HERZEGOVINA REGION (BIH / RS): SETTLEMENT-DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter referred to as Bosnia and Herzegovina) is the first country in the world by the number of inhabitants who do not live in the country in which they were born [14] and, according to macroeconomic indicators, has the worst indicators in Europe [6, 13]. In the territory of Republika Srpska (RS), one of its two entities, five regions can be distinguished [7]. The Herzegovina region is one of them, which has similar geographical problems throughout the territory. It has an unfavorable structure in all elements of economic and geographical development, and occupies > 1/3 of the territory of the RS where < 1/6 of the total population lives. In the domain of the demographic development of the RS [3], adverse trends are present, characterized by negative growth, very high medial age and uneven population distribution [4]. In the structure of the settlement, the absence of a strong gravitational center is noticed, but there are four sub regional centers [2], which with their demographic and economic strength do not satisfy the needs of the inhabitants of the whole region [11]. The complexity of the overall development of the Herzegovina region is complicated by inadequate economic activity and the level of infrastructure development. Based on these remarks, it is evident that the Herzegovina region represents a kind of paradigm of development throughout BiH.