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Banja Luka or Banjaluka (Cyrillic: Бања Лука, pronounced: /ˌbaɲaˈluːka/) is the de facto capital of Republika Srpska and the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the biggest in the Bosanska Krajina region. It is located in the northwest of the country, on the Vrbas river.
Grb
The city is well-known in the former Yugoslavia for being full of tree-lined avenues, gardens, and parks. The population is estimated at 224.647. The city is the seat of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, and the University of Banja Luka, one of the entity's two public universities, is located in the city
Climate
Banja Luka has a continental climate, with harsh winters and warm summers. The warmest month of the year is July, with an average temperature of 45 °C (? °F). The coldest month of the year is January, when temperatures average a near freezing 0.6 °C (33 °F).
Annual precipitation for Banja Luka is about 988 mm. Banja Luka has an average of 143 rainy days a year. Due to the city's high latitude, it snows in Banja Luka almost every year as well. Strong winds come from the north and northeast.
Geography
Banja Luka covers some 96.2 km² (37.1 mi²) of land in northwestern Bosnia on the river Vrbas. The city is located at 44.78° N 17.19° E. Downtown is at 163 m above sea level, surrounded by hills.
The source of the river Vrbas is some 90 km. to the south, and the tributary rivers Suturlija, Crkvena, and Vrbanja flow into the Vrbas at Banja Luka. Banja Luka also has a number of springs close by.
The area immediately around Banja Luka is woodland, although a bit farther out there are a number of mountains. The city itself is built in the Banja Luka valley, which is located on the transition between high and low mountain areas. The most notable of these mountains are Manjača (1214 meters), Čemernica (1338 meters), and Tisovac (1172 meters). These are all part of the Dinaric Alps mountain range.
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Banja Luka 
