Banja Luka is the largest city of the Republika Srpska entity and second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the capital Sarajevo. The city lies on the River Vrbas and is well known in the countries of the former Yugoslavia for being full of tree-lined avenues, boulevards, gardens, and parks. According to the 2013 census the City of Banja Luka, has 185,042 inhabitants.

Banja Luka has a moderate humid subtropical climate which borders a humid continental climate, with cold winters and warm summers. The warmest month of the year is July, with an average temperature of 21.3 °C. The coldest month of the year is January, when temperatures average near freezing at 0.8 °C.

Due to its long history, Banja Luka is rich in culture. There are several museums including the Museum of Bosanska Krajina, the Ethnographic Museum established in 1930, and the Museum of Modern Art of Republika Srpska which is also called MSURS the Museum of Contemporary Art. Banja Luka is also the home of the national theatre and library, both dating from the first half of the 20th century, and of numerous other theatres. The headquarters of the Archives of Republika Srpska is situated in the building known as Carska kuća or Imperial House, build around 1880. It has been in continuous public use longer than any other structure in Banja Luka.

The natural beauties of the surrounding area guarantee the city of Banja Luka a good position in tourism. he city and surrounding area boast a number of popular tourist attractions. Among the most famous are the pools, thermal springs, and spas in the region. Due to its parks and over 10 000 trees Banja Luka was once nicknamed the "Green City".

Since ancient times, Makarska has been the center of the Makarska Littoral, administrative, political, economic, cultural and educational, and since the mid-20th century. st. and touristic. Today it is a city with more than 15 thousand inhabitants, which also includes picturesque settlements under Biokovo, Veliko Brdo, Puharići, Kotišina and Makar, from which came the name Makarska. Makarska is one of the most famous tourist destinations on the Croatian coast, attractive due to its natural and climatic characteristics, diverse tourist offer and hospitable hosts.

Makarska is located at the foot of the Biokovo mountain massif (1762 m), which protects from the penetration of the continental climate and has lush Mediterranean vegetation, mild winters, long and warm summers with a refreshing maestral. The sun is shining for more than 2750 hours a year with an air temperature of more than 20 ° C from June to September, and the clear sea from June to October has a temperature above 20 ° C.

The city of Makarska occupies a central position in the Makarska Littoral, not only because of geographical location, but primarily because of the economic and social factors that made this city the second largest economic and demographic framework of Central Dalmatia (right after Split), which is why Makarsko in the last time is increasingly using the name Makarska Riviera.