Bosnia and Herzegovina: after all, did it or didn't it?

Bosnia and Herzegovina, the now conflicting country in the Balkans, now seems to be troubled by a provocation that even in the most hypothetical scenarios would be of concern to Brazilians. You may have come across this meme that roams around the world teasing the coastal bank between Croatia and Bosnia. If this is not the case, understand the story.

The image below shows the map of the Balkan peninsula and emphasizes the Croatian coastline that practically blocks access to the sea for the Bosnians. The joke is like Bosnians asking, "We want to swim." And the Croats answering "No".

The controversy is due to the country's coastal area, whose years of conflict since the days of the Ottoman empire have left access to the sea virtually nonexistent. In fact, if we do not look closely, it goes unnoticed.

Bosnia is surrounded in the southeastern part by Serbia, in the southernmost part it borders Montenegro and in the northern and western parts with Croatia, which literally takes care of the sea coast in this portion of the Adriatic Sea. However, the Bosnians were even furious to realize that most people are unaware of the only connection they have to the sea.

It is the Neum Corridor, with its precious 20 kilometers long. This narrow passage that guarantees the Bosnians beach, shade and fresh water seems to be lacking for the people of the country. The second smallest coastal area in the world, second only to Monaco, is a place with different resorts and tourist attractions.

Old Conflicts

The story of this piece of land, once part of a treaty between the Ottoman empire and the Venetians, came in the 17th century, when Dubrovnik, then an independent city-state, wanted to distance itself from the Turkish war that had broken out in the region, and to not being devastated by being situated in the middle of the conflict, eventually yielding this piece of land with access to the sea. This area that was dominated by the Ottomans later became part of Yugoslavia and today we know it as Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Comparing garlic with bugalhos

To give you an idea, Brazil ranks 16th on the list of countries with the largest coastal areas in the world. There are more than 7, 000 kilometers of coastline in our country, and to clearly understand the tiny size of the Balkan beach, just remember that, from Leme to Pontal (Rio de Janeiro) alone, there are more than 50 kilometers of beach.

Since we are talking about this side of the globe, only Chile, with its far-reaching topography, is still lacking in wanting to wave the king of the Pacific, as it dominates much of Southwestern South America, blocking access. from Argentina and Bolivia to the ocean. In the case of the latter, the discussion is historical, and even today they try to find a breach there.

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