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Republic of CroatiaRepublika Hrvatska
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Lijepa naša domovino Our beautiful homeland
Location of Croatia (orange) in Europe (white)  –  [Legend]
Capitaland largest city	Zagreb
Official languages	Croatian
Demonym(s)	Croat/Croats Croatian/Croatians
Government	Parliamentary republic
• President	Stjepan Mesić
• Prime Minister	Ivo Sanader
• President of Parliament	Luka Bebić
Establishment
• Founded	First half of 7th century
• Medieval duchy	March 4 852
• Recognized by the Pope	May 21 879
• Elevated to kingdom	925
• Union with Hungary	1102
• Joined Habsburg Empire	January 1 1527
• Independence from Austria-Hungary	October 29 1918
• Joined Yugoslavia (co-founder)	December 1 1918
• Declared independence	June 25 1991
Area
• Total	56,542 km (21,831 sq mi) (126th)
• Water (%)	0.2
Population
• 2008 estimate	4,453,500 (114th)
• 2001 census	4,437,460
• Density	81/km (209.8/sq mi) (115th)
GDP (PPP)	2008 estimate
• Total	$74.419 billion (IMF)
• Per capita	$16,758 (IMF) (51st)
Gini (2005)	29 low inequality
HDI (2005)	0.850 Error: Invalid HDI value (47th)
Currency	kuna (HRK)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Calling code	385
ISO 3166 code	HR
Internet TLD	.hr
Also Italian in Istria and languages of other national minorities (Serbian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, etc.) in residential municipalities of the national minorities.

Croatia (Template:IPAEng) (Template:Lang-hr Template:IPAEng), officially the Republic of Croatia (Republika Hrvatska listen), is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between the Pannonian Plain and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Zagreb. Croatia borders with Slovenia and Hungary to the north, Serbia to the northeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the east, and Montenegro to the far southeast. Its southern and western flanks border the Adriatic Sea, and it also shares a sea border with Italy in the Gulf of Trieste.

Croatia is a member of United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe. The country is also a candidate for membership of the European Union and received a NATO membership invitation on 3 April 2008. Croatia is expected to formally join the 26-nation pact next April on NATO's 60th birthday, making it the second former Yugoslav nation to join NATO following Slovenia which entered in 2004. On October 17, 2007 Croatia became a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2008-2009 term. Additionally, Croatia is also a founding member of the Mediterranean Union upon its establishment on July 13, 2008.

History

The Croatians settled on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea and the Pannonian lands in early 7th century, forming two principalities, Dalmatia and Pannonia. The establishment of the Trpimirović dynasty ca. 850 brought strengthening to the Dalmatian Croat duchy, which became a kingdom in 925.

In 1102, Croatia entered into a personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary. After the 1526 Battle of Mohács, the "Reliquiae reliquiarum olim inclyti Regni Croatiae" (the remains of the Kingdom of Croatia) became a part of the Habsburg Monarchy in 1527. In 1918 Croatia became a part of the Kingdom of SHS and later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

In 1941-1945, during World War II, an Axis puppet state known as the Independent State of Croatia existed. After the victory of Tito's People's Liberation Movement and the Allies, Croatia became a constitutive federal republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

In 1991, Croatia proclaimed independence by holding the first democratic elections in the country. The complicated situation meant that it was forced to fight a long and bloody war against local Serbs opposed to independence until 1995, including a series of battles against the remainder of the JNA between 1991 and 1992.

Croatia was recognized on January 15, 1992 by the European Union and the United Nations. The first country to recognize Croatia was Iceland on December 19, 1991.

Government and politics

Since the adoption of the 1990 Constitution, Croatia has been a democratic republic. Between 1990 and 2000 it had a semi-presidential system, and since 2000 it has a parliamentary system.

The President of the Republic (Predsjednik) is the head of state, directly elected to a five-year term and is limited by the Constitution to a maximum of two terms. In addition to being the commander in chief of the armed forces, the president has the procedural duty of appointing the Prime minister with the consent of the Parliament, and has some influence on foreign policy. His official residence is Predsjednički dvori. Apart from that he has summer residences on the islands of Vanga (Brijuni islands) and the island of Hvar.

The Croatian Parliament (Sabor) is a unicameral legislative body (a second chamber, the "House of Counties", which was set up by the Constitution of 1990, was abolished in 2001). The number of the Sabor's members can vary from 100 to 160; they are all elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. The plenary sessions of the Sabor take place from January 15 to July 15, and from September 15 to December 15.

The Croatian Government (Vlada) is headed by the Prime minister who has two deputy prime ministers and fourteen ministers in charge of particular sectors of activity. The executive branch is responsible for proposing legislation and a budget, executing the laws, and guiding the foreign and internal policies of the republic. Government's official residence is at Banski dvori. Recently, Bianca Kunjasic was voted in parliament.

Geography

Croatia is located between South-Central Europe and Middle Europe. Its shape resembles that of a crescent or a horseshoe, which flanks its neighbours Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. To the north lie Slovenia and Hungary; Italy lies across the Adriatic Sea. Its mainland territory is split in two non-contiguous parts by the short coastline of Bosnia and Herzegovina around Neum.

Its terrain is diverse, including:

• plains, lakes and rolling hills in the continental north and northeast (Central Croatia and Slavonia, part of the Pannonian Basin);
• densely wooded mountains in Lika and Gorski Kotar, part of the Dinaric Alps;
• rocky coastlines on the Adriatic Sea (Istria, Northern Seacoast and Dalmatia).

Phytogeographically, Croatia belongs to the Boreal Kingdom and is shared between the Central European and Illyrian provinces of the Circumboreal Region and the Adriatic province of the Mediterranean Region. According to the WWF, the territory of Croatia can be subdivided into three ecoregions: the Pannonian mixed forests, Dinaric Mountains mixed forests and Illyrian deciduous forests.

The country is famous for its many national parks. Croatia has a mixture of climates. In the north and east it is continental, Mediterranean along the coast and a semi-highland and highland climate in the south-central region.

Offshore Croatia consists of over one thousand islands varying in size. The largest islands in Croatia are Cres and Krk which are located in the Adriatic Sea. The Danube, Europe's second longest river, runs through the city of Vukovar. Dinara, the eponym of the Dinaric Alps, is the highest peak of Croatia at 1,831 metres above sea level.

Counties

Croatia is divided into 20 counties (županija) and the capital Zagreb's city district (in italics below):

Demographics

Croatia is inhabited mostly by Croats (89.9 per cent of the population). There are around twenty minority groups. Serbs are the largest minority, comprising 4.5 per cent of the total population. The predominant religion is Catholicism (87.8 per cent), with some Orthodox (4.4 per cent) and Sunni Muslim (1.3 per cent) minorities. The official and common language, Croatian, is a South Slavic language, using the Latin alphabet. According to the 2001 census, 96.1 per cent of the population speak Croatian as their first language.

The population of Croatia has been stagnating over the last decade. During the 1991-1995 war, large sections of the population were displaced and emigration increased. In 1991 during an ethnic cleansing campaign carried out by rebel-Serb forces and the JNA under control of the former Serbian president Slobodan Milošević 80,000 Croats were expelled from their homes by force. 11,834 Croats were killed and 1348 are still missing. Even moderate Serbs were killed by Serb forces. Many Croats have returned but a large portion fled to western Europe and stayed there. A large number of Croats (around 118,000) expelled from Serb-held parts of Bosnia, mostly Bosanska Posavina in 1992 continue to live in Croatia unable to return to their homes. Some 200,000 Serbs fled from Croatia at the end of the war. Hundreds of civilians were killed during Operation Storm, according to the BBC. Only a fraction of Serbs of Croatia have returned to their homeland since 1995, according to the Human Rights Watch.

The natural growth rate of the population is currently negative with the demographic transition completed in the 1970s. Average life expectancy is 75.1 years, and the literacy rate is 98.1 per cent.

Law

Croatia has a three-tiered judicial system, consisting of the Supreme Court, County courts, and Municipal courts. The Constitutional Court rules on matters regarding the Constitution.

Economy

The Croatian economy has a stable functioning market economy which is one of the most advanced of South-Eastern Europe. International Monetary Fund data shows that Croatian nominal GDP stood at US$50.053 billion, or US$11,271 per capita, in 2007. The IMF forecast for 2008 is US$54.950 billion, or US$12,374 per capita. In purchasing power parity terms, total GDP was US$69.866 billion in 2007, equivalent to US$15,733 per capita. For 2008, it is forecast to be US$74.419 billion, or US$16,758 per capita.

According to Eurostat data, Croatian PPS GDP per capita stood at 57.5 per cent of the EU average in 2007, and is forecast to reach 57.8 per cent in 2008. Real GDP growth in 2007 was 6.0 per cent. The average gross salary in 2007 was 7,047 kuna per month. In 2007, the International Labour Organization-defined unemployment rate stood at 9.1 per cent, after falling steadily from 14.7 percent in 2002. The registered unemployment rate is higher, though, standing at 14.7 percent in December 2007.

In 2007, 7.2 percent of economic output was accounted for by agriculture, 32.8 percent by industry and 60.7 percent by the service sector. According to 2004 data, 2.7 percent of the workforce were employed in agriculture, 32.8 percent by industry and 64.5 in services.

The industrial sector is dominated by shipbuilding, food processing and the chemical industry. Tourism is a notable source of income during the summer, with over 10 million foreign tourists in 2006 generating a revenue of €8 billion. Croatia is ranked as the 18th most popular tourist destination in the world. In 2006 Croatia exported goods to the value of USD$10.4 billion (FOB) (US$19.7 billion including service exports).

Of particular concern is the backlogged judiciary system, combined with inefficient public administration, especially issues of land ownership and corruption. Another main problem includes the large and growing national debt which has reached over 30 billion dollars.

The country has been preparing for membership in the European Union, its most important trading partner. In February 2005, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU officially came into force.

Education

Primary education in Croatia starts at the age of six or seven and consists of eight grades. Secondary education is provided by gymnasiums and vocational schools.

Croatia has seven universities, the University of Zagreb, University of Split, University of Rijeka, University of Osijek, University of Zadar, University of Dubrovnik and the University of Pula. The University of Zagreb was founded in 1669 and is therefore the oldest in Southeastern Europe. There are also polytechnic higher education institutions.

Transport

The highlight of Croatia is its growing highway network, developed across the last four decades. Croatia has over 1,000 km of highways connecting Zagreb to most other regions. The best known highways are A1, connecting Zagreb to Split and A3, passing east-west through northwest Croatia and Slavonia. Most highways are tolled, except the Zagreb bypass. There is also a smaller and more obscure network of expressways connecting to the highways. One of the most used is the D28 expressway, connecting A4 near Zagreb to Bjelovar. Croatia has an extensive rail network, although due to historical circumstances, the Istria region is not accessible by train without passing through neighbouring Slovenia. Train services are operated by Croatian Railways (Template:Lang-hr). Major airports are located in Zagreb, Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka (on the island of Krk), Osijek, Bol, Lošinj and Pula. Croatia Airlines is the national airline and flag carrier. An extensive system of ferries, operated by Jadrolinija, serves Croatia's many islands and links coastal cities. Ferry services are also available to Italy.

Culture

Croatian culture is the result of a fourteen century-long history which has seen the development of many cities and monuments. The country includes seven World Heritage sites and eight national parks. Croatia is also the birthplace of a number of historical figures included among the notable people are three Nobel prize winners, and numerous inventors.

Some of the world's first fountain pens came from Croatia. Croatia also has a place in the history of clothing as the origin of the necktie (kravata). The country has a long artistic, literary and musical tradition. Also of interest is the diverse nature of Croatian cuisine.

Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List

Cultural

• Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basilica in the Historic Centre of Poreč (1997)
• Historic City of Trogir (1997)
• Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian (1979)
• Old City of Dubrovnik (1979)
• The Cathedral of St James in Šibenik(2000)
• The Stari Grad Plain - island of Hvar (2008)

Natural

• Plitvice Lakes National Park (1979)

Sport

Sports popular in Croatia include football, handball, basketball, water polo and tennis. The Croatian national football team finished third in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Davor Šuker won the Golden Boot as the top goal scorer. The country failed in its joint bid with Hungary to co-host the 2012 European Championships. The two main teams in Croatia are NK Dinamo Zagreb with between 33% and 36% of the population supporting them and HNK Hajduk Split with about 25%.

Croatian national handball team were world champions in 2003 and two time Olympic winners in 1996 and 2004. Ivano Balić is considered to be the best handball player in the world. RK Zagreb was a two time European champion and RK Bjelovar won the same championship once.

The national basketball team finished third at the 1994 FIBA World Championship, second at the 1992 Summer Olympics and third at EuroBasket 1993 and 1995. Croatian basketball clubs were European champions 5 times , KK Split three times and KK Cibona twice. The third most famous basketball club is KK Zadar.

Croatian national water polo team are the current world champions. Mladost was a seven time European champion and was awarded the title Best Club of the 20th Century by LEN. Jug and Jadran were both three time European champions. Croatian Davis Cup team won the tournament in 2005.

Tennis player Goran Ivanišević is one of the country's most recognisable sportsmen who won the 2001 Men's Singles title at Wimbledon. Janica Kostelić and Ivica Kostelić in skiing, Blanka Vlašić in athletics, Duje Draganja, Sanja Jovanović and Đurđica Bjedov in swimming, Dražen Petrović, Krešimir Ćosić, Toni Kukoč and Dino Rađa in basketball, Matija Ljubek in canoeing, Željko Mavrović and Mate Parlov in boxing, Branko Cikatić and Mirko Filipović, known as "Cro Cop", in kickboxing and mixed martial arts, Tamara Boroš in table tennis are among the most famous athletes.

See also

• Communications in Croatia
• Holidays in Croatia
• Military of Croatia
• Protected areas of Croatia
• Tourism in Croatia
• Transport in Croatia
• Sport in Croatia
• Croatian War of Independence
• List of Croatians
• Law enforcement in Croatia
• International rankings of Croatia
• Banovina of Croatia
• Croatian Railways

References

1. ^ "World Economic Outlook Database". International Monetary Fund. October 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
2. "Croatia, Albania sign NATO membership accords". USA Today.
3. "Važniji datumi iz povijesti saborovanja". Hrvatski Sabor. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
4. "Dinara -- Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering". SummitPost. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
5. ^ "Croatia". CIA World Factbook. 2008-03-06. Retrieved 2008-03-09. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
6. "Summary of judgement for Milan Martić". United Nations. 2007-06-12. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
7. Milan Babic verdict
8. "Još 17.158 u evidenciji nestalih" (in Serbo-Croat). B92. 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2008-06-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
9. "Croatia". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
10. Sudetic, Chuck (1992-10-14). "Life Turns Bleak and Perilous In Serb-Held Area in Croatia". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
11. "Report on the Status of Human Rights in Bosnia and Heregovina". Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 2007-02-12. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
12. "Croatia marks Storm anniversary". BBC News. 2005-08-05. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
13. "Croatia: Operation "Storm" - still no justice ten years on". Amnesty International. 2005-08-04. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
14. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5258610.stm
15. http://www.hrea.org/lists/refugee-rights/markup/msg00610.html
16. Mrđen, Snježana (1998). "The demographic situation in Croatia". Geoadria. 3: 29–56. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
17. "GDP per capita in PPS". Eurostat. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
18. "Real GDP growth rate". Eurostat. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
19. "Statistical Information 2007" (PDF). Republic of Croatia Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
20. "Unemployment rate – total". Eurostat. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
21. "Bulletin 134" (PDF). Croatian National Bank. February 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
22. ^ "UNWTO World Tourism Barometer" (PDF). October 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-23.

Further reading

• Branka Magaš. "Croatia Through History: The Making of a Modern European State" Saqi. November 2007, 680pp.
• Agičić et al., Povijest i zemljopis Hrvatske, priručnik za hrvatske manjinske škole (History and Geography of Croatia, a handbook for Croatian minority schools), Biblioteka Geographica Croatica, 292 pages, Zagreb:2000 (ISBN 953-6235-40-4) Template:Hr icon
• Ivo Banac, The National Question in Yugoslavia: Origins, History, Politics Cornell University Press, 1984.
• Mirjana Kasapovic (ur.), Hrvatska politika 1990.-2000. Zagreb: Hrvatska politologija 2001.
• Pavol Demes and Joerg Forbrig (eds.), Reclaiming Democracy: Civil Society and Electoral Change in Central and Eastern Europe. German Marshall Fund, 2007. ISBN 978-80-969639-0-4
• Sharon Fisher, Political Change in Post-Communist Slovakia and Croatia: From Nationalist to Europeanist. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006 ISBN 1 4039 7286 9

External links

• Wikimedia Atlas of Croatia
• Template:Wikitravel
• Template:Dmoz
• About Croatia
• Croatian National Tourist Board
• The Government of the Republic of Croatia
• Weather forecasts and weather info on Croatia
• Croatia Country Information

Geographic locale

v t e Countries and dependencies of Europe Sovereign states Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City States with limited recognition Abkhazia Kosovo Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria Dependent territories Denmark Faroe Islands autonomous country of the Kingdom of Denmark United Kingdom Akrotiri and Dhekelia (Sovereign Base Areas) Gibraltar (British Overseas Territory) Crown Dependencies Bailiwick of Guernsey Alderney Guernsey Sark Bailiwick of Jersey Isle of Man Special areas of internal sovereignty Finland Åland (autonomous region subject to the Åland convention of 1921) Norway Svalbard (unincorporated area subject to the Svalbard Treaty) United Kingdom England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland (country of the United Kingdom subject to the British-Irish Agreement) Spans the conventional boundary between Europe and another continent. Considered European for cultural, political and historical reasons but is geographically in Western Asia. Oceanic islands within the vicinity of Europe are usually grouped with the continent even though they are not situated on its continental shelf. Governed by the Holy See which has sovereignty over Vatican City. Category Europe portal v t e Countries and territories of the Mediterranean Sea Sovereign states Albania Algeria Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia Cyprus Egypt France Greece Israel Italy Lebanon Libya Malta Monaco Montenegro Morocco Slovenia Spain Syria Tunisia Turkey States with limited recognition Northern Cyprus Palestine Dependencies and other territories Akrotiri and Dhekelia (UK) Gibraltar (UK) Ceuta and Melilla (Spain) Marginal seas Adriatic Sea Aegean Sea Alboran Sea Balearic Sea Ionian Sea Levantine Sea Libyan Sea Ligurian Sea Sea of Crete Sea of Marmara Sea of Sardinia Thracian Sea Tyrrhenian Sea

Within Croatia

v t e World Heritage Sites in Croatia Cathedral of St. James, Šibenik Dubrovnik Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basilica, Poreč Plitvice Lakes Split with the Palace of Diocletian Stari Grad Plain Stećak Cista Velika Dubravka Trogir Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries Šibenik Zadar Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe Northern Velebit National Park Paklenica with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia with Italy and Montenegro with Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine v t e Cities and towns of Croatia by population 100,000+ Rijeka Split Zagreb 50,000+ Osijek Pula Slavonski Brod Velika Gorica Zadar 30,000+ Bjelovar Dubrovnik Karlovac Kaštela Samobor Šibenik Sisak Varaždin Vinkovci 15,000+ Čakovec Đakovo Dugo Selo Koprivnica Križevci Kutina Metković Petrinja Poreč Požega Sinj Solin Sveta Nedelja Virovitica Vukovar Zaprešić 10,000+ Crikvenica Daruvar Duga Resa Gospić Ivanec Ivanić-Grad Jastrebarsko Kastav Knin Krapina Labin Makarska Našice Nova Gradiška Novi Marof Novska Ogulin Omiš Opatija Popovača Rovinj Slatina Sveti Ivan Zelina Trogir Umag Vrbovec v t e Inhabited islands of Croatia Biševo Brač Čiovo Cres Drvenik Mali Drvenik Veli Dugi Otok Hvar Ilovik Ist Iž Kaprije Koločep Kornat Korčula Krapanj Krk Lastovo Lopud Lošinj Male Srakane Mljet Molat Murter Olib Ošljak Pag Pašman Premuda Prvić Rab Rava Rivanj Sestrunj Silba Šipan Šolta Susak Ugljan Unije Vele Srakane Vir Vis Vrgada Žirje Zlarin Zverinac v t e Protected areas of Croatia National parks Brijuni Kornati Krka Mljet Northern Velebit Paklenica Plitvice Lakes Risnjak Nature parks Biokovo Dinara Kopačevo Marsh Lastovo Lonjsko Polje Medvednica Papuk Telašćica Učka Velebit Lake Vrana Žumberak-Samoborsko gorje

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