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In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became an 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.

Contents 1 Geography 2 People 3 Government 4 Economy 5 Communications 6 Transportation 7 Military 8 Transnational Issues

Geography

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
water: 128 sq km
land: 56,414 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 and Montenegro (north) 241 km, Serbia and Montenegro (south) 25 km, Slovenia 670 km

Coastline 

5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km)

Maritime claims 

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM

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, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower

Land use 

arable land: 23.55%
permanent crops: 2.24%
other: 74.21% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

30 sq km (1998 est.)

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-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note 

controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits

People

Population 

4,390,751 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 18.3% (male 411,847; female 390,797)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 1,461,305; female 1,448,973)
65 years and over: 15.4% (male 252,970; female 424,859) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

1.12% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

12.8 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

11.31 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

9.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio 

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

7.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 74.13 years
female: 77.96 years (2002 est.)
male: 70.52 years

Total fertility rate 

1.93 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 

0.02% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 

350 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths 

less than 100 (1999 est.)

Nationality 

noun: Croat(s), Croatian(s)
adjective: Croatian

Ethnic groups 

Croat 78.1%, Serb 12.2%, Bosniak 0.9%, Hungarian 0.5%, Slovene 0.5%, Czech 0.4%, Albanian 0.3%, Montenegrin 0.3%, Roma 0.2%, others 6.6% (1991)

Religions 

Roman Catholic 76.5%, Orthodox 11.1%, Muslim 1.2%, Protestant 0.4%, others and unknown 10.8% (1991)

Languages 

Croatian 96%, other 4% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German)

Literacy 

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 99%
female: 95% (1991 est.)

Government

Country name 

conventional long form: Republic of Croatia
conventional short form: Croatia
local short form: Hrvatska
local long form: Republika Hrvatska

Government type 

presidential/parliamentary democracy

Capital 

Zagreb

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 

Statehood Day, 25 June (1991)

Constitution 

adopted on 22 December 1990

Legal system 

based on civil law system

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 Ivica RACAN (since 27 January 2000); Deputy Prime Ministers Goran GRANIC (since 27 January 2000), Ante SIMONIC (since NA July 2002), Slavko LINIC (since 27 January 2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and approved by the House of Representatives
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 7 February 2000 (next to be held NA 2005); prime minister nominated by the president in line with the balance of power in the Assembly
note: government coalition - SDP, HSLS, HSS, LP, HNS; a fifth party, the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS), withdrew in June 2001
election results: Stjepan MESIC elected president; percent of vote - Stjepan MESIC (HNS) 56%, Drazen BUDISA (HSLS) 44%

Legislative branch 

unicameral Assembly or Sabor (151 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - House of Counties was abolished in March 2001
election results: Assembly (then referred to as the House of Representatives) - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - HDZ 46, SDP 44, HSLS 24, HSS 17, HSP/HKDU 5, IDS 4, HNS 2, independents 4, minority representatives 5
elections: Assembly - last held 2-3 January 2000 (next to be held in the fall of 2003)

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 House of Representatives

Political parties and leaders 

Alliance of Croatian Coast and Mountains Department or PGS [Luciano SUSANJ]; Croatian Christian Democratic Union or HKDU [Marko VESELICA]; Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ [Ivo SANADER]; Croatian Party of Rights or HSP [Dobroslav PARAGA]; Croatian Peasant Party or HSS [Zlatko TOMCIC]; Croatian People's Party or HNS [Vesna PUSIC]; Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS [Drazen BUDISA]; Croatian True Revival Party or HIP [Miroslav TUDJMAN]; Independent Democratic Serb Party or SDSS [Vojislav STANIMIROVIC]; Istrian Democratic Assembly or IDS [Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Liberal Party or LP [leader NA]; Social Democratic Party of Croatia or SDP [Ivica RACAN]
note: the Social Democratic Party or SDP and the Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS formed a coalition as did the HSS, HNS, LP, and IDS, which together defeated the Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ in the 2000 lower house parliamentary election; the IDS subsequently left the governing coalition in June 2001 over its inability to win greater autonomy for Istria

Political pressure groups and leaders 

NA

International organization participation 

BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador Ivan GRDESIC
FAX: [1] (202) 588-8936
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
telephone: [1] (202) 588-5899
chancery: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador Lawrence G. ROSSIN
embassy: Andrije Hebranga 2, Zagreb 10000
mailing address: use street address
telephone: [385] (1) 661-2200
FAX: [385] (1) 661-2373

Flag description 

red, white, and blue horizontal bands with Croatian coat of arms (red and white checkered)

Economy

Economy - overview 

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 its mild recession in 2000 with tourism the main factor, but massive structural unemployment remains a key negative element. The government's failure to press the economic reforms needed to spur growth is largely the result of coalition politics and public resistance, particularly from the trade unions, to measures that would cut jobs, wages, or social benefits. As a result, the country is likely to experience only moderate growth without disciplined fiscal and structural reform.

GDP 

purchasing power parity - $38.9 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 

3% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita 

purchasing power parity - $8,800 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector 

agriculture: 9%
industry: 33%
services: 58% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line 

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share 

lowest 10%: 4%
highest 10%: 23% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index 

29 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 

4% (2002 est.)

Labor force 

1.7 million (2001)

Labor force - by occupation 

agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%

Unemployment rate 

20.2% (2002 est.)

Budget 

revenues: $8.6 billion
expenditures: $9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

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 

2.8% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production 

10.578 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 45%
hydro: 55%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption 

12.638 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports 

900 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports 

3.7 billion kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products 

wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, barley, alfalfa, clover, olives, citrus, grapes, soybeans, potatoes; livestock, dairy products

Exports 

$5.1 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities 

transport equipment, textiles, chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels

Exports - partners 

Italy 23.7%, Germany 14.8%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 12%, Slovenia 9.1%, Austria 5.7%, France 3.5 (2001)

Imports 

$9.7 billion c.i.f. (2002)

Imports - commodities 

machinery, transport and electrical equipment, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, foodstuffs

Imports - partners 

Germany 17.1%, Italy 16.9%, Slovenia 7.9%, Russia 7.2%, Austria 7%, France 4.4% (2001)

Debt - external 

$16.5 billion (2001)

Economic aid - recipient 

ODA $66 million (2000)

Currency 

kuna (HRK)

Currency code 

HRK

Exchange rates 

kuna per US dollar - 8.452 (January 2002), 8.340 (2001), 8.277 (2000), 7.112 (1999), 6.362 (1998), 6.101 (1997)

Fiscal year 

calendar year

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

1,721,139 (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

1.3 million (2001)

Telephone system 

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: 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)

Radio broadcast stations 

AM 16, FM 98, shortwave 5 (1999)

Radios 

1.51 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations 

36 (plus 321 repeaters) (September 1995)

Televisions 

1.22 million (1997)

Internet country code 

.hr

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

9 (2000)

Internet users 

480,000 (2001)

Transportation

Railways 

total: 2,726 km
standard gauge: 2,726 km 1.435-m gauge (NA electrified) (2000)

Highways 

total: 28,009 km
paved: 23,695 km (including 330 km of expressways)
unpaved: 4,314 km (2001)

Waterways 

785 km
note: (perennially navigable; large sections of Sava blocked by downed bridges, silt, and debris)

Pipelines 

crude oil 670 km; petroleum products 20 km; natural gas 310 km (1992)

Ports and harbors 

Dubrovnik, Dugi Rat, Omisalj, Ploce, Pula, Rijeka, Sibenik, Split, Vukovar (inland waterway port on Danube), Zadar

Merchant marine 

total: 49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 681,465 GRT/1,076,315 DWT
note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Hong Kong 1 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 14, cargo 13, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 5, container 1, multi-functional large-load carrier 3, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea passenger 3

Airports 

67 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 22
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 8 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 45
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 37 (2002)

Heliports 

1 (2002)

Military

Military branches 

Ground Forces (Hrvatska Vojska, HV), Naval Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces

Military manpower - military age 

19 years of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - availability 

males age 15-49: 1,086,578 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service 

males age 15-49: 860,497 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually 

males: 30,037 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure 

$520 million (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP 

2.39% (2002 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue discussions on the disputed boundary in the Una River near Kostajnica, Hrvatska Dubica, and Zeljava; Bosnia and Herzegovina also protests Croatian claim to the tip of the Klek Peninsula and several islands near Neum; Hungary opposes Croatian plan to build a hydropower dam on the boundary stream Drava; Slovenia and Croatia have not obtained parliamentary ratification of 2001 land and maritime boundary treaty which cedes villages on the Dragonja River and Sveta Gera (Trdinov Peak) to Croatia, and most of Pirin Bay to Slovenia, but restricts Slovenian access to the open sea; Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro continue to discuss disputed Prevlaka Peninsula and control over the Gulf of Kotor despite imminent UN intention to withdraw observer mission (UNMOP); Croatia and Italy are still trying to resolve bilateral property and ethnic minority rights dating from World War II

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