Divisions

Bosnia and Herzegovina has several levels of political structuring under the federal government level.

Entities

Most important of these levels is the division of the country into two entities:

• Republika Srpska
• The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina covers some 51% of Bosnia and Herzegovina's total area, while Republika Srpska covers around 49%. The entities, based largely on the territories held by the two warring sides at the time, were formally established by the Dayton peace agreement in 1995 due to the tremendous changes in Bosnia and Herzegovina's ethnic structure. Since 1996, the power of the entities relative to the federal government has decreased significantly. Nonetheless, entities still have numerous powers to themselves.

The Inter-Entity Boundary Line (IEBL) divides Bosnia and Herzegovina into its two entities; the total length of the IEBL is 1,080 km.

Federal District

The Brcko federal district in the north of the country was created in 2000 out of land from both entities. It officially belongs to both, but is governed by neither, and functions under a decentralised system of local government. The Brcko district has been praised for maintaining a multiethnic population and a level of prosperity significantly above the national average.

Cantons

The third level of Bosnia and Herzegovina's political subdivision is manifested in cantons. They are unique to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity, which consists of ten of them. All of them have their own cantonal government, which is under the law of the Federation as a whole. Some cantons are ethnically mixed and have special laws implemented to ensure the equality of all constituent peoples.

Municipalities

The fourth level of political division in Bosnia and Herzegovina are the municipalities. The country has 137 municipalities, of which 74 are in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 63 in Republika Srpska. Municipalities also have their own local government, and are typically based around the most significant city or place in the region. As such, many municipalities have a long tradition and history with their present boundaries. Some others, however, were only created following the recent war after traditional municipalities were split by the IEBL. Each canton in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of several municipalities, with the municipalities themselves further divided into local communities.

Official Cities

Besides entities, cantons and municipalities, Bosnia and Herzegovina also has four "official" cities. These are:

• Banja Luka
• Mostar
• Sarajevo
• East Sarajevo

The territory and government of the cities of Banja Luka and Mostar corresponds to the municipalities of the same name, while the cities of Sarajevo and East Sarajevo officially consist of several municipalities. Cities have their own city government whose power is in between that of the municipalities and cantons (or entity, in the case of Republika Srpska).