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Introduction | Croatia

Background: | 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. Under UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998.

Geography | Croatia

Location: | Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia
Geographic coordinates: | 45 10 N, 15 30 E
Map references: | Europe
Area: | total: 56,542 sq km land: 56,414 sq km water: 128 sq km
Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries: | total: 2,197 km border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km, Serbia 241 km, Montenegro 25 km, Slovenia 670 km
Coastline: | 5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km)
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate: | Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast
Terrain: | geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Dinara 1,830 m
Natural resources: | oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower
Land use: | arable land: 25.82% permanent crops: 2.19% other: 71.99% (2005)
Irrigated land: | 110 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources: | 105.5 cu km (1998)
Natural hazards: | destructive earthquakes
Environment - current issues: | air pollution (from metallurgical plants) and resulting acid rain is damaging the forests; coastal pollution from industrial and domestic waste; landmine removal and reconstruction of infrastructure consequent to 1992-95 civil strife
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
Geography - note: | controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits; most Adriatic Sea islands lie off the coast of Croatia - some 1,200 islands, islets, ridges, and rocks

People | Croatia

Population: | 4,491,543 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 15.8% (male 363,551/female 345,132) 15-64 years: 67.2% (male 1,501,949/female 1,517,962) 65 years and over: 17% (male 295,229/female 467,720) (2008 est.)
Median age: | total: 40.8 years male: 38.9 years female: 42.6 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate: | -0.043% (2008 est.)
Birth rate: | 9.64 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: | 11.66 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate: | 1.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 6.49 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 75.13 years male: 71.49 years female: 78.97 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 1.41 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 200 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | fewer than 10 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases: | degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)
Nationality: | noun: Croat(s), Croatian(s) adjective: Croatian
Ethnic groups: | Croat 89.6%, Serb 4.5%, other 5.9% (including Bosniak, Hungarian, Slovene, Czech, and Roma) (2001 census)
Religions: | Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2% (2001 census)
Languages: | Croatian 96.1%, Serbian 1%, other and undesignated 2.9% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German) (2001 census)
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.1% male: 99.3% female: 97.1% (2001 census)

Government | Croatia

Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Croatia conventional short form: Croatia local long form: Republika Hrvatska local short form: Hrvatska former: People's Republic of Croatia, Socialist Republic of Croatia
Government type: | presidential/parliamentary democracy
Capital: | name: Zagreb geographic coordinates: 45 48 N, 16 00 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions: | 20 counties (zupanije, zupanija - singular) and 1 city* (grad - singular); Bjelovarsko-Bilogorska Zupanija, Brodsko-Posavska Zupanija, Dubrovacko-Neretvanska Zupanija, Istarska Zupanija, Karlovacka Zupanija, Koprivnicko-Krizevacka Zupanija, Krapinsko-Zagorska Zupanija, Licko-Senjska Zupanija, Medimurska Zupanija, Osjecko-Baranjska Zupanija, Pozesko-Slavonska Zupanija, Primorsko-Goranska Zupanija, Sibensko-Kninska Zupanija, Sisacko-Moslavacka Zupanija, Splitsko-Dalmatinska Zupanija, Varazdinska Zupanija, Viroviticko-Podravska Zupanija, Vukovarsko-Srijemska Zupanija, Zadarska Zupanija, Zagreb*, Zagrebacka Zupanija
Independence: | 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
National holiday: | Independence Day, 8 October (1991); note - 25 June 1991 was the day the Croatian Parliament voted for independence; following a three-month moratorium to allow the European Community to solve the Yugoslav crisis peacefully, Parliament adopted a decision on 8 October 1991 to sever constitutional relations with Yugoslavia
Constitution: | adopted on 22 December 1990; revised 2000, 2001
Legal system: | based on Austro-Hungarian law system with Communist law influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
Executive branch: | chief of state: President Stjepan (Stipe) MESIC (since 18 February 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Ivo SANADER (since 9 December 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers Jadranka KOSOR (since 23 December 2003) and Damir POLANCEC (since 15 February 2005), Djurdja ADLESIC (since 12 January 2008), Slobodan UZELAC (since 12 January 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and approved by the parliamentary Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 16 January 2005 (next to be held in January 2010); the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president and then approved by the Assembly election results: Stjepan MESIC reelected president; percent of vote - Stjepan MESIC 66%, Jadranka KOSOR 34% in the second round
Legislative branch: | unicameral Assembly or Sabor (153 seats; members elected from party lists by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 25 November 2007 (next to be held in November 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; number of seats by party - HDZ 66, SDP 56, HNS 7, HSS 6, HDSSB 3, IDS 3, SDSS 3, other 9
Judicial branch: | Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; judges for both courts appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the Republic, which is elected by the Assembly
Political parties and leaders: | Croatian Democratic Congress of Slavonia and Baranja or HDSSB [Vladimir SISLJAGIC]; Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ [Ivo SANADER]; Croatian Party of the Right or HSP [Anto DJAPIC]; Croatian Peasant Party or HSS [Josip FRISCIC]; Croatian Pensioner Party or HSU [Vladimir JORDAN]; Croatian People's Party or HNS [Vesna PUSIC]; Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS [Djurdja ADLESIC]; Independent Democratic Serb Party or SDSS [Vojislav STANIMIROVIC]; Istrian Democratic Assembly or IDS [Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Social Democratic Party of Croatia or SDP [Zoran MILANOVIC]
Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA
International organization participation: | ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Kolinda GRABAR-KITAROVIC chancery: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-5899 FAX: [1] (202) 588-8936 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Robert A. BRADTKE embassy: 2 Thomas Jefferson Street, 10010 Zagreb mailing address: use street address telephone: [385] (1) 661-2200 FAX: [385] (1) 661-2373
Flag description: | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue superimposed by the Croatian coat of arms (red and white checkered)

Economy | Croatia

Economy - overview: | Once one of the wealthiest of the Yugoslav republics, Croatia's economy suffered badly during the 1991-95 war as output collapsed and the country missed the early waves of investment in Central and Eastern Europe that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall. Since 2000, however, Croatia's economic fortunes have begun to improve slowly, with moderate but steady GDP growth between 4% and 6% led by a rebound in tourism and credit-driven consumer spending. Inflation over the same period has remained tame and the currency, the kuna, stable. Nevertheless, difficult problems still remain, including a stubbornly high unemployment rate, a growing trade deficit and uneven regional development. The state retains a large role in the economy, as privatization efforts often meet stiff public and political resistance. While macroeconomic stabilization has largely been achieved, structural reforms lag because of deep resistance on the part of the public and lack of strong support from politicians. The EU accession process should accelerate fiscal and structural reform.
GDP (purchasing power parity): | $68.98 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $51.36 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 5.8% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $15,500 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 7.2% industry: 31.6% services: 61.2% (2007 est.)
Labor force: | 1.749 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 2.7% industry: 32.8% services: 64.5% (2004)
Unemployment rate: | 11.8% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line: | 11% (2003)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 3.4% highest 10%: 24.5% (2003 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 29 (2001)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 2.9% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): | 30.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $22.57 billion expenditures: $23.92 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt: | 47.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products: | wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, barley, alfalfa, clover, olives, citrus, grapes, soybeans, potatoes; livestock, dairy products
Industries: | chemicals and plastics, machine tools, fabricated metal, electronics, pig iron and rolled steel products, aluminum, paper, wood products, construction materials, textiles, shipbuilding, petroleum and petroleum refining, food and beverages, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: | 5.2% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production: | 11.99 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 33.6% hydro: 66% nuclear: 0% other: 0.4% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: | 14.97 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports: | 3.634 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports: | 8.746 billion kWh (2005)
Oil - production: | 27,190 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 99,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports: | 40,930 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports: | 109,800 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves: | 69.14 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production: | 1.477 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 2.58 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 1.103 billion cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 27.16 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance: | -$4.385 billion (2007 est.)
Exports: | $12.02 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities: | transport equipment, textiles, chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels
Exports - partners: | Italy 23.1%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 12.7%, Germany 10.4%, Slovenia 8.3%, Austria 6.1% (2006)
Imports: | $26.54 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities: | machinery, transport and electrical equipment; chemicals, fuels and lubricants; foodstuffs
Imports - partners: | Italy 16.7%, Germany 14.5%, Russia 9.7%, Slovenia 6.8%, Austria 5.4%, China 5.3% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient: | ODA, $125.4 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $13.67 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external: | $45.29 billion (30 June 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $23.06 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $3.07 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares: | $29.01 billion (2006)
Currency (code): | kuna (HRK)
Currency code: | HRK
Exchange rates: | kuna per US dollar - 5.3735 (2007), 5.8625 (2006), 5.9473 (2005), 6.0358 (2004), 6.7035 (2003)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

Communications | Croatia

Telephones - main lines in use: | 1.832 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 4.47 million (2006)
Telephone system: | general assessment: the telecommunications network has improved steadily since the mid-1990s; the number of fixed telephone lines has increased to about 40 per 100 persons; virtually 100 mobile cellular telephones per 100 persons domestic: more than 90 percent of local lines are digital international: country code - 385; digital international service is provided through the main switch in Zagreb; Croatia participates in the Trans-Asia-Europe (TEL) fiber-optic project, which consists of 2 fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optic trunk line from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik; the ADRIA-1 submarine cable provides connectivity to Albania and Greece (2007)
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 16, FM 98, shortwave 5 (1999)
Radios: | 1.51 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: | 36 (plus 321 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: | 1.22 million (1997)
Internet country code: | .hr
Internet hosts: | 261,954 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 9 (2000)
Internet users: | 1.576 million (2006)

Transportation | Croatia

Airports: | 68 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 23 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 9 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 45 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 37 (2007)
Heliports: | 2 (2007)
Pipelines: | gas 1,556 km; oil 583 km (2007)
Railways: | total: 2,726 km standard gauge: 2,726 km 1.435-m gauge (1,199 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways: | total: 28,788 km (includes 877 km of expressways) (2006)
Waterways: | 785 km (2007)
Merchant marine: | total: 75 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,165,409 GRT/1,867,160 DWT by type: bulk carrier 21, cargo 12, chemical tanker 3, passenger/cargo 28, petroleum tanker 7, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 2 (Bermuda 2) registered in other countries: 36 (Bahamas 1, Belize 1, Liberia 5, Malta 12, Marshall Islands 4, Panama 6, St Vincent and The Grenadines 7) (2007)
Ports and terminals: | Omisalj, Ploce, Rijeka, Sibenik, Vukovar (on Danube)

Military | Croatia

Military branches: | Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia (Oruzane Snage Republike Hrvatske, OSRH), consists of five major commands directly subordinate to a General Staff: Ground Forces (Hrvatska Kopnena Vojska, HKoV), Naval Forces (Hrvatska Ratna Mornarica, HRM), Air Force, Joint Education and Training Command, Logistics Command; Military Police Force supports each of the three Croatian military forces (2007)
Military service age and obligation: | 18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary service; 6-month conscript service obligation; full conversion to professional military service by 2010 (2006)
Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,035,712 females age 16-49: 1,037,896 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 771,323 females age 16-49: 855,937 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually: | males age 16-49: 27,500 females age 16-49: 25,893 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 2.39% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues | Croatia

Disputes - international: | dispute remains with Bosnia and Herzegovina over several small disputed sections of the boundary related to maritime access that hinders ratification of the 1999 border agreement; the Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime boundary agreement, which would have ceded most of Pirin Bay and maritime access to Slovenia and several villages to Croatia, remains un-ratified and in dispute; Slovenia also protests Croatia's 2003 claim to an exclusive economic zone in the Adriatic; as a European Union peripheral state, neighboring Slovenia must conform to the strict Schengen border rules to curb illegal migration and commerce through southeastern Europe while encouraging close cross-border ties with Croatia
Refugees and internally displaced persons: | IDPs: 2,900-7,000 (Croats and Serbs displaced in 1992-95 war) (2007)
Illicit drugs: | transit point along the Balkan route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe; has been used as a transit point for maritime shipments of South American cocaine bound for Western Europe

This page was last updated on 19 June, 2008