Šipovo

Šipovo is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the southern part of the Bosanska Krajina region. As of 2013, it has a population of 10,293 inhabitants, while the town of Šipovo has a population of 4,052 inhabitants. The municipality covers an area of , much of which is forested.

The Glogovac monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church is near the town.

The forming of the ground (the pedologic composition of it) and its physical and chemical characteristics are dominantly influenced by the topography, geologic base, climate, and vegetation. Given the aforementioned facts, there are three typical types of grounds in the area: the valley ground, the hill ground, and the mountain ground. In the region of Šipovo, there are the following types of soil: podzoli, smeđa, and to some extent muck (černozem), and flotsam in the valleys of the rivers Pliva and Janj. The diversity of the soil and other elements (like the climate regime and height above sea level) have influenced the diversity of flora and fauna in the region. In the lowest parts, there are deciduous trees (beech and hornbeam), and in the higher parts, there are evergreen trees (spruce, fir, and pine).

The topography of the Šipovo region is mostly formed from sedimentary limestones and dolomite. The areas with limestones are intersected by numerous tectonic fissures on which many forms of valleys were formed, such as the Vaganj, depressions, inlets, pits, and caves. The most famous cave being the Vaganj Cave (, ), 990 metres above sea level, decorated with countless stalactites and stalagmites.

In the geomorphologic sense, Šipovo is a mountainous region whose average height is 800 metres above sea level. In the global climatic sense, Šipovo lies in the moderate continental zone, with certain differences due to variations in altitude, as well as topographic and vegetational elements. Air temperature is the basic climatic element. The average annual temperature is 10˚C, the average summer temperature is 20˚C, and the average winter temperature is around 0˚C. The average annual insolation is 1800 hours, which is five hours per day. The average annual humidity is around 85%. Precipitation is also a very important climatic element. The average amount of annual precipitation is 990 mm. The average number of snowy days is 120, whereas the vegetational period lasts for about 250 days. There are a lot of foggy days in Šipovo. Winds are very often in the southern part of the area (Janjska visoravan) due to the intermixing of the Mediterranean and continental air masses over Janj.

Owing to all these diversities, the inhabitants of the area are given the possibility to engage in various fields of agriculture (farming, fruit growing, cattle breeding, fishing, and apiculture), tourism and so on. Forty eight percent (223.99 km²) of the Šipovo region is covered with forests, thirty three percent (154.8 km²) with meadows and pastures, fourteen percent (66.03 km²) with fields and orchards, and four percent (17.38 km²) with uncultivated land.

Population of settlements – Šipovo municipalitySettlement1971.1981.1991.2013. Total18,03516,15415,75110,2931Čifluk6806822Donji Mujdžići1692003Lužine4583364Pribeljci6172025Sarići6751,3216Šipovo1,3333,5395,1704,0527Todorići3232178Volari5762409Vražić340282

Ethnic composition – Šipovo town2013.1991.1981.1971. Total4,052 (100,0%)5,170 (100,0%)3,539 (100,0%)1,333 (100,0%)Serbs3,828 (74,04%)2,211 (62,48%)659 (49,44%)Bosniaks1,155 (22,34%)1,026 (28,99%)621 (46,59%)Yugoslavs117 (2,263%)239 (6,753%)3 (0,225%)Others56 (1,083%)10 (0,283%)1 (0,075%)Croats14 (0,271%)16 (0,452%)24 (1,800%)Montenegrins15 (0,424%)11 (0,825%)Albanians14 (0,396%)13 (0,975%)Macedonians6 (0,170%)Slovenes1 (0,028%)1 (0,075%)Hungarians1 (0,028%)

Ethnic composition – Šipovo municipality2013.1991.1981.1971. Total10,293 (100,0%)15,579 (100,0%)16,154 (100,0%)18,035 (100,0%)Serbs9,576 (93,03%)12,333 (79,16%)12,844 (79,51%)14,970 (83,01%)Bosniaks628 (6,101%)2,965 (19,03%)2,831 (17,53%)2,952 (16,37%)Others63 (0,612%)95 (0,610%)68 (0,421%)37 (0,205%)Croats26 (0,253%)31 (0,199%)25 (0,155%)35 (0,194%)Yugoslavs155 (0,995%)339 (2,099%)9 (0,050%)Montenegrins23 (0,142%)17 (0,094%)Albanians15 (0,093%)13 (0,072%)Macedonians6 (0,037%)1 (0,006%)Slovenes2 (0,012%)1 (0,006%)Hungarians1 (0,006%)