Bosnia and Herzegovina
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Geography
Area: 51,129 sq. km, slightly smaller than West Virginia.
Cities: Capital--Sarajevo (est. pop 387,876); Banja Luka (220,407);
Mostar (208,904); Tuzla (118,500); Bihac (49,544).
Terrain: Mountains in the central and southern regions, plains
along the Sava River in the north.
Climate: Hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation
have short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy
winters in the southeast.
People
Nationalities: Bosniak (Muslim), Bosnian Croat, Bosnian Serb.
Population (July 2004 est.): 4,007,608 (note: all data dealing
with population are subject to considerable error because of the
dislocations caused by military action and ethnic cleansing).
Population growth rate (2004 est.): 0.45%.
Ethnic groups: Bosniak 48.3%, Serb 34.0%, Croat 15.4%, others
2.3%. (Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2002--Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Religions: Muslim (40%); Orthodox (31%); Catholic (15%); Protestant
(4%); other (10%).
Languages: Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian (formerly "Serbo-Croatian").
Education: Mandatory 8 years of primary school, 4 years in secondary
school, and 4 years in universities and academies. In Bosnia and
Herzegovina, there are 407 primary schools with 250,000 students,
171 secondary schools with 80,000 students, 7 universities in
the major cities (Sarajevo, Mostar, Banja Luka, Tuzla, Bihac,
and Foca) and 6 academies (4 pedagogic and 2 art academies).
Education: Adult literacy rate--male 94.1%, female 78.0%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--(2005 est.) 21.05 deaths/1,000
live births. Life expectancy (2005 est.)--male 70.09, female 75.8.
Work force (2001 est.): 1.026 million.
Government
Type: Parliamentary democracy.
Constitution: The Dayton Agreement, signed December 14, 1995,
included a new constitution now in force.
Independence: April 1992 (from Yugoslavia).
Branches: Executive--Chairman of the Presidency and two other
members of three-member rotating presidency (chief of state),
Chairman of the Council of Ministers (head of government), Council
of Ministers (cabinet). Legislative--bicameral parliamentary assembly,
consisting of national House of Representatives and House of Peoples
(parliament). Judicial--Supreme Court, Constitutional Court, both
supervised by the Ministry of Justice.
Subdivisions: Two entities: Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
(divided into 10 cantons) and Republika Srpska. In accordance
with Annex 2, Article V, of the Dayton Peace Agreement that left
the unresolved status of Brcko subject to binding international
arbitration, an Arbitration Tribunal was formed in mid-1996. On
March 5, 1999, the Tribunal issued its Final Award. The Final
Award established a special District for the entire pre-war Brcko
Opstina, under the exclusive sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The territory of the District belongs simultaneously to both Entities,
the Republika Srpska and the Federation, in condominium. Therefore,
the territories of the two Entities overlap in the Brcko District.
In accordance with the Final Award, the District is self-governing
and has a single, unitary, multiethnic, democratic Government;
a unified and multiethnic police force operating under a single
command structure and an independent judiciary. The District Government
exercises, throughout the pre-war Brcko Opstina, those powers
previously exercised by the two Entities and the former three
municipal governments. The Brcko district is demilitarized.
Political parties: Party of Democratic Action (SDA); Croatian
Democratic Union of BiH (HDZ-BiH); Serb Democratic Party (SDS);
Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina (SBiH); Civic Democratic Party
(GDS); Croatian Peasants' Party of BiH (HSS); Alliance of Independent
Social Democrats (SNSD); Liberal Party (LS); Republican Party
of Bosnia and Herzegovina (RS); Serb Civic Council (SGV); Social
Democratic Party (SDP); Socialist Party of Republika Srpska (SPRS);
Social Democrats of Bosnia Herzegovina; Party for Democratic Progress
(PDP); National Democratic Union (DNZ); Democratic Peoples’
Alliance (DNS); Coalition for a United and Democratic BiH (coalition
of SDA, SBiH, LS, and GDS).
Suffrage: Universal at age 18.
Economy
GDP (2004 est., purchasing power parity): $26.21 billion.
GDP real growth rate (2004 est.): 5.0%.
Income per capita (2004 est., purchasing power parity): $6,500
(note: figure heavily depends on the population and does not account
for the gray economy).
Inflation rate (2004 est.): 1.1%.
Natural resources: Hydropower, coal, iron ore, bauxite, manganese,
forests, copper, chromium, lead, zinc, cobalt, nickel, clay, gypsum,
salt, sand, forests.
Agriculture: Products--wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables, livestock.
Industry: Types--steel, minerals, vehicle assembly, textiles,
tobacco products, wooden furniture, explosives, munitions, aircraft
repair, domestic appliances, oil refining.
Trade (2004): Exports--$1.7 billion f.o.b.
PEOPLE AND HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
The three main ethnic groups in present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina
are Bosniak, Serb, and Croat, and languages are Bosnian, Serbian,
and Croatian (formerly "Serbo-Croatian"). Nationalities
are Bosniak (Muslim), Bosnian Serb, and Bosnian Croat. Religions
include Islam, Serb Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Judaism, some
Protestant sects, and some others.
For the first centuries of the Christian era, Bosnia
was part of the Roman Empire. After the fall of Rome, Bosnia was
contested by Byzantium and Rome's successors in the west. Slavs
settled the region in the 7th century, and the kingdoms of Serbia
and Croatia split control of Bosnia in the 9th century. The 11th
and 12th centuries saw the rule of the region by the kingdom of
Hungary. The medieval kingdom of Bosnia gained its independence
around 1200 A.D. Bosnia remained independent until 1463, when
Ottoman Turks conquered the region.
During Ottoman rule, many Bosnians converted from
Christianity in favor of Islam. Bosnia was under Ottoman rule
until 1878, when it was given to Austria-Hungary as a colony.
While those living in Bosnia came under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire, South Slavs in Serbia and elsewhere were calling for a
South Slav state. World War I began when Serb nationalist Gavrilo
Princip assassinated the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo.
Following the Great War, Bosnia became part of the South Slav
state of Yugoslavia, only to be given to Nazi-puppet Croatia in
World War II. During this period, many atrocities were committed
against Jews, Serbs, and others who resisted the occupation. The
Cold War saw the establishment of the Communist Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia under Josip Broz Tito, and the reestablishment of
Bosnia as a republic with its medieval borders within the federation
of Yugoslavia.
Yugoslavia's unraveling was hastened by the rise
of Slobodan Milosevic to power in 1986. Milosevic's embrace of
Serb nationalism led to intrastate ethnic strife. Slovenia and
Croatia both declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. In
February 1992, the Bosnian Government held a referendum on independence.
Bosnia's parliament declared the republic's independence on April
5, 1992. However, this move was opposed by Serb representatives,
who favored remaining in Yugoslavia. Bosnian Serbs, supported
by neighboring Serbia, responded with armed force in an effort
to partition the republic along ethnic lines to create a "greater
Serbia." Full recognition of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s
independence by the United States and most European countries
occurred on April 7, and Bosnia and Herzegovina was admitted to
the United Nations on May 22, 1992.
In March 1994, Muslims and Croats in Bosnia signed
an agreement creating the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This narrowed the field of warring parties down to two. The conflict
continued through most of 1995, ending with the Dayton Peace Agreement,
signed on November 21, 1995 (the final version was signed December
14, 1995 in Paris). Bosnia and Herzegovina today consists of two
entities -- the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is
largely Bosniak and Croat, and the Republika Srpska, which is
primarily Serb. In July 2000, the Constitutional Court of Bosnia
and Herzegovina rendered a decision whereby Bosniaks, Croats,
and Serbs are recognized as constituent people throughout the
territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In March 2002, this decision
was formally recognized and agreed by the major political parties
in both Entities.
The most recent national elections took place in
October 2002, electing new state presidency members, entity governments,
and State, Entity and cantonal parliaments. The three main nationalist
parties (SDA, HDZ and SDS, obtained the most votes among their
respective ethnic groups and have, together with coalition members,
formed governments at both the State and Entity levels. The next
national elections are scheduled for October 2006. Bosnia and
Herzegovina introduced the direct election of mayors at regional
and municipal elections held in October 2004.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
General Government Framework Information and Information
Regarding the President and the Cabinet. Under the provisions
of the Dayton Peace Accords, the entities have competencies in
areas such as finance, taxation, business development, and general
legislation. Entities and cantons control their own budgets, spending
on infrastructure, health care, and education. Ongoing reforms
have led to the creation of a state-level Indirect Taxation Authority
(ITA) that will be responsible for the introduction and implementation
of a state-wide value-added tax (VAT) in 2006, revenues from which
will fund the governments of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina
as well as the two entities. Customs, which had been collected
by agencies of the two entities, will now be collected by a new
single state customs service. Draft defense legislation is under
consideration by the state and entity parliaments that would create
a single, multi-ethnic military under state-level command and
control and eliminate the previous entity-based institutions.
Presidency. The Presidency in Bosnia and Herzegovina
rotates among three members (Bosniak, Serb, Croat), each elected
for a 4-year term. The three members of the Presidency are directly
elected (the Federation votes for the Bosniak/Croat, and the Republika
Srpska for the Serb).
The Presidency is responsible for:
Conducting the foreign policy of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
Appointing ambassadors and other international representatives,
no more than two-thirds of whom may come from the Federation;
Representing Bosnia and Herzegovina in European and international
organizations and institutions and seeking membership in such
organizations and institutions of which it is not a member;
Negotiating, denouncing, and, with the consent of the Parliamentary
Assembly, ratifying treaties of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
Executing decisions of the Parliamentary Assembly;
Proposing, upon the recommendation of the Council of Ministers,
an annual budget to the Parliamentary Assembly;
Reporting as requested, but no less than annually, to the Parliamentary
Assembly on expenditures by the Presidency;
Coordinating as necessary with international and non-governmental
organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
Exercising command and control over the Armed Forces of Bosnia
and Herzegovina in peacetime, crises, and war, and;
Performing such other functions as may be necessary to carry out
its duties, as may be assigned to it by the Parliamentary Assembly,
or as may be agreed by the Entities.
The Chair of the Council of Ministers is nominated by the Presidency
and approved by the House of Representatives. He is then responsible
for appointing a Foreign Minister, Minister of Defense, Minister
of Foreign Trade, and others as appropriate. The Council is responsible
for carrying out the policies and decisions in the fields of defense,
intelligence, foreign policy; foreign trade policy; customs policy;
monetary policy; finances of the institutions and for the international
obligations of Bosnia and Herzegovina; immigration, refugee, and
asylum policy and regulation; international and inter-Entity criminal
law enforcement, including relations with Interpol; establishment
and operation of common and international communications facilities;
regulation of inter-Entity transportation; air traffic control;
facilitation of inter-Entity coordination; and other matters as
agreed by the Entities.
Legislature. The Parliamentary Assembly is the lawmaking
body in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It consists of two houses: the
House of Peoples and the House of Representatives.
The House of Peoples includes 15 delegates, two-thirds
of whom come from the Federation (5 Croats and 5 Bosniaks) and
one-third from the Republika Srpska (5 Serbs). Nine members of
the House of Peoples constitutes a quorum, provided that at least
three delegates from each group are present. Federation representatives
are selected by the House of Peoples of the Federation, and Republika
Srpska representatives are selected by the Republika Srpska National
Assembly.
The House of Representatives is comprised of 42
members, two-thirds elected from the Federation and one-third
elected from the Republika Srpska. Federation representatives
are elected directly by the voters of the Federation, and Republika
Srpska representatives are directly elected by Republika Srpska
voters.
The Parliamentary Assembly is responsible for enacting
legislation as necessary to implement decisions of the Presidency
or to carry out the responsibilities of the Assembly under the
constitution; deciding upon the sources and amounts of revenues
for the operations of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina
and international obligations of Bosnia and Herzegovina; approving
a budget for the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina; and deciding
whether to consent to the ratification of treaties.
Judiciary. The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and
Herzegovina is the supreme, final arbiter of legal matters. It
is composed of nine members: four are selected by the House of
Representatives of the Federation, two by the Assembly of the
Republika Srpska, and three by the President of the European Court
of Human Rights after consultation with the Presidency. The Constitutional
Court's original jurisdiction lies in deciding any constitutional
dispute that arises between the Entities or between Bosnia and
Herzegovina and an Entity or Entities. The Court also has appellate
jurisdiction within the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Both
the Federation and the Republika Srpska government have established
lower court systems for their territories.
Principal Government Officials
State Level
Tri-Presidency--Ivo Miro Jovic (Bosnian Croat and current Chairman),
Borislav Paravac (Bosnian Serb), Sulejman Tihic (Bosniak)
Chairman of the Council of Ministers--Adnan Terzic
Council of Ministers
Foreign Affairs--Mladen Ivanic
Deputy--Anton Rill
Defense--Nikola Radovanovic
Deputy--Enes Beserbasic
Deputy--Marina Pendes
Foreign Trade and Economic Relations--Dragan Doko
Deputy--Slobodan Acimovic (proposed, but not yet confirmed)
Treasury--Ljerka Maric
Deputy--Jusuf Kumalic
Civil Works and Communications--Safet Halilovic
Deputy--Zoran Tesanovic
Human Right and Refugees--Mirsad Kebo
Deputy--Ivica Marinovic
Security--Barisa Colak
Deputy--Dragan Mektic
Justice--Slobodan Kovac
Deputy--Niko Grubisic
Transport and Communications--Branko Dokic
Deputy--Haris Basic
BIH Parliament--House of Representatives
Speaker-- Nikola Spiric (Bosnian Serb)
Deputy Speaker--Martin Raguz (Bosnian Croat)
Deputy Speaker--Sefik Dzaferovic (Bosniak)
BIH Parliament--House of Peoples
Speaker--Goran Milojevic (Serb)
Deputy Speaker--Mustafa Pamuk (Bosniak)
Deputy Speaker--Velimir Jukic (Croat)
Federation
President--Niko Lozancic (Croat)
Vice President--Sahbaz Dzihanovic (Bosniak)
Vice President--Desnica Radivojevic (Serb)
Prime Minister--Ahmet Hadzipasic
Deputy Prime Minister--Dragan Vrankic
Deputy Prime Minister--Gavrilo Grahovac
Federation Government
Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry--Marinko Bozic
Defense--Miroslav Nikolic
Development and Entrepreneurship--Mladen Cabrilo
Education, Science, Culture, and Sports--Gavrilo Grahovac (also
Deputy Prime Minister)
Energy, Mining, and Industry--Izet Zigic
Finance--Dragan Vrankic (also Deputy Prime Minister)
Health--Tomo Lucic
Interior--Mevludin Halilovic
Justice--Borjana Kristo
Refugees and Displaced Persons--Edin Music
Social Welfare and Labor--Radovan Vignjevic
Trade--Maid Ljubovic
Transport and Communications--Nedzad Brankovic
Urban Planning and Environmental Protection--Ramiz Mehmedagic
War Veteran Affairs--Zahid Crnkic (nominated, pending confirmation)
Federation Parliament--House of Representatives
(42 members)
Speaker--Muhamed Ibrahimovic (Bosniak)
Deputy Speaker--Josip Merdzo (Croat)
Deputy Speaker--Dusanka Pecanac (Serb)
Federation Parliament--House of Peoples (15 Members)
Speaker--Slavko Matic (Croat)
Deputy Speaker--Vahid Heco (Bosniak)
Deputy Speaker--Spomenka Micic (Serb)
Republika Srpska
President--Dragan Cavic (Serb)
Vice President--Adil Osmanovic (Bosniak)
Vice President--Ivan Tomljenovic (Croat)
Prime Minister--Pero Bukejlovic
National Assembly (83 members)
Speaker--Dusan Stojicic
Deputy Speaker--Sefket Hafizovic
Deputy Speaker--Tomislav Tomljanovic
Ministers
Governance and Local Self-Governance--Zdenka Abazagic
Defense--Milovan Stankovic
Education and Culture--Milovan Pecelj
Economy, Energy and Development--Miladin Gligoric
Foreign Economic Relations--Jasmin Seferovic
Finance--Svetlana Cenic
Health and Social Policy--Ivo Komljenovic
Interior-- Darko Matijasevic
Justice--Dzerard Salman
Refugee Affairs--Jasmin Samardzic
Science and Technology--Fuad Turalic
Trade and Tourism--Boris Gaspar
Transport and Communications--Dragoje Lajic
Urban Planning, Utilities, Environment--Muhamed Lisic
Labor and War Veterans Issues--Miodrag Deretic
Water Resources and Forestry (Agriculture)--Goran Perkovic
Bosnia and Herzegovina maintains an embassy in the United States
at 2109 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 (tel.: 202-337-1500;
fax: 202-337-1502).
ECONOMY
Next to Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina was the poorest republic
in the old Yugoslav Federation. For the most part, agriculture
has been in private hands, but farms have been small and inefficient,
and food has traditionally been a net import for the country.
Industry still is greatly overstaffed, reflecting the legacy of
the centrally-planned economy. Under Tito, military industries
were pushed in the republic; Bosnia hosted a large share of Yugoslavia's
defense plants. Three years of interethnic strife destroyed the
economy and infrastructure in Bosnia, caused the death of about
200,000 people, and displaced half of the population.
Considerable progress has been made since peace
was reestablished. Due to Bosnia and Herzegovina's strict currency
board regime, which links the Konvertibilna Marka (BAM) to the
Euro, inflation has remained low. However, growth has been uneven,
with the Federation outpacing the Republika Srpska. Bosnia and
Herzegovina's most immediate task remains economic revitalization.
In order to do this fully, the environment must be conducive to
a private sector, market-led economy. Privatization has been slow,
and unemployment remains high. Restructuring of BiH’s domestic
debt (estimated at over 2000% of GDP) is imperative. Bosnia and
Herzegovina also faces the challenge of implementing a significantly
new tax reform, by introduction of a Value-Added Tax (VAT) in
2006.
BiH’s top economic priorities are: acceleration
of EU integration by concluding a Stabilization and Association
Agreement (SAA); strengthening the fiscal system; public administration
reform; World Trade Organization (WTO) membership; and securing
economic growth by fostering a dynamic, competitive private sector.
To date, work on these priorities has been inconsistent and not
in line with milestones. The country has received a substantial
amount of foreign assistance but must prepare for declining assistance
flows in the future.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
The implementation of the Dayton Accords of 1995 has focused the
efforts of policymakers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as
the international community, on regional stabilization in the
former Yugoslavia. However, with the efforts to bring peace in
Kosovo and Macedonia, donor resources for Bosnia and Herzegovina
have diminished. Bosnia and Herzegovina's relations with its neighbors
Croatia, Albania, and Serbia have been fairly stable since the
signing of Dayton in 1995. The U.S. role in the Dayton Accords
and their implementation has been key to successes in Bosnia and
Herzegovina. Since the Dayton Accords were signed, over $14 billion
in foreign aid has moved into Bosnia and Herzegovina, approximately
$940 million of it coming from SEED funds. As stated above, this
support has been key to the growth and revitalization of the economy
and infrastructure in the republic. In addition to SEED funding,
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programs have
been crucial to the redevelopment of Bosnia and Herzegovina. USAID
has programming in the following areas: economic policy reform
and restructuring; private sector development (the Business Development
Program); infrastructure rebuilding; democratic reforms in the
media, political process and elections, and rule of law/legal
code formulation; and training programs for women and diplomats.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a member of the United Nations (1992);
International Monetary Fund (IMF) (1992), World Bank (1995), Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) (1992); and the
Council of Europe (2002). It also participates in regional cooperation
through the Stability Pact, Central-European Initiative (CEI),
Southeast Europe Co-operation Initiative (SECI), Southeast Europe
Co-operation Process (SEECP), Adriatic-Ionic Initiative (AII)
and others.
U.S.-BOSNIAN RELATIONS
The 1992-95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina was ended with the crucial
participation of the United States in brokering the 1995 Dayton
Accords. After leading the diplomatic and military effort to secure
the Dayton agreement, the United States has continued to lead
the effort to ensure its implementation. U.S. troops participate
in the Bosnia Peacekeeping force (SFOR), and the United States
has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to help with reconstruction,
humanitarian assistance, economic development, and military reconstruction
in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) has played a large role in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina,
including programs in economic development and reform, democratic
reform (media, elections), infrastructure development, and training
programs for Bosnian professionals, among others. Additionally,
there are many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that have
likewise played significant roles in the reconstruction.
Principal U.S. Embassy Officials
Ambassador--Douglas McElhaney
Deputy Chief of Mission--Tina Kaidanow
Political Counselor--Barbara Leaf
Economic Counselor--Chever Voltmer
Consular Counselor--Kirk Smith
Management Officer--Dorothy Sarro
Public Affairs Officer--Gerald McLoughlin
USAID--Howard Sumka
The U.S. Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina is at
Alipašina 43, 71000 Sarajevo (tel.: 387-33-445-700; fax:
387-33-659-722).
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program provides
Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings, and Public Announcements.
Consular Information Sheets exist for all countries and include
information on entry requirements, currency regulations, health
conditions, areas of instability, crime and security, political
disturbances, and the addresses of the U.S. posts in the country.
Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends
that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. Public Announcements
are issued as a means to disseminate information quickly about
terrorist threats and other relatively short-term conditions overseas
that pose significant risks to the security of American travelers.
Free copies of this information are available by calling the Bureau
of Consular Affairs at 202-647-5225 or via the fax-on-demand system:
202-647-3000. Consular Information Sheets and Travel Warnings
also are available on the Consular Affairs Internet home page:
http://travel.state.gov. Consular Affairs Tips for Travelers publication
series, which contain information on obtaining passports and planning
a safe trip abroad, are on the Internet and hard copies can be
purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government
Printing Office, telephone: 202-512-1800; fax 202-512-2250.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling
abroad may be obtained from the Office of Overseas Citizens Services
at (202) 647-5225. For after-hours emergencies, Sundays and holidays,
call 202-647-4000.
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC)
is the U.S. Department of State's single, centralized public contact
center for U.S. passport information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT
(1-877-487-2778). Customer service representatives and operators
for TDD/TTY are available Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.,
Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information
with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta,
Georgia. A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site
at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm give the most recent health
advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements, and
advice on food and drinking water safety for regions and countries.
A booklet entitled Health Information for International Travel
(HHS publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800.
Information on travel conditions, visa requirements,
currency and customs regulations, legal holidays, and other items
of interest to travelers also may be obtained before your departure
from a country's embassy and/or consulates in the U.S. (for this
country, see "Principal Government Officials" listing
in this publication).
U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling
in dangerous areas are encouraged to register their travel via
the State Department’s travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov
or at the Consular section of the U.S. embassy upon arrival in
a country by filling out a short form and sending in a copy of
their passports. This may help family members contact you in case
of an emergency.
Further Electronic Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at http://www.state.gov,
the Department of State web site provides timely, global access
to official U.S. foreign policy information, including Background
Notes and daily press briefings along with the directory of key
officers of Foreign Service posts and more.
Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related
assistance and market information offered by the federal government
and provides trade leads, free export counseling, help with the
export process, and more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department
of Commerce, provides authoritative economic, business, and international
trade information from the Federal government. The site includes
current and historical trade-related releases, international market
research, trade opportunities, and country analysis and provides
access to the National Trade Data Bank.
