East Herzegovina

East Herzegovina (Serbo-Croatian: Istočna Hercegovina; Serbian Cyrillic: Источна Херцеговина) is the east part of the historical Herzegovina region (i.e. of Duchy of Saint Sava and Sanjak of Herzegovina), located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, east of the Neretva river, Major towns are Trebinje, Nevesinje, Foča and Bileća, located in Republika Srpska, predominantly inhabited by ethnic Serbs (see Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina). West Herzegovina is west of the Neretva river, and is today administratively part of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton and West Herzegovina Canton, predominantly inhabited by ethnic Croats. The eastern parts of historical Herzegovina lie in Montenegro, in so-called "Old Herzegovina", which became part of the Principality of Montenegro in 1878. In 1991, local ethnic Serbs of the region declared the territory of SAO East Herzegovina independent and joined other Serb territories into Republika Srpska by 1992. The meso-region has since been named Trebinje Region (Regija Trebinje/Регија Требиње).

Herzegovina

Herzegovina (/ˌhɛərtsᵻˈɡoʊvᵻnə/ or /ˌhɜːrtsəɡoʊˈviːnə/;Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: Hercegovina, Херцеговина, [xɛ̌rtsɛɡov̞ina]) is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the southwest, Montenegro to the east, Mount Maglić to the northeast, and Mount Ivan to the north. Measurements of the area range from 11,419 km² (4,409 sq mi), or around 22% of the total area of the present-day country, to 12,276 km² (4,740 sq mi), around 24% of the country.

The name Herzegovina means "duke's land", referring to the medieval duchy of Stjepan Vukčić Kosača who took title "Herzeg of Saint Sava". Herceg is derived from the German title Herzog.

Geography

The terrain of Herzegovina is mostly hilly karst with high mountains in the north such as Čvrsnica and Prenj, except for the central valley of the river Neretva River. The largest city is Mostar, in the center of the region. Other larger towns include Trebinje, Stolac, Široki Brijeg, Konjic, and Čapljina. Borders between Bosnia and Herzegovina are unclear and often disputed.