The Municipality of Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje, with an area of 395.95 km², is situated in the upper course of the Vrbas River and administratively belongs to the Central Bosnia Canton, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
To the northwest, it borders the municipality of Bugojno; to the north and northeast, Novi Travnik; to the east, Fojnica; to the south, Prozor-Rama and Konjic; and to the west, Kupres. The altitude range of the municipality extends from 610 meters (near Humac in the Skopaljska Valley) up to 2112 meters (Nadkrstac, the highest peak of Vranica).
According to its astronomical and geographical position, the Municipality of Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje is located in the Northern Hemisphere, within the geographic coordinates of 43° 49′ to 44° 02′ north latitude and 17° 26′ to 17° 50′ east longitude. The geographic coordinates of the municipal center of Gornji Vakuf–Uskoplje are 43° 56′ north latitude and 17° 35′ east longitude.
Geological Structure of the Terrain
The geological structure of the Municipality of Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje is relatively simple. East of the Voljevac–Vrbas fault, Silurian-Devonian formations dominate, followed by Upper Permian formations. Besides Silurian-Devonian schists, Devonian limestones and acidic magmatic rocks are also present. The Upper Permian deposits form a transition toward the western area of the mentioned fault, where Triassic limestones and dolomites prevail.
The municipality contains numerous mineral deposits. The Gračanica lignite mine is located on the right bank of the Vrbas in the settlement of Rosulje. Lignite is extracted from the Dimnjače deposit with reserves of 12,095,012 tons. Part of the Radovan magnetite deposit lies northeast of Bojska; gypsum deposits occur in the areas of Bistrica and Voljice. The Bistrica deposit holds reserves of 3,211,541 tons. Barite deposits appear on Dobruška Vranica and in the localities of Baška and Oštrika in the north of the municipality, while smaller barite occurrences are present at Sabljine Pećine, Grnica, and Smrdivode. Lead mineralizations occur in Mačkare, Mračaj, Cvrče, Kulentaš, Valica, and Borove Ravni. Deposits of tetrahedrite are also found in Mačkare, Dobrošin, Seoci, and Borove Ravni.
In the wider Smrčevica area, at the far east of the municipality, three active quartzite deposits exist. Significant non-metallic mineral resources include limestones and dolomites, with major deposits in Pidriš, Smrčevac near Voljice, Veliki Guser, Suhodol, Lisina, Rog, and elsewhere.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification, most of the municipality belongs to the Cf climate, specifically the Cfb and Cfc subtypes, which denote a temperate warm and humid climate with mild to cool summers. Higher hypsometric levels of Vranica in the east and Raduša in the west have a moderately humid climate with cool summers (Dfb).
The average annual temperature for Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje is 9.3 °C. The warmest month is July with an average temperature of 19.4 °C, while the coldest is January with -0.9 °C. The total annual precipitation amounts to 1064 mm, with November being the wettest month (111 mm).
Hydrography
The entire area of the Municipality belongs to the Vrbas River basin, which flows into the Sava River, part of the Black Sea drainage basin. The most significant tributaries of the Vrbas in this area are Desna, Tuščica, and Trnovača (with Voljišnica) on the left, and Krušćica and Bistrička River on the right. In addition, the Vrbas receives several smaller streams and brooks.
The Vrbas originates from several springs on the Zec Mountain and flows east–west before turning northwest near Voljevac. The river flows through the municipality for 35 kilometers. The average annual discharge of the Vrbas in Gornji Vakuf–Uskoplje is 4.42 m³/s. At the foot of Vranica, in the village of Ždrimci, there are three lakes collectively known as the Ždrimci Lakes. Fault movements created two waterfalls: Crnodol (Ždrimci Waterfall, 29 m high) on the Crndol stream, and the Sikirski Waterfall on the stream of the same name.
Forests
Forest land covers 23,732.25 hectares, or 59.5% of the municipal territory. On Vranica and Raduša, the dominant vegetation consists of beech forests and sessile oak forests at lower elevations, while mixed beech-fir-spruce forests dominate higher altitudes. The highest parts of Raduša are covered by subalpine beech forests and dwarf mountain pine. In Suhodol, fir and spruce forests prevail, while on Vranica, subalpine beech and spruce forests as well as mixed fir-spruce forests can be found. The highest areas of Vranica are covered with dwarf mountain pine. Artificial plantations of alder and willow are mostly located along the Vrbas and its tributaries.
Roads
The most important road running through Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje is the main road M-16.2 Banja Luka–Mostar, spanning about 18 kilometers within the municipality. Additionally, Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje is connected with Travnik and the rest of Central Bosnia by the regional road R-439, expected to be fully asphalted by autumn 2020. A network of local roads, totaling 202.7 kilometers, ensures good connectivity of all local communities and settlements with the municipal center.
Population
According to the 2013 census, the municipality had 20,933 inhabitants, with a population density of 52.86 inhabitants/km². In the 1991 census, the population was 25,181, with a density of 63.59 inhabitants/km². Most of the inhabitants live in the Skopaljska Valley and other expanded valleys of the Vrbas and its tributaries, while the higher-altitude areas are almost uninhabited.
The municipality consists of 52 populated places, of which six are uninhabited (Galičica, Gornja Ričica, Gornji Mračaj, Jelače, Mačkovac, and Šugine Bare).
To learn more about local administration, services, and community updates, visit the official website of the Municipality of Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje.