Posavina Canton

Posavina Canton occupies the narrow Sava River corridor in northern Bosnia, its very existence reflecting Dayton's ethnic gerrymandering. The canton—predominantly Croat—stretches along the Croatian border without natural geographic coherence, created to provide Federation access to fertile lowlands that would otherwise belong entirely to Republika Srpska. This artificial shape constrains administrative efficiency while serving ethnic representation goals.

Agriculture dominates in ways unusual for Bosnia's mountainous geography. The Sava floodplain offers flat, fertile land suitable for grain and vegetable production. Proximity to Croatian markets provides outlets for agricultural surplus, while the Sava itself (when properly managed) enables barge transport to Danube destinations. However, flooding risk requires infrastructure investment that the small canton struggles to fund independently.

Population decline threatens viability. Young people emigrate toward Croatian opportunities just across the border, leaving an aging population that cannot sustain public services. This source-sink dynamic—exporting human capital while importing remittances—mirrors patterns across Bosnia but intensifies in border regions where alternative destinations are walking distance away. Whether Posavina can develop sufficient economic base to retain population, or whether it gradually empties toward Croatian integration, remains the existential question.