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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia |
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Geographic coordinates:
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45 10 N,
15 30 E |
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Map references:
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Europe
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Area:
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total:
56,542 sq km
land: 56,414 sq km
water: 128 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
smaller than West Virginia |
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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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territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation |
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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, gypsum,
natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower
|
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Land use:
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arable
land: 26.09%
permanent crops: 2.27%
other: 71.65% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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30 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol |
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Geography - note:
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controls
most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and
Turkish Straits |
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Population:
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4,495,904
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 16.4% (male 378,615/female 359,231)
15-64 years: 67% (male 1,497,355/female
1,514,993)
65 years and over: 16.6% (male 283,460/female
462,250) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
39.97 years
male: 38.01 years
female: 41.76 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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-0.02%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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9.57
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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11.38
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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1.58
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 0.61 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
6.84 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.79 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 74.45 years
male: 70.79 years
female: 78.31 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.39
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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less than
0.1% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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200 (2001
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than
10 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Croat(s), Croatian(s)
adjective: Croatian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Croat
89.6%, Serb 4.5%, other 5.9% (including Bosniak,
Hungarian, Slovene, Czech, and Roma) (2001 census) |
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Religions:
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Roman
Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%,
Muslim 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2% (2001
census) |
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Languages:
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Croatian
96.1%, Serbian 1%, other and undesignated 2.9%
(including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and
German) (2001 census) |
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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% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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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 |
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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); 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 |
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Independence:
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25 June
1991 (from Yugoslavia) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 8 October (1991); note - 25 June 1991
is the day the Croatian Parliament voted for
independence; following a 3-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
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Constitution:
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adopted
on 22 December 1990; revised 2000, 2001 |
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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 POLANEC (since
NA February 2005)
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; election last held 16 January 2005
(next to be held 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 (HNS) 66%,
Jadranka KOSOR (HDZ) 34% |
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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)
elections: Assembly - last held 23 November 2003
(next to be held in 2007)
election results: Assembly - percent of vote by
party - NA%; number of seats by party - HDZ 66, SDP 34,
HSS 10, HNS 10, HSP 8, IDS 4, Libra 3, HSU 3, SDSS 3,
other 11
note: minority government coalition - HDZ, DC,
HSLS, HSU, SDSS |
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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 |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Croatian
Bloc or HB [Ivic PASALIC]; Croatian Christian Democratic
Union or HKDU [Anto KOVACEVIC]; Croatian Democratic
Union or HDZ [Ivo SANADER]; Croatian Party of Rights or
HSP [Anto DJAPIC]; Croatian Peasant Party or HSS [Zlatko
TOMCIC]; Croatian Pensioner Party or HSU [Vladimir
JORDAN]; Croatian People's Party or HNS [Vesna PUSIC]
(in 2005 party merged with Libra to become Croatian
People's Party-Liberal Democrats or NS-LD [Vesna PUSIC]);
Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS [Ivan CEHOK];
Croatian True Revival Party or HIP [Miroslav TUDJMAN];
Democratic Centre or DC [Vesna SKARE-OZBOLT];
Independent Democratic Serb Party or SDSS [Vojislav
STANIMIROVIC]; Istrian Democratic Assembly or IDS [Ivan
JAKOVCIC]; Liberal Party or LS [Zlatko BENASIC]; Party
of Liberal Democrats or Libra [Jozo RADOS] (in 2005
merged with HNS); Social Democratic Party of Croatia or
SDP [Ivica RACAN] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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ABEDA,
BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO,
MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE,
PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Neven JURICA
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 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Ralph FRANK
embassy: 2 Thomas Jefferson, 10010 Zagreb
mailing address: use street address
telephone: [385] (1) 661-2200
FAX: [385] (1) 661-2373 |
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Flag description:
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red,
white, and blue horizontal bands with Croatian coat of
arms (red and white checkered) |
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Economy - overview:
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Before
the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the Republic of Croatia,
after Slovenia, was the most prosperous and
industrialized area, with a per capita output perhaps
one-third above the Yugoslav average. The economy
emerged from a mild recession in 2000 with tourism,
banking, and public investments leading the way.
Unemployment remains high, at about 14 percent, with
structural factors slowing its decline. 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. Growth, while impressively about 4% for the
last several years, has been achieved through high
fiscal and current account deficits. The government is
gradually reducing a heavy back log of civil cases, many
involving land tenure. The EU accession process should
accelerate fiscal and structural reform. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$50.33
billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.7%
(2004 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $11,200 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 8.2%
industry: 30.1%
services: 61.7% (2004 est.) |
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Labor force:
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1.71
million (2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 2.7%, industry 32.8%, services 64.5% (2004)
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Unemployment rate:
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13.8%
(2004 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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11%
(2003) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: 3.4%
highest 10%: 24.5% (2003 est.) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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29 (1998)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.5%
(2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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28.6% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $14.14 billion
expenditures: $15.65 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
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41.7% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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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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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 |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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2.7%
(2004 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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12.51
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 33.6%
hydro: 66%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.4% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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15.2
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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406
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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3.966
billion kWh (2002) |
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Oil - production:
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21,000
bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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89,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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93.6
million bbl (1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - production:
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1.76
billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
|
2.84
billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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1.08
billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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34.36
billion cu m (1 January 2002) |
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Current account balance:
|
$-1.925
billion (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$7.845
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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transport
equipment, textiles, chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels |
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Exports - partners:
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Italy
23%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 13.4%, Germany 11.4%,
Austria 9.6%, Slovenia 7.6% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$16.7
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery, transport and electrical equipment,
chemicals, fuels and lubricants, foodstuffs |
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Imports - partners:
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Italy
17.1%, Germany 15.5%, Russia 7.3%, Slovenia 7.1%,
Austria 6.9%, France 4.4% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
|
$8.563
billion (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
|
$26.4
billion (2004 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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ODA
$166.5 million (2002) |
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Currency (code):
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kuna
(HRK) |
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Currency code:
|
HRK |
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Exchange rates:
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kuna per
US dollar - 6.0358 (2004), 6.7035 (2003), 7.8687 (2002),
8.34 (2001), 8.2766 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
|
1.825
million (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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2.553
million (2003) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: NA
domestic: reconstruction plan calls for
replacement of all analog circuits with digital and
enlarging the network; a backup will be included in the
plan for the main trunk
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 two fiber-optic trunk connections with
Slovenia and a fiber-optic trunk line from Rijeka to
Split and Dubrovnik; Croatia is also investing in ADRIA
1, a joint fiber-optic project with Germany, Albania,
and Greece (2000) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 16, FM
98, shortwave 5 (1999) |
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Radios:
|
1.51
million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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36 (plus
321 repeaters) (September 1995) |
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Televisions:
|
1.22
million (1997) |
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Internet country code:
|
.hr |
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Internet hosts:
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29,644
(2004) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
|
9 (2000)
|
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Internet users:
|
1.014
million (2003) |
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Railways:
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total:
2,726 km
standard gauge: 2,726 km 1.435-m gauge (984 km
electrified) (2004) |
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Highways:
|
total:
28,344 km
paved: 23,979 km (including 455 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 4,365 km (2002) |
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Waterways:
|
785 km
(2004) |
|
Pipelines:
|
gas 1,340
km; oil 583 km (2004) |
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Ports and harbors:
|
Omisalj,
Ploce, Rijeka, Sibenik, Vukovar (on Danube) |
|
Merchant marine:
|
total:
73 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 750,579 GRT/1,178,786 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 25, cargo 12, chemical
tanker 2, passenger/cargo 25, petroleum tanker 4,
refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 4
foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1)
registered in other countries: 31 (2005) |
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Airports:
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68 (2004
est.) |
|
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 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total:
45
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 37 (2004 est.) |
|
Heliports:
|
1 (2004
est.) |
|
Military branches:
|
Ground
Forces (Hrvatska Vojska, HKoV), Naval Forces (Hrvatska
Ratna Mornarica, HRM), Air and Air Defense Forces
(Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo i Protuzrakoplovna Obrana,
HRZiPZO) |
|
Military service age and obligation:
|
18 years
of age for compulsory military service, with 6-month
service obligation; 16 years of age with consent for
voluntary service; Croatian Military Police planning to
end conscription in 2005 (December 2004) |
|
Manpower available for military service:
|
males
age 18-49: 1,005,058 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower fit for military service:
|
males
age 18-49: 725,914 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
|
males:
29,020 (2005 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$620
million (2004) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
2.39%
(2002 est.) |
|
Disputes - international:
|
discussions continue with Bosnia and Herzegovina over
several small disputed sections of the boundary; 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; 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:
12,600 (Croats and Serbs displaced in 1992-1995 war)
(2004) |
|
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 |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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