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Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes referred to as Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia in the West, is a sovereign state in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for 26 kilometres (16 miles) of Adriatic Sea coastline, centered on the town of Neum. The interior of the country is mountainous centrally and to the south, hilly in the northwest, and flatland in the northeast. Inland is the larger geographic region with a moderate continental climate, marked by hot summers and cold, snowy winters. The southern tip of the country has a Mediterranean climate and plane topography.

Bosnia has been inhabited since at least the Neolithic age. The earliest Neolithic population became known in the Antiquity as the Illyrians. Celtic migrations in the 4th century BC were also notable. Concrete historical evidence for this period is scarce, but overall it appears that the region was populated by a number of different peoples speaking distinct languages. Conflict between the Illyrians and Romans started in 229 BC, but Rome would not complete its annexation of the region until AD 9. It was precisely in what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina that Rome fought one of the most difficult battles in its history since the Punic Wars, as described by the Roman historian Suetonius. This was the Roman campaign against the revolt of indigenous communities from Illyricum, known in history as the Great Illyrian Revolt, and also as the Pannonian revolt, or Bellum Batonianum, the latter named after two leaders of the rebellious Illyrian communities, Bato/Baton of the Daesitiates, and Bato of the Breuci.

The country is home to three ethnic groups, or so-called "constituent peoples", a term unique for Bosnia-Herzegovina. Bosniaks are the largest group of the three, with Serbs second and Croats third. Regardless of ethnicity, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina is often identified in English as a Bosnian. The terms Herzegovinian and Bosnian are maintained as a regional rather than ethnic distinction, and Herzegovina has no precisely defined borders of its own. Moreover, the country was called just "Bosnia" (without Herzegovina) until Austro-Hungarian occupation at the end of the nineteenth century.

The art of Bosnia and Herzegovina was always evolving and ranged from the original medieval tombstones called Steæci to paintings in Kotromaniæ court. However, only with the arrival of Austro-Hungarians did the painting renaissance in Bosnia really begin to flourish. The first educated artists from European academies appeared with the beginning of 20th century. Among those are: Gabrijel Jurkiæ, Petar Tiješiæ, Karlo Mijiæ, Špiro Bocariæ, Petar Šain, Ðoko Mazaliæ, Roman Petroviæ and Lazar Drljaèa. Later, artists such as: Ismet Mujezinoviæ, Vojo Dimitrijeviæ, Ivo Šeremet, and Mica Todoroviæ amongst others came to rise. After World War II artists like: Virgilije Nevjestiæ, Bekir Misirliæ, Ljubo Lah, Meho Sefiæ, Franjo Likar, Mersad Berber, Ibrahim Ljuboviæ, Dževad Hozo, Affan Ramiæ, Safet Zec, Ismar Mujezinoviæ, and Mehmed Zaimoviæ rose in popularity. Ars Aevi a museum of contemporary art that includes works by renowned world artists was founded in Sarajevo.

Traditional Bosnian and Herzogovinian songs are ganga, rera, and from Ottoman era the most popular is sevdalinka. Pop and Rock music has a tradition here as well, with the more famous musicians including Dino Zoniæ, Goran Bregoviæ, Davorin Popoviæ, Kemal Monteno, Zdravko Èoliæ, Edo Maajka and Dino Merlin. Also, it would be unfair not to mention some of the talented composers such as Ðorðe Novkoviæ, Esad Arnautaliæ, Kornelije Kovaè, and many pop and rock bands, for example, Bijelo Dugme, Indexi, Plavi Orkestar, Zabranjeno Pušenje, who were among the leading ones in the former Yugoslavia. Bosnia is home to the composer Dušan Šestiæ, the creator of the current national anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina and father of singer Marija Šestiæ, composer Saša Lošiæ and pianist Sasha Toperich. In the villages, especially in Herzegovina, Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats play the ancient Gusle. The gusle is used mainly to recite epic poems in a usually dramatic tone.