The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, colloquially known as Bosnia and Herzegovina (Serbo-Croatian: Босне и Херцеговине, Bosne i Hercegovine) or simply Bosnia (Босна, Bosna), is a sovereign state located in the Balkans region of Southern Europe. The nation has a varying history, acting as a buffer state (of sorts) between Europe and the Ottoman Empire. Following World War I, the region became part of Yugoslavia, which it remained until 1992 when Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence. Efforts to keep the nation peaceful and unified turned into an international mission during the 1990s, though internal fighting between the three main peoples (Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs) did take place during this period. Fighting on the scale in Croatia and Yugoslavia remained limited within Bosn