Vrbaska banovina (Banovina of Vrbas) was a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. Province was named after the river Vrbas and consisted of territory of western Bosnia. Capital city of Vrbaska banovina was Banja Luka. The population in 1931 was 1,037,382. Most numerous were the Orthodox Christians, with 600,529 (58%), then came the Muslims, with 250,265 (24%) and finally the Roman Catholics, with 172,787 (17%). A religious makeup of the region was different from ethnic composition of the region.
In 1941, the Axis Powers occupied Vrbaska banovina; province was abolished and attached to the Independent State of Croatia. The region was part of historical Bosnia and Herzegovina (before 1918) and in 1943 was reintegrated into the present day borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since 1992 most of the region is also part of Republika Srpska (Serb Republic).
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