Republic of Croatia or Republika Hrvatska is a country situated at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, on the Adriatic Sea. Its capital city is Zagreb, which forms one of the country's primary subdivisions, along with its twenty counties. Croatia has a total area of 56,594 square kilometres (21,851 square miles) and a population of 4.28 million, most of whom are Roman Catholics.
Croatia is a republic governed under a parliamentary system and a developed economy with a very high Human Development Index. Croatia is a member of the European Union (EU), United Nations (UN), the Council of Europe, NATO, the World Trade Organization(WTO) and a founding member of the Union for the Mediterranean. As an active participant in the UN peacekeeping forces, Croatia has contributed troops to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan and took a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2008–2009 term.
The service sector dominates Croatia's economy, followed by the industrial sector and agriculture. International tourism is a significant source of revenue during the summer with Croatia ranked the 18th most popular tourist destination in the world. The state controls a part of the economy, with substantial government expenditure. The European Union is Croatia's most important trading partner. Since 2000, the Croatian government has constantly invested in infrastructure, especially transport routes and facilities along the Pan-European corridors. Internal sources produce a significant portion of energy in Croatia; the rest is imported. Croatia provides a universal health care system and free primary and secondary education, while supporting culture through numerous public institutions and corporate investments in media and publishing.
Croatia is located in Central and Southeast Europe, bordering Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the southeast, Montenegro to the southeast, the Adriatic Sea to the southwest and Slovenia to the northwest. It lies mostly between latitudes 42 degree and 47 degree N and longitudes 13 degree and 20 degree E. part of the territory in the extreme south surrounding Dubrovnik is a practical exclave connected to the rest of the mainland by territorial waters, but separated on land by a short coastline strip belonging to Bosnia and Herzegovina around Neum which is the only town to be situated along Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 20 km of coastline.
The territory covers 56, 594 square kilometres (21,851 square miles), consisting of 56,414 square kilometres (21,782 square miles) of land and 128 square kilometres (49 square miles) of water. It is the 127th largest country in the world. Elevation ranges from the mountains of the Dinaric Alps with the highest point of the Dinara peak at 1,831 metres (6,007 feet) near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina in the south to the shore of the Adriatic Sea which makes up its entire southwest border. Insular Croatia also consists of over a thousand islands and islets varying in size, 48 which are permanently inhabited. The largest islands are Cres and Krk, each of them having an area of around 405 square kilometres (156 square miles).
The hilly northern parts of Hrvatsko Zagorje and the flat plains of Slavonia in the east (which is part of the Pannonian Basin) are traversed by major rivers such as Sava, Drava, Kupa and Danube. The Danube, Europe’s second largest river, runs through the city of Vukovar in the extreme east and forms part of the border with Serbia. The central and southern regions near the Adriatic coastline and islands consist of low mountains and forested highlands. Natural resources found in the country in quantities significant enough for production include oil, coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt and hydropower.
Karst topography makes up about half of Croatia and s especially prominent in the Dinaric Alps. There are number of deep caves in Croatia, 49 of which are deeper than 500 metres (820.21 feet), 14 of them deeper than 500 metres (1,640.42 feet) and three deeper than 1,000 metres (3,280.84 feet). Croatia’s most famous lakes are the Plitvice lakes, a system of 16 lakes with waterfalls connecting them over dolomite and limestone cascades. The lakes are renowned for their distinctive colours, ranging from turquoise to mint green, grey or blue.
Most of the Croatia has a moderately warm and rainy continental climate as define by the Koppen climate classification. Mean monthly temperature ranges between -3 degree Celsius (27 degree Fahrenheit) (in January) and 18 degree Celsius (64 degree Fahrenheit) (in July). The coldest parts of the country are Lika and Gorski Kotar where snowy forested climate is found at elevations above 1,200 metres (3,900 feet). The warmest areas of Croatia are at the Adriatic coast and especially in its immediate hinterland characterised by the Mediterranean climate, as the temperature highs are moderated by the sea. Consequently, temperature peaks are more pronounced in the continental areas with the lowest temperature of -35.5 degree Celsius (-31.9 degree Fahrenheit) was recorded on 3 February 1919 in Cakovec, and the highest temperature of 42.4 degree Celsius (108.3 degree Fahrenheit) was recorded on 5 July 1950 in Karlovac.
Mean, annual precipitation ranges between 600 millimetres (24 inches) and 3,500 millimetres (140 inches) depending on geographic region and prevailing climate type. The least precipitation is recorded in the outer islands (Vis, Lastovo, Bisevo, Svetac) and in the eastern parts of Slavonia; however, in the latter case, it occurs mostly during the growing season. The maximum precipitation levels are observed on the Dinara mountain range and in Gorski kotar.
Prevailing winds in the interior are light to moderate northeast or southwest, and in the coastal area prevailing winds are determined by local area features. Higher wind velocities are more often recorded in cooler months along the coast, generally as bura or less frequently as sirocco. The sunniest parts of the country are the outer islands, Hvar and Korcula, where more than 2700 hours of sunshine are recorded per year, followed by the middle and southern Adriatic Sea area in general and northern Adriatic coast, all with more than 2000 hours of sunshine per year.
The kuna is the currency of Croatia, in use since 1994 . It is subdivided into 100 lipa. The kuna is issued by the Croatian National Bank and the coins are minted by the Croatian Monetary Institute. The word "kuna" means "marten" in Croatian since it is based on the use of marten pelts as units of value in medieval trading. The word lipa means "linden (lime) tree".
During Roman times, in the provinces of upper and lower Pannonia (today Hungary and Slavonia), taxes were collected in the then highly valued marten skins. Hence, the Croatian word marturina or tax, derived from the Latin word martus ("marten"; in modern Croatian kuna). The kuna was a currency unit in several Slavic states, most notably Kievan Rus and its successors until the early 15th century. It was equal to 1 ⁄25 (later 1 ⁄50) gryvna of silver.
It has no relation to the various Slavic currencies named "koruna" (translated as kruna in Croatian) which means "crown".
In the Middle Ages, many foreign monies were used in Croatia, but since at least 1018 a local currency was in use. Between 1260 and 1380, Croatian Viceroys issued a marten-adorned silver coin called the banovac.However, the diminishing autonomy of Croatia within the Croatian-Hungarian Kingdom led to the gradual disappearance of that currency in the 14th century.
The idea of a kuna currency reappeared in 1939 when Banovina of Croatia, an autonomous province established within Kingdom of Yugoslavia, planned to issue its own money, along with the Yugoslav dinar.In 1941, when the Ustaše regime formed the Independent State of Croatia, they introduced the Independent State of Croatia kuna.This currency remained in circulation until 1945, when it along with competing issues by the communist Partisans disappeared with the establishment of FPR Yugoslavia and was replaced by the Yugoslav dinar.
The modern kuna was introduced on May 30, 1994, starting a transitional period from the Croatian dinar, ending on December 31, 1994.The exchange rate between dinar and kuna was 1 kuna = 1000 dinars. Since then, Croatia has been in a system of de facto currency board with a fixed exchanged rate. The kuna was pegged to the German mark from the start. With the replacement of the mark by the euro, the kuna's peg effectively switched to the euro.
The choice of the name kuna was controversial because the same currency name had been used by the Independent State of Croatia kuna, but this was dismissed as a red herring, since the same name was also in use during the Banovina of Croatia and by the ZAVNOH. An alternative proposition for the name of the new currency was kruna (crown), divided into 100 banica (viceroy's wife), but this was deemed too similar to the Austro-Hungarian krone and found inappropriate for the country which is a republic.
The self-proclaimed Serbian entity Republic of Serbian Krajina did not use the kuna or the Croatian dinar. Instead, they issued their own Krajina dinar until the region was reintegrated into Croatia in 1995.
A long-time policy of the Croatian National Bank has been to keep the fluctuations of the kuna's exchange rate against the euro (or, previously, the mark) within a relatively stable range. The country joined the European Union on 1 July 2013 and it plans to join the European Monetary System. The kuna is expected to be replaced by the euro, even though the initial time estimate of two to three years after joining the European Union proved too short.
In 1994, coins were introduced in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 lipa (Croatian word for linden or tilia tree), 1, 2, 5 and 25 kuna. The coins are issued in two versions: one with the name of the plant or animal in Croatian (issued in odd years), the other with the name in Latin (issued in even years). Overall more coins have been minted with Croatian names than with names in Latin.
Due to their low value, 1 and 2 lipa coins are rarely used. Since 2009, these coins are no longer minted but the Croatian National Bank has stated that it had no plans for withdrawing them.
With a population of 4.29 million in 2011, Croatia ranks 125th in the world by population. Its population density is 75.8 inhabitants per square kilometre. The overall life expectancy in Croatia at birth is 78 years. The total fertility rate of 1.50 children per mother is one of the lowest in the world. Since 1991, Croatia's death rate has nearly continuously exceeded its birth rate. The Croatian Bureau of Statistics forecast that the population may even shrink to 3.1 million by 2051, depending on the actual birth rate and the level of net migration. The population of Croatia rose steadily from 2.1 million in 1857 until 1991, when it peaked at 4.7 million, with the exception of censuses taken in 1921 and 1948, i.e. following two world wars. The natural growth rate of the population is negative. Croatia started advancing from the first stage of the demographic transition in the late 18th and early 19th centuries (depending on where in Croatia is being discussed). Croatia is in the fourth or fifth stage of the demographic transition.
One explanation for the recent population decrease is the Croatian War of Independence. During the war, large sections of the population were displaced and emigration increased. In 1991, in predominantly Serb areas, more than 400,000 Croats and other non-Serbs were either removed from their homes by the Croatian Serb forces or fled the violence. In 1995, during the final days of the war, more than 120,000 and perhaps as many as 200,000 Serbs fled the country before the arrival of Croatian forces during Operation Storm. Within a decade following the end of the war, only 117,000 Serb refugees returned out of the 300,000 displaced during the entire war. Most of Croatia's remaining Serbs never lived in areas occupied in the Croatian War of Independence. Serbs have been only partially re-settled in the regions they previously inhabited, while some of the settlements previously inhabited by Serbs were settled by Croat refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina, mostly from Republika Srpska.
In 2014, there were 39,566 live births in Croatia, comprising 20,374 male and 19,192 female children. Virtually all of those were performed in medical facilities; only 19 births occurred elsewhere. Out of the total number, 32,677 children were born in wedlock or within 300 days after the end of the marriage, and the average age of mothers at the birth of their first child was 28.4 years. General fertility rate, i.e. number of births per 1,000 women aged 15–49 is 42.9, with the age specific rate peaking at 101.0 per million for women aged 25–29. In 2009, 52,414 persons died in Croatia, 48.5% of whom died in medical facilities and 90.0% of whom were receiving medical treatment at the time. Cardiovascular disease and cancer were the primary causes of death in the country, with 26,235 and 13,280 deaths respectively. In the same year, there were 2,986 violent deaths, including 2,121 due to accidents. The latter figure includes 616 deaths in traffic accidents. In 2014, the birth rate was 9.3 per mille, exceeded by the mortality rate of 12.0 per mille. The infant mortality rate was 5.0 per mille in 2014.In terms of age structure, the population of Croatia is dominated by the 15–64 year older segment (68.1%), while the size of the population younger than 15 and older than 64 is relatively small (15.1% and 16.9% respectively). The median age of the population is 41.4. The sex ratio of the population is 1.06 males per 1 female at birth and up to 14 years of age, and 0.99 males per 1 female between the
ages of 15 and 64. But at ages over 64 the ratio is 0.64 males per 1 female. The ratio for the total population is 0.93 males per 1 female.
In contrast to the shrinking native population, since the late 1990s there has been a positive net migration into Croatia, reaching a level of more than 7,000 net immigrants in 2006. In recent years, the Croatian government has been pressured each year to add 40% to work permit quotas for foreign workers. In accordance with its immigration policy, Croatia is also trying to entice emigrants to return.
There were 8,468 immigrants to Croatia in 2009, more than half of them (57.5%) coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina, a sharp decline from the previous year's 14,541. In the same year, there were 9,940 emigrants from the country, 44.8% of them leaving to Serbia. The number of emigrants represents a substantial increase compared to the figure of 7,488 recorded in 2008. In 2009, the net migration to and from abroad peaked in the Sisak-Moslavina County (-1,093 persons) and the city of Zagreb (+830 persons).
In 2009, a total of 22,382 marriages were performed in Croatia as well as 5,076 divorces. The 2001 census recorded 1.47 million households in the country.
The Croatian language is belongs to the South Slavic group of languages it is the official language of the Republic of Croatia. The language eventually evolved into two branches, East South Slavic and West South Slavic. Bulgarian and Macedonian derive from the East South Slavic group and Slovene, Serbian and Croatian are derived from the West South Slavic group. Croatian (hrvatski) is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian language used by Croats. Croatian is declared as the first language by 95.60% of the population. German and English are the most common second languages. French, Italian, Czech and Hungarian are also spoken.
The primary difference between Croatian and Serbian is that Croatian is written in the Roman alphabet while Serbian is written in Cyrillic. Linguists consider Croatian, Serbian and Bosnian the same language but political difference among the groups makes this a controversial point. Croatians, Serbians and Bosnians generally do understand each other when they speak.
The majority of Croatians speak at least more than one language. According to recent poll, some 80% of Croatians are multilingual and, of that group, 68% are English languages. The next most popular language is German at 49% followed by Italian at 24%. Language ability varies by region. In Slavonia only 51% speak a foreign language while in Istria a full 95% speak another language. English languages are concentrated in Zagreb and the coast which makes sense as much of the coast depends upon tourism for their livelihood.
The most religion in Croatia is Christianity and a large majority of the Croatian population declares themselves as members of the Catholic Church. Croatia has no official religion and freedom of religion is a right defined by the Constitution of Croatia, which also defines all religious communities as equal in front of the law and separate from the state.
According to the 2011 census 86.28% of Croatians are Catholics, while Orthodox Christians make up 4.44% of the population, 3.81% of the Croatian are not religious. Then, Muslim 1.47% and Protestants 0.34% of the population and others 3.66%
Besides that, the interaction between religious and secular life in the country it is have are good interaction because the public schools allow religious teaching in cooperation with religious communities having agreements with the state, but the attendance is not mandated. Religion classes are organized widely in public elementary and secondary schools, most commonly coordinated with the Catholic Church. The public holidays in Croatia also include the religious festivals of Epiphany, Easter Monday, All Saints’ Day, Christmas, and St. Stephen’s or Boxing Day. The primary holidays are based on the Catholic liturgical year, but other believers are legally allowed to celebrate other major religious holidays. About marriages in the country conducted by the religious communities having agreements with the state are officially recognized, eliminating the need to register the marriages in the civil registry office.
Croatia's natural resources include: oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, and salt. Croatia's natural environment experiences effects from frequent earthquakes, air pollution from metallurgical plants, coastal pollution from industrial and domestic waste, and forest damage.
Tourism is a notable source of income during the summer and a major industry in Croatia. It dominates the Croatian service sector and accounts for up to 20% of Croatian GDP. Annual tourist industry income for 2011 was estimated at €6.61 billion. Its positive effects are felt throughout the economy of Croatia in terms of increased business volume observed in retail business, processing industry orders and summer seasonal employment. The industry is considered an export business, because it significantly reduces the country's external trade imbalance.[55] Since the conclusion of the Croatian War of Independence, the tourist industry has grown rapidly, recording a fourfold rise in tourist numbers, with more than 10 million tourists each year. The most numerous are tourists from Germany, Slovenia, Austria and the Czech Republic as well as Croatia itself. Length of a tourist stay in Croatia averages 4.9 days.
An estimated 1,588,000 hectares (3,924,000 acres), or 28.4% of total land, was arable in 2002. About 2.7% of the economically active population was engaged in agriculture in 2004; in 2005 it accounted for about 7% of GDP.
The civil war reduced agricultural output in the years immediately following the breakup of the Yugoslav SFR. Production of 2004 major crops included (in thousands of tons): wheat, 840; corn, 2,200; sugar beets, 1,000; grapes, 350; apples, 58; and plums, 30. Total production of cereals fell from 3,179,000 tons in 1997 to 2,355,000 in 2004. Plums are used in the production of slivovitz, a type of plum brandy.
Croatian agricultural sector subsists from exports of blue water fish, which in recent years experienced a tremendous surge in demand, mainly from Japan and South Korea. Croatia is a notable producer of organic foods and much of it is exported to the European Union. Croatian wines, olive oil and lavender are particularly sought after.
About 28% of the total land area consists of pastures. In 2004, there were 1,489,000 pigs, 466,000 cattle, 721,000 sheep, 93,000 goats, 10,000 horses, and 10,235,000 chickens. That year, 140,686 tons of meat were produced, including 70,000 tons of pork, 35,500 tons of poultry, 23,000 tons of beef, and 1,800 tons of mutton. Milk production in 2004 totaled 768,500 tons; eggs, 45,700 tons; and cheese, 23,935 tons. Cattle breeding accounts for about 50% of agriculture's contribution to the GDP.
With a mainland coastline of 1,778 km (1,105 mi) and island coastlines totaling 4,012 km (2,493 mi) on the Adriatic, Croatia is suited to the development of marine fishing. However, Croatia lacks adequate fishing vessels as well as the infrastructure to transport and process seafood. The total catch in 2003 was 19,946 tons, of which 98% was from marine waters. Sardine is the principal saltwater species caught; carp is the most common freshwater species. Croatia's annual catch has declined steadily due to overfishing for a variety of species. However, fish farming has resulted in an overproduction of freshwater species and a decline in prices. Aquaculture produced 7,605 tons of fish in 2003.
About 32% of the total area was forest or woodland in 2000. Croatia supplies small but good quality oak and beech; the wood industry has traditionally been oriented to the Italian market (accounting for over 35% of exports), and suffered damages during the civil war. Total roundwood production in 2003 was 3.8 million cu m (136 million cu ft), with exports of 560,000 cu m (19.8 million cu ft). Croatian exports of hardwood lumber typically consist of 50% beech, 30% oak, and 6% ash. Panels and veneer are also exported and Croatia is starting to increase the output of value-added products such as veneer sheets, plywood, and particle board. Total exports of wood products amounted to $274.9 million in 2003. The forestry sector along with the whole of Croatian industry is also attempting to produce in accordance with European standards and develop standardized contracts.
Aside from petroleum, the chief minerals industry, Croatia produced small quantities of ferrous and nonferrous metals and industrial minerals, mainly for domestic needs. In 2003, the mining and quarrying sector saw production increase by about 15% from 2002. Cement output in 2003 was up 8% from 2002. The production of clays, lime, nitrogen, pumice, stone, and sand and gravel satisfied most of Croatia's demand for construction materials; the importance of industrial minerals was expected to grow with continued postwar reconstruction. Mineral production in 2003 included cement, 3.654 million tons; salt, processed at Pag Island, 31,281 metric tons; bentonite, 13,568 metric tons; crude gypsum, 166,000 metric tons; and quartz, quartzite, and glass sand, 237,141 metric tons. Bauxite production dropped to zero in 2003, from 1,500 tons in 1996. Prior to the breakup of Yugoslavia, Croatia was the federation's chief producer of natural gas and petroleum, and a leading producer of iron and steel. The minerals sector was heavily hurt by the 1991–92 war, which damaged facilities, affected the market for raw materials, and disrupted normal commercial activities; the outlook remained captive to political and social stabilization in the region.
Croatia's electric power generating capacity totaled 3.595 million kW in 2002, of which 2.076 million kW was hydroelectric and 1.519 kW conventional thermal sources. Although for that same year, a total of 11.755 billion kWh was produced, of which 6.443 billion kWh came from conventional thermal fuel sources and 5.311 billion kWh came from hydropower, consumption of electricity outstripped output, at 14.453 billion kWh, thus requiring Croatia to import 3.927 billion kWh in that year.
As of 1 January 2004, Croatia had proven oil reserves of 75 million barrels. In 2002 estimated oil production totaled 22,000 barrels per day. As with electricity, Croatia's demand for oil outstripped its output in that year. Consumption that year totaled an estimated 91,000 barrels daily, thus forcing Croatia to rely on imports to make up the difference. Imports in 2002 were estimated at 69,000 barrels per day.
Croatia, as of 1 January 2004, had proven natural gas reserves totaling 0.87 trillion cu ft. In 2001 production of natural gas was estimated at 62 billion cu ft, while consumption came to 100 billion cu ft. As a result, Croatia imported an estimated 38 billion cu ft of natural gas in 2001.
Although Croatia has recoverable coal reserves in 2001 of 43 million short tons, there was no known production. Thus to meet its need for coal, all the coal consumed in 2001, 0.88 million short tons, was imported.
Light industry, especially for the production of consumer goods, was more advanced in Croatia than in the other republics of the former Yugoslav SFR. Croatia's main manufacturing industries include chemicals and plastics, machine tools, fabricated metal products, electronics, pig iron and rolled steel products, aluminum processing, paper and wood products (including furniture), building materials (including cement), textiles, shipbuilding, petroleum and petroleum refining, and food processing and beverages.