World Facts Index
 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 of Croatia
|
Location:
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Southeastern Europe,
bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia |
|
Coordinates:
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45 10 N, 15 30 E |
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Area:
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total: 56,542 sq km
water: 128 sq km
land: 56,414 sq km |
|
Area comparative:
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slightly smaller than West
Virginia |
|
Land boundaries:
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total: 2,197 km
border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km,
Serbia and Montenegro (north) 241 km, Serbia and Montenegro (south) 25
km, Slovenia 670 km |
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Coastline:
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5,835 km (mainland 1,777
km, islands 4,058 km) |
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Maritime claims:
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continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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Mediterranean and
continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold
winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast |
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Terrain:
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geographically diverse;
flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near
Adriatic coastline and islands |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Dinara 1,830 m |
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Natural resources:
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oil, some coal, bauxite,
low-grade iron ore, calcium, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt,
hydropower |
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Natural hazards:
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destructive earthquakes |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
|
Geography - note:
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controls most land routes
from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits
|
Population of Croatia
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Population:
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4,491,543 (July 2008 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 16.2% (male 373,638/female 354,261)
15-64 years: 67% (male 1,497,958/female 1,515,314)
65 years and over: 16.8% (male 288,480/female 465,098) |
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Median age:
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40.3 years |
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Growth rate:
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-0.03% |
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Infant mortality:
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6.72 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 74.68 years
male: 71.03 years
female: 78.53 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.4 children born/woman |
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Nationality:
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noun: Croat(s), Croatian(s)
adjective: Croatian |
|
Ethnic groups:
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Croat 89.6%, Serb 4.5%, Bosniak 0.5%,
Hungarian 0.4%, Slovene 0.3%, Czech 0.2%, Roma 0.2%, Albanian 0.1%, Montenegrin 0.1%,
others 4.1% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, Muslim
1.3%, Protestant 0.3%, others and unknown 6.2% (2001) |
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Languages:
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Croatian 96%, other 4% (including Italian,
Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 98.5%
male: 99.4%
female: 97.8%
|
Government
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of
Croatia
local short form: Hrvatska
local long form: Republika Hrvatska |
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Government type:
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presidential/parliamentary democracy |
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Capital:
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Zagreb |
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Administrative divisions:
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20 counties (zupanije, zupanija - singular)
and 1 city* (grad - singular) |
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Independence:
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25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia) |
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National holiday:
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Statehood Day, 25 June (1991) |
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Constitution:
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adopted on 22 December 1990 |
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Legal system:
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based on civil law system |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal (16 years of
age, if employed) |
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Executive branch:
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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 |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Assembly or Sabor (152 seats; note - one seat
was added in the November 2003 parliamentary elections; members elected from party lists
by popular vote to serve four-year terms) |
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Judicial branch:
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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 |
Economy
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:
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$69.59 billion (2007 est.) |
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GDP growth rate:
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4% |
|
GDP per capita:
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$11,600 |
|
GDP composition by sector:
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agriculture: 7%
industry: 30.8%
services: 62.2% |
|
Inflation rate:
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3.3% |
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Labor force:
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1.71 million |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 2.7%
industry: 32.8%
services: 64.5% |
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Unemployment:
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18% official rate; labor force surveys indicate
unemployment around 14%. |
|
Budget:
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revenues: $17.69 billion
expenditures: $19.35 billion |
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Electricity production by source:
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fossil fuel: 33.6%
hydro: 66%
other: 0.4%
nuclear: 0% |
|
Industries:
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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 |
|
Agriculture:
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wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed,
barley, alfalfa, clover, olives, citrus, grapes, soybeans, potatoes; livestock, dairy
products |
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Exports:
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transport equipment, textiles, chemicals,
foodstuffs, fuels |
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Export partners:
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Italy 21.8%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 14.7%, Germany 10.7%,
Slovenia 8.1%, Austria 7.3% |
|
Imports:
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machinery, transport and electrical
equipment, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, foodstuffs |
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Import partners:
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Italy 15.9%, Germany 14.9%, Russia 9.1%, Slovenia 6.8%,
Austria 5.8%, China 4.7%, France 4.2% |
|
Currency:
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kuna (HRK) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |