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Croatia Country Guide
Explore Croatia in Europe
The landscape offers geographically diverse with flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands. The average density of population is approximately 79 per km². The notable climate conditions in Croatia can be described as Mediterranean and continental with continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters and mild winters, dry summers along coast. Potential threats by nature are destructive earthquakes.
To reach someone in Croatia dial +385 prior to a number. There are 1,859,000 installed telephones. And there are 6,035,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".hr". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 230V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Croatia
Three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue - the Pan-Slav colors - superimposed by the Croatian coat of arms; the coat of arms consists of one main shield (a checkerboard of 13 red and 12 silver (white) fields) surmounted by five smaller shields that form a crown over the main shield; the five small shields represent five historic regions, they are (from left to right): Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria, and Slavonia note: the Pan-Slav colors were inspired by the 19th-century flag of Russia.
The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal independent Communist state under the strong hand of Marshal TITO. Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands, along with a majority of Croatia's ethnic Serb population. Under UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998. In April 2009, Croatia joined NATO; Croatia signed the EU Accession Treaty in December 2011 and ratified the Treaty in January, 2012. Croatia will become a member after all 27 EU members ratify the treaty, with a target date of July 2013.
National administrative regions of Croatia
- Bjelovarsko-Bilogorska
- Brodsko-Posavska
- Croatia (general)
- Dubrovacko-Neretvanska
- Grad Zagreb
- Istarska
- Karlovacka
- Koprivnicko-Krizevacka
- Krapinsko-Zagorska
- Licko-Senjska
- Medimurska
- Osjecko-Baranjska
- Pozesko-Slavonska
- Primorsko-Goranska
- Sibensko-Kniniska
- Sisacko-Moslavacka
- Splitsko-Dalmatinska
- Varazdinska
- Virovitick-Podravska
- Vukovarsko-Srijemska
- Zadarska
- Zagrebacka
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Europe Neighbours: Hungary, Slovenia, , Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia Capital: Zagreb |
| Size | 56,542 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 21,830 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly smaller than West Virginia |
| Population | 4,491,000 |
| Currency | Name Kuna, Currency Code:HRK |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .hr |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +385 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 6,035,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 1,859,000 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 56,594 (sq km) | 127 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,475,611 | 124 |
| Population growth rate | -0.11 (%) | 206 |
| Birth rate | 9.53 (births/1,000 population) | 200 |
| Death rate | 12.06 (deaths/1,000 population) | 28 |
| Net migration rate | 1.47 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 49 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 17.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 142 |
| Infant mortality rate | 5.96 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 173 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 76.20 (years) | 81 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.45 (children born/woman) | 197 |
| Health expenditures | 7.80 (% of GDP) | 65 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.10 (%) | 133 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 1,000 | 144 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 100 | 134 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 24.20 (%) | 66 |
| Education expenditures | 4.40 (% of GDP) | 97 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 36.10 (%) | 15 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 79,690,000,000 | 82 |
| GDP - real growth rate | -2.00 (%) | 209 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 18,100 | 76 |
| Labor force | 1,745,000 | 127 |
| Unemployment rate | 20.40 (%) | 162 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 32.00 | 105 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 18.40 (% of GDP) | 115 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 33.80 (% of GDP) | 70 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -3.00 (% of GDP) | 110 |
| Public debt | 52.10 (% of GDP) | 60 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.70 (%) | 135 |
| Central bank discount rate | 7.00 (%) | 42 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 7.67 (%) | 120 |
| Stock of narrow money | 9,330,000,000 | 78 |
| Stock of broad money | 43,470,000,000 | 70 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 51,860,000,000 | 63 |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 22,440,000,000 | 61 |
| Industrial production growth rate | -5.30 (%) | 163 |
| Current account balance | -560,000,000 | 98 |
| Exports | 12,340,000,000 | 87 |
| Imports | 20,760,000,000 | 76 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 14,890,000,000 | 67 |
| Debt - external | 59,750,000,000 | 56 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 34,270,000,000 | 58 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 6,074,000,000 | 63 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 9,281,000,000 (kWh) | 97 |
| Electricity - consumption | 16,700,000,000 (kWh) | 73 |
| Electricity - exports | 1,380,000,000 (kWh) | 48 |
| Electricity - imports | 8,799,000,000 (kWh) | 25 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 4,021,000 (kW) | 79 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 47.20 (% of total installed capacity) | 162 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 44.70 (% of total installed capacity) | 48 |
| Electricity - from other renewable sources | 0.80 (% of total installed capacity) | 72 |
| Crude oil - production | 28,230 (bbl/day) | 68 |
| Crude oil - imports | 53,620 (bbl/day) | 55 |
| Crude oil - proved reserves | 2,960,000 (bbl) | 97 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 77,020 (bbl/day) | 81 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 74,410 (bbl/day) | 90 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 33,870 (bbl/day) | 66 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 31,250 (bbl/day) | 87 |
| Natural gas - production | 1,850,000,000 (cu m) | 58 |
| Natural gas - consumption | 2,755,000,000 (cu m) | 77 |
| Natural gas - exports | 222,000,000 (cu m) | 44 |
| Natural gas - imports | 1,127,000,000 (cu m) | 58 |
| Natural gas - proved reserves | 24,920,000,000 (cu m) | 75 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 21,460,000 (Mt) | 81 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 1,761,000 | 63 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 5,115,000 | 103 |
| Internet hosts | 729,420 | 50 |
| Internet users | 2,234,000 | 73 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 69 | 75 |
| Railways | 2,722 (km) | 60 |
| Roadways | 29,343 (km) | 98 |
| Waterways | 785 (km) | 74 |
| Merchant marine | 77 | 57 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 1.50 (% of GDP) | 94 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basilica in the Historic Centre of Poreč The group of religious monuments in Porec, where Christianity was established as early as the 4th century, constitutes the most complete surviving complex of its type. The basilica, atrium, baptistery and episcopal palace are outstanding examples of ... | 1997 |
| Historic City of Trogir Trogir is a remarkable example of urban continuity. The orthogonal street plan of this island settlement dates back to the Hellenistic period and it was embellished by successive rulers with many fine public and domestic buildings and fortifications. ... | 1997 |
| Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian The ruins of Diocletian's Palace, built between the late 3rd and the early 4th centuries A.D., can be found throughout the city. The cathedral was built in the Middle Ages, reusing materials from the ancient mausoleum. Twelfth- and 13th-century Roman ... | 1979 |
| Old City of Dubrovnik The 'Pearl of the Adriatic', situated on the Dalmatian coast, became an important Mediterranean sea power from the 13th century onwards. Although severely damaged by an earthquake in 1667, Dubrovnik managed to preserve its beautiful Gothic, Renaissan ... | 1979 |
| Plitvice Lakes National Park The waters flowing over the limestone and chalk have, over thousands of years, deposited travertine barriers, creating natural dams which in turn have created a series of beautiful lakes, caves and waterfalls. These geological processes continue toda ... | 1979 |
| Stari Grad Plain Stari Grad Plain on the Adriatic island of Hvar is a cultural landscape that has remained practically intact since it was first colonized by Ionian Greeks from Paros in the 4th century BC. The original agricultural activity of this fertile plain, mai ... | 2008 |
| The Cathedral of St James in Šibenik The Cathedral of St James in Šibenik (1431-1535), on the Dalmatian coast, bears witness to the considerable exchanges in the field of monumental arts between Northern Italy, Dalmatia and Tuscany in the 15th and 16th centuries. The three architects wh ... | 2000 |