Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Hercegovačko-neretvanski kanton Херцеговачко-неретвански кантонHercegovačko-neretvanska županija | |
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 Flag  Coat of arms | |
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| Status | Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Capital and largest city | Mostar |
| Official languages | Croatian andBosnian |
| Ethnic groups (2013[1]) | 53.29%Croats41.44%Bosniaks2.90%Serbs2.37% others |
| Government | Parliamentary system |
• Premier | Marija Buhač (HDZ BiH) |
• President of Assembly | Džafer Alić (SDA) |
| Legislature | Assembly of the Herzegovina-Neretva County |
| Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
• Establishment | 12 June 1996 |
| Area | |
• Total | 4,401 km2 (1,699 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2013 census | 222,007 |
• Density | 53.69/km2 (139.1/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2022 estimate |
• Per capita | $20,532 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2022 estimate |
• Per capita | $7,871 |
| HDI (2023) |  0.803very high |
| Currency | BAM |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Date format | dd-mm-yyyy |
TheHerzegovina-Neretva Canton (Croatian:Hercegovačko-neretvanska županija;[2]Bosnian:Hercegovačko-neretvanski kanton;Serbian:Херцеговачко-неретвански кантон,romanized: Hercegovačko-neretvanski kanton)[3] is afederated state and one of tencantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina inBosnia and Herzegovina.
The canton mainly comprises theNeretva rivervalley area and parts ofHerzegovina west ofMostar, its administrative centre. It is one of the four cantons in the country with a Croatian majority (53.29%). However, in the case of this territory, it is more ethnically divided and is considered to have a mixed population.
Before the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the present-day municipalities of East Mostar and Berkovići were part of the municipality of Mostar, while Ivanica was part of the municipality of Trebinje.
The history of today's Herzegovina-Neretva Canton begins on 18 March 1994, with the signing of theWashington Agreement. The canton was officially constituted on 23 December 1996 as one of the ten cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[4]
The canton is the only canton in Bosnia and Herzegovina with access to the sea via the municipality of Neum.Neum is a town of 4,653 citizens (2013 census) and the area around the city is rich with historical and archeological remains of theIllyrians, a people who lived in the Balkans for many thousands of years.
The largest city in the canton and the fifth largest city in the country is Mostar. Mostar is located on the banks of the Neretva river and is divided between Croats and Bosniaks. Mostar is known for its old bridge,Stari Most, which was constructed by the area'sOttoman rulers, who also brought Islam to the region. Bosnian Croat forces bombed and destroyed the bridge on November 8, 1993. Upon its destruction, it had stood for 427 years and had become a symbol of a shared cultural heritage and "peaceful" co-existence. The bridge was reconstructed in the summer of 2004. The opening ceremony was attended by several foreign delegates includingStjepan Mesić, the President of Croatia.
Other notable cities in this canton areČapljina,Konjic,Jablanica andMeđugorje, the most significant Marian shrine in the region. Jablanica and Konjic are notable for battles which took place there duringWorld War II and there is a large museum in Jablanica dedicated to these battles.
TheNeretva river runs through the cities of Konjic, Jablanica, Mostar and Čapljina before it flows through Croatia and into the Adriatic Sea. There are large lakes in the canton, such as the Jablanica lake located around the city Jablanica. The southernmost municipality in the canton is the Neum municipality which borders the Adriatic sea and the easternmost municipality is the Ravno municipality along the border with Croatia.
The canton is split into the municipalities of
Of the ten cantons comprising the Federation of Bosnia Herzegovina, Herzegovina-Neretva Canton is one of two cantons, the other being theCentral Bosnia Canton, nearly equally populated byBosniaks andCroats. In such cantons there are special legislative procedures for the protection of the constituent ethnic groups.
Croats form a majority in the municipalities of Čapljina, Čitluk, Neum, Prozor-Rama and Ravno, and a relative majority in Stolac and Mostar according to the 2013 census. Bosniaks form an absolute majority in the municipalities of Jablanica and Konjic.[5]
| Municipality | Croats | % | Serbs | % | Bosniaks | % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Čapljina | 20,538 | 78.51 | 714 | 2.72 | 4,541 | 17.36 | 26,157 |
| Čitluk | 17,900 | 98.67 | 18 | 0.09 | 29 | 0.15 | 18,140 |
| Jablanica | 726 | 7.18 | 63 | 0.62 | 9,045 | 89.45 | 10,111 |
| Konjic | 1,553 | 6.17 | 355 | 1.41 | 22,486 | 89.41 | 25,148 |
| Mostar | 51,216 | 48.40 | 4,421 | 4.17 | 46,752 | 44.19 | 113,169 |
| Neum | 4,543 | 97.63 | 21 | 0.45 | 63 | 1.35 | 4,653 |
| Prozor-Rama | 10,702 | 74.94 | 3 | 0.02 | 3,525 | 24.69 | 14,280 |
| Ravno | 2,633 | 81.79 | 558 | 17.33 | 20 | 0.62 | 3,219 |
| Stolac | 8,486 | 58.51 | 279 | 1.92 | 5,544 | 38.22 | 14,502 |
| Canton | 118,297 | 53.28 | 6,432 | 2.89 | 92,005 | 41.44 | 222,007 |
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According to the current law, the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton is one of the ten cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Herzegovina-Neretva Canton has its ownlegislative, executive and judicial powers. Like each of the cantons of FBiH, it has its ownconstitution, assembly, government, symbols and has a number of exclusive competences (police, education, use of natural resources, spatial and housing policy, culture), while some competences are divided. between cantonal and federal authorities (health, social protection,transport).
At the local level, citizens of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton vote every four years in municipal elections for local government in four cities and five other municipalities.
On September 5, 2025, the President of the Government of the Herzegovina-Neretva County, Marija Buhač, and the prefect of theVaraždin County, Anđelko Stričak, signed an agreement on cooperation between the two counties in the areas of economy, education, agriculture, tourism, culture, sports and youth.[6]
The citizens of the canton of Herzegovina-Neretva vote for a total of 30 representatives in the Cantonal Assembly every four years in general elections.
The current composition of the Assembly of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton is:
| Groups | Members per group | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HDZ BiH-HSP BiH-HDU-HSP AS-HRAST-HSP HB | 11 / 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SDA | 7 / 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HDZ 1990 | 3 / 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SDP BiH | 3 / 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HRS | 2 / 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DF-GS | 2 / 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NES | 1 / 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NiP | 1 / 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source:[7] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Based on the results of the2022 general election, the current HNK government is formed by a coalition between theCroatian Democratic Union (HDZ BiH), theParty of Democratic Action (SDA) and theSocial Democratic Party (SDP BiH).[8]
The current HNK government consists of the following ministries:
| Ministry | Minister | Took office | Party | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister | Marija Buhač | 9 November 2023 | HDZ BiH | |||||||
| Ministry of Finance | Adil Šuta | 9 November 2023 | SDA | |||||||
| Ministry of Economy | Zanin Vejzović | 9 November 2023 | SDP BiH | |||||||
| Ministry of Commerce, Tourism and Environmental Protection | Emil Balavac | 9 November 2023 | SDP BiH | |||||||
| Ministry of Construction and Spatial Planning | Bekir Isaković | 9 November 2023 | SDA | |||||||
| Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management | Mario Jurica | 9 November 2023 | HDZ BiH | |||||||
| Ministry of Justice, Administration and Local Self-Government | Goran Karanović | 9 November 2023 | Independent(SDP BiH andSDA) | |||||||
| Ministry of Transport and Communications | Ivo Bevanda | 9 November 2023 | HDZ BiH | |||||||
| Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports | Adnan Velagić | 9 November 2023 | SDA | |||||||
| Ministry of the Interior | Marijo Marić | 9 November 2023 | HDZ BiH | |||||||
| Ministry for Issues of Combatants | Đuro Prkačin | 9 November 2023 | HDZ BiH | |||||||
| Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Policy | Milenko Bevanda | 9 November 2023 | HDZ BiH | |||||||
Source:[9] | ||||||||||
The strongest industries by number of employees in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (as of August 2017) are wholesale and retail trade,manufacturing, and hotels and restaurants. The economic headquarters of the canton is its capital, Mostar.[10]
After the tertiary sector, the manufacturing sector is the strongest sector of the economy of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. The strongest branches of this sector are the processing industry andelectricity production.
The manufacturing industry has a total of 6,798 employees (August 2017). The strongest industries are military (e.g. Igman in Konjic), metal processing industry (e.g.Aluminij in Mostar) andfood industry (e.g. Hepok in Mostar).
Electricity generation is also an important industry, this is carried out in the mainly in hydroelectric power plants on the Neretva River and its tributaries, which are mostly owned byElektroprivreda HZHB (most of the electricity produced comes from these hydroelectric power plants).
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The canton of Herzegovina-Neretva, with its nature parks and numerous natural beauties, has great tourism potential. According to the Federal Statistical Office, in 2014 the canton was visited by 104,006foreign tourists and 208,647 overnight stays were made. The biggest tourist attractions in the region are the old town of Mostar, Blagaj near Mostar, Medjugorje and Neum (Bosnia and Herzegovina's only outlet to the sea).[11]
The following main roads and highways pass through the canton of Herzegovina-Neretva:
The total length of roads in the canton of Herzegovina-Neretva is 362.68 kilometers.[12]
The Ploče-Sarajevo railroad passes through the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, to which Konjic, Mostar, Jablanica and Čapljina are connected. The length of the railroad in the region is 126.2 kilometers, while the total number ofrailway stations and stops is 28, three of which are connected to the high-speed rail network.
Mostar International Airport (OMO) is the third busiest airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina after Sarajevo and Tuzla airports, with a total of 53,618passengers (2016).[13]
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There are a total of 33 secondary schools (28 state and five private) and numerous elementary schools in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. There are a total of three universities in this canton:
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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