Hrvatska, officially Republic of Croatia, republic (1995 est. pop. 4.666.000), 21.824 sq mi (56.524 sq km), in the northwest corner of the Balkan Peninsula. Croatia is bounded by Slovenia in the northwest, by Hungary in the northeast, by Serbia in the east, by Bosnia and Hercegovina in the south and east, by Montenegro in the south and by the Adriatic Sea in the west.
Land, People and the Croatian Economy
The republic includes Croatia proper, Slavonia, Dalmatia, and most of Istria. Western Croatia lies in the Dinaric Alps; the eastern part, drained by the Sava and Drava rivers, is mostly low lying and agricultural. The Pannonian plain is the chief farming region. More than one third of Croatia is forested, and lumber is a major export. There are oil fields and deposits of bauxite, copper, and iron ore.
The Croats, who make up some 80% of the population, are Roman Catholic. The Serbs, who belong largely to the Orthodox Church, were the largest minority before the early 1990s. Croats speak Croatian language and use the Latin alphabet. Croatia is, excepting Slovenia, the most industrialized and prosperous of the former republics of Yugoslavia. Tourism, specially along the Adriatic coast, is important to the economy. Severely curtailed during the warfare of the early 1990s, the tourist trade had largely recovered by 2000. By December 2005, the numbers reached 8 million tourists that year.
Government
Croatia is a parliamentary democracy with an elected president who appoints a council of ministers and a prime minister. The legislative branch consists of a unicameral assembly, the Sabor. Croatia is divided into 21 administrative districts.
Quick Facts about Croatia
Croatia extends from the foothills of the Julian Alps in the north-west and the Pannonian Plain in the east, over the Dinara mountain range in its central region, to the Adriatic coast in the south.
Area: 56.542 km2, with an additional 31.067 km2 of territorial waters.
Population: 4.437.460 inhabitants.
Capital: Zagreb with 779.145 inhabitants - the adinistrative, cultural, academic and communication centre of the country.
Currency: Kuna (1 Kuna = 100 Lipa). There are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 Lipa coins, 1, 2, 5 and 25 Kuna coins and 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 Kuna banknotes.
Length of the coast: 5.835 km - including 4.058 km of island, islet and reef coastline. Number of islands, islets and reefs: 1.185. The largest islands are those of Krk and Cres. There are 67 inhabited islands.
The telephone code for Croatia is +385. Time zone: GMT plus one hour in winter and GMT plus two in summer.
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Croatia is one of the sunniest locations in Europe with approximately 260 days of sunshine per year. It has on average 3,000 sunny hours a year! That is out of a possible 4,380 daylight hours in a year!
The Adriatic coast has a Mediterranean climate making it perfect for relaxation. On the coast winters are very mild, rarely falling below 10ºC. One can see lemons on the trees in February! In summer it’s hot but not too hot, the average July temperature being 29 ºC.
Stunning Adriatic coastline with pristine waters, often cited as the finest in Europe. Croatia boasts, with reason, the best drinking water in Europe.
Archipelago of 1,200 islands making it idyllic for sailing.
Rich in culture with world heritage sites. Remains date back to the Roman, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods.
Only a few hours flight from major European cities, thus making it accessible for weekend breaks. Ticket prices are also increasingly becoming more affordable.
Property is still very affordable by western European standards.
Outstanding capital investment (for those who buy now) in the build up to EU entry.
No visa is required for entry into Croatia for bearers of several nationalities. However, it is recommended to check with the nearest Croatian Consulate or Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs before travelling.
Passport or some other internationally recognised identification document is necessary to travel to Croatia. Tourists may remain for up to three months.
No special vaccination is required.
In the past it was the haunt of Edward and Wallis Simpson, Agatha Christie, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor and is now being rediscovered by current celebrities and royalty such as Princess Caroline, Brad Pitt, Prince Charles, Sean Connery, Robert de Niro, Michael Schumacher, Bill Gates (either just visiting or buying their own piece of Croatia) and Bernie Ecclestone who spends most summers in central Dalmatia on his yacht
The Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic sea got its name from an ancient port of the same name. The Adriatic spans from the Balkan to the Apennine peninsula. The part belonging to the Republic of Croatia is the east coast which extends all the way from Prevlaka in the south to cape Savudrija in the west, including all islands, islets and cliffs along the coast, and the archipelago of Palagruza (the number of islands, islets and cliffs is more than 1.700).
This is a unique area in Europe for cruising with motor boats, speedboats, or sailboats, but also for enjoying the underwater world.
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