	354	0.37	94,898

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Official holidays

Croatian Cultural and Artistic Society "Brda"

According to local laws, the official holidays (non-working days) in the canton are:

• January 1 –New Year
• January 6 –Epiphany
• May 1 –Labour Day
• May 30 – Pan-Croatian statehood day (same as: Statehood day of Croatia)
• August 15 –Assumption of Mary
• November 1 –All Saints' Day
• November 2 –All Souls' Day
• November 18 – the foundation ofHerzeg-Bosnia
• December 25 and 26 –ChristmasDay andSt Stephen's Day

See also

• Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• List of heads of the West Herzegovina Canton

References

Books

• Group of authors (2010).Studija razvoja poslovnih zona u Zapadnohercegovačkoj županiji(in Croatian). Mostar: REDAH.