Bosnian Podrinje Canton

Bosnian Podrinje Canton exemplifies how post-conflict administrative design fragments an already small territory. With capital Goražde and population under 25,000, this eastern canton represents the smallest of the Federation's ten cantons—a governmental unit created by the Dayton Agreement's ethnic mapping rather than economic logic. The canton exists because Goražde's Bosniak population survived the 1992-95 war as an enclave, requiring post-war administrative recognition.

The economy remains underdeveloped, constrained by mountainous terrain, small population base, and distance from major markets. Manufacturing that existed during Yugoslav times has largely collapsed, leaving public sector employment and remittances as primary income sources. The Drina River, which gives the canton its name (Podrinje means 'along the Drina'), forms the border with Serbia—a boundary that was a front line during the war.

Path dependence from conflict shapes contemporary possibilities. The enclave mentality that ensured survival now limits economic integration with neighboring regions. Cross-border trade with Serbia remains underdeveloped despite geographic proximity, while connections to the rest of the Federation require traversing Republika Srpska territory. This isolation creates classic founder effects: the population that remained after war-time displacement defines current demographics and political orientation.