Bosnia and Herzegovina, commonly known as Bosnia today situated in Southeast Europe on the Balkan Peninsula has its history going way back to the time of Roman conquest in the first and second centuries B.C. It is told to have had a permanent settlement since the neolithic age.
In the sixth century, the area of Bosnia became a part of the Byzantine Empire and the area of Herzegovina came to being in 1448, joining Bosnia later that century under Turkish rule.
After the 1887 Russo-Turkish war they were brought under Austria-Hungary rule.
The series of events that followed, World War I and the collapse of Austria-Hungary led to Bosnia–Herzegovina falling into the hands of Serbia. During World War II, Bosnia- Herzegovina was incorporated into pro-Hitler Croatia and later became one of six member states of Yugoslavia.
Bosnia- Herzegovina is diverse, made up of a mix of Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats, and people of other ethnicities who follow a mix of Muslim, Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and other faiths. In 1991 Bosniaks and Croats voted for independence from Yugoslavia and to free themselves from Serbian rule. War lasted for several years in the country leading to millions being displaced. All this despite the international recognition of the vote. In 1995 the Dayton Agreement was made. This US-brokered agreement today has not helped much at least politically. It has instead left the country with two independent regions, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Serb Republic of Bosnia Herzegovina, a complicated and politically fractured system.