Republika Srpska

Republika Srpska (Serbian Cyrillic: Република Српска [repǔblika sr̩̂pskaː] ; lit. 'Serb Republic'), or the Republic of Srpska, is one of the two political "entities" of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Situated in the northern and eastern regions of the country, it recorded a population of 1,228,423 in the 2013 census. Its administrative centre and largest city is Banja Luka, located on the banks of the Vrbas River. Republika Srpska was established in 1992 at the onset of the Bosnian War with the stated purpose of safeguarding the interests of the Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the conflict, a majority of Croats and Bosniaks were expelled from territories controlled by Republika Srpska, while the majority of Serbs were displaced or expelled from the present-day Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Republika Srpska. The 1995 Dayton Agreement created Republika Srpska as one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's two constituent entities. Today, it is inhabited by most of the Serb population of the country. Republika Srpska enjoys one of the broadest sets of prerogatives and competencies of any subnational entity in Europe, with powers that in many respects resemble those of a sovereign state rather than a purely subnational entity. It operates under a parliamentary system, with legislative power vested in the National Assembly, which comprises 83 seats. Republika Srpska is administratively divided into 64 municipalities, known as opštine (singular: opština).