Sarajevo Canton
Based on the Constitution of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, No. 1/94), the Assembly of the Sarajevo Canton, at its session held on 11 March 1996, adopted the Constitution of the Sarajevo Canton, regulating the organisation and status of the Sarajevo Canton and its government structures.
According to the entity borders in Bosnia and Herzegovina under the Peace Accord signed in Paris on 14 December 1995, the area of the city of Sarajevo became a part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and was organised as a canton (administrative unit) in accordance with the Constitution of the Federation of BiH and the Constitution of Sarajevo Canton. The official name of this canton is the Sarajevo Canton, and its seat is in Sarajevo.
Sarajevo is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Federation of BiH. Cantonal authorities must ensure full protection of the interests of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Federation of BiH in the Sarajevo Canton.
The territory of the Canton covers the areas of the municipalities of Centar Sarajevo, Hadžići, Ilidža, Ilijaš, Novi Grad Sarajevo, Novo Sarajevo, Stari Grad Sarajevo, Trnovo and Vogošća as defined under the Peace Accord.
The Sarajevo Canton is located in the Dinaric Alps ridge, at a meeting point of two large natural-geographical units, namely the Podunavlje part of the Danube river basin and the Adriatic Sea. It covers the area of 1.268,5 km² which makes up for 2.5 % of the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Sarajevo Canton is between 43º35 ‘and 44º7’ north latitude, and between 18º0 ‘and 18º38’ east longitude. The distance between the northernmost point of the Canton and the southmost is 62 km, with 52.5 km between the western and eastern point. The total length of the Sarajevo Canton border is 303.5 km.
From the geomorphologic point of view, the Sarajevo Canton is an extremely mountainous area, where 78% of its area is located in a region of over 700 meters above sea level, hilly region between 550 m to 700 m account for 13%, while only 9% belongs to the lowland region. The Sarajevo Canton has two climatic types – continental climate up to 600 meters above sea level, and continental-mountain and alpine type of climate above this altitude.
The Sarajevo Canton area is known for some natural mineral raw materials and its exploitation from pre-Roman times. Natural building materials were mostly used, that is, gravel, sand, clay, dolomite, limestone and quartz sand, and small quantities of manganese, mercury, and drinking water and mineral water for drinking and thermomineral water for spas. Nevertheless, today the most important and most valuable natural resource of the Sarajevo Canton is the drinking water in the Sarajevo plain. The next in line are thermomineral waters of Ilidža and Blažuj, and thermal water in Butmir.
The population of the Sarajevo Canton is estimated at around 400,000.
Source: Government of the Sarajevo Canton
