Croatia
Croatia photo gallery - pictures, facts and information on Croatia
Croatia Categories
Croatia
Croatia is the country located in the southeastern part of Europe. The official name of the country is The Republic of Croatia; Hrvatska in Croatian language. It has common borders with Slovenia and Hungary in the north, Bosnia and Herzegovina in the southeast and Serbia and Montenegro in the east. The west part creates the coast of the Adriatic Sea. The capital city of Croatia is Zagreb.
The first Croats arrived in the area of present Croatia in the early seventh century. In 925 AD the first king, King Tomislav was crowned and Croatia became a Kingdom, which managed to retain its sovereignty for almost two centuries. The most famous were kings Peter Krešimir IV and Demetrius Zvonimir. At the very beginning of the 12th century, in 1102, Croatia entered a union with Hungary. In 1526 Ferdinand Habsburg was elected to the Croatian throne by the Croatian Parliament. After the World War I, in 1918, Croatia declared independence from Austria-Hungary and became one of the founding members of Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During the World War II it existed as an independent Croatian state and after the War it became a part of Yugoslavia. On 8 October 1991, Croatia declared independence and became a sovereign state.
The total area of Croatia is 56,594 square kilometers. This area is covered by plains, lakes and rolling hills in the continental north and northeast; densely wooded mountains in Lika and Gorski Kotar; and rocky coastlines on the Adriatic Sea. There is a mixture of climates here; from continental, through Mediterranean and highland climate, to temperate and subtropical. Insular Croatia consists of over one thousand islands varying in size; the biggest are Cres and Krk.
The number of inhabitants is around 4.5 million with the density 81 inhabitants per square kilometer. Nearly 90% of inhabitants are Croats. Besides them, there are several minorities such as Serbs, Bosniaks, Hungarians, Italians, Slovenes, Germans, Czechs, Romani people and others. The main religions of Croatia are Roman Catholic 88% and Orthodox 4.4%. The rest belongs to other religions. The official language is Croatian.
Croatia is a Parliamentary Republic. The President is the head of state and he is directly elected to a five-year term. The parliament is unicameral and has from 100 to 160 members. The Croatian government is headed by the Prime minister who has two deputy prime ministers and fourteen ministers in charge of particular sectors of activity. The country is divided into 20 counties.
Croatia's economy turned the corner in 2000 as tourism rebounded after the War for Independence (1991 – 1995). The economy expanded in 2002, stimulated by a credit boom led by newly privatized and foreign-capitalized banks, some capital investment, most importantly road construction, further growth in tourism, and gains by small and medium-sized private enterprises. In 2009, economic output was dominated by the service sector which accounted for 73,6% percent of GDP, followed by the industrial sector with 20,5% and agriculture accounting for 5,9% of GDP. Most of the people are employed in service sector and the least in agriculture. The industrial sector is dominated by shipbuilding, food processing, pharmaceuticals, information technology, biochemical and timber industry. Tourism is a notable source of income in summers. The country is ranked as the 18th most popular tourist destination in the world.
Croatia is a member of several international groups such as United Nations, the Council of Europe, NATO and the World Trade Organization. However, it still waits for the membership in the European Union. The currency is Kuna (HKR). The cars drive on the right. The Internet TLD is .hr and international calling code is +385.
Seven places in Croatia are listed as World Heritage Sites, some of them are for example historical complex of Split, Old City of Dubrovnik, Euphrasian Basilica in Poreč or Cathedral of Saint James in Šibenik. There are eight national parks, the most famous being probably Plitvice Lakes National Park. Croatia has eight universities, the University of Zagreb is the oldest one. The most popular sports in Croatia are football, handball, basketball, water polo, tennis, and skiing.
The first Croats arrived in the area of present Croatia in the early seventh century. In 925 AD the first king, King Tomislav was crowned and Croatia became a Kingdom, which managed to retain its sovereignty for almost two centuries. The most famous were kings Peter Krešimir IV and Demetrius Zvonimir. At the very beginning of the 12th century, in 1102, Croatia entered a union with Hungary. In 1526 Ferdinand Habsburg was elected to the Croatian throne by the Croatian Parliament. After the World War I, in 1918, Croatia declared independence from Austria-Hungary and became one of the founding members of Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During the World War II it existed as an independent Croatian state and after the War it became a part of Yugoslavia. On 8 October 1991, Croatia declared independence and became a sovereign state.
The total area of Croatia is 56,594 square kilometers. This area is covered by plains, lakes and rolling hills in the continental north and northeast; densely wooded mountains in Lika and Gorski Kotar; and rocky coastlines on the Adriatic Sea. There is a mixture of climates here; from continental, through Mediterranean and highland climate, to temperate and subtropical. Insular Croatia consists of over one thousand islands varying in size; the biggest are Cres and Krk.
The number of inhabitants is around 4.5 million with the density 81 inhabitants per square kilometer. Nearly 90% of inhabitants are Croats. Besides them, there are several minorities such as Serbs, Bosniaks, Hungarians, Italians, Slovenes, Germans, Czechs, Romani people and others. The main religions of Croatia are Roman Catholic 88% and Orthodox 4.4%. The rest belongs to other religions. The official language is Croatian.
Croatia is a Parliamentary Republic. The President is the head of state and he is directly elected to a five-year term. The parliament is unicameral and has from 100 to 160 members. The Croatian government is headed by the Prime minister who has two deputy prime ministers and fourteen ministers in charge of particular sectors of activity. The country is divided into 20 counties.
Croatia's economy turned the corner in 2000 as tourism rebounded after the War for Independence (1991 – 1995). The economy expanded in 2002, stimulated by a credit boom led by newly privatized and foreign-capitalized banks, some capital investment, most importantly road construction, further growth in tourism, and gains by small and medium-sized private enterprises. In 2009, economic output was dominated by the service sector which accounted for 73,6% percent of GDP, followed by the industrial sector with 20,5% and agriculture accounting for 5,9% of GDP. Most of the people are employed in service sector and the least in agriculture. The industrial sector is dominated by shipbuilding, food processing, pharmaceuticals, information technology, biochemical and timber industry. Tourism is a notable source of income in summers. The country is ranked as the 18th most popular tourist destination in the world.
Croatia is a member of several international groups such as United Nations, the Council of Europe, NATO and the World Trade Organization. However, it still waits for the membership in the European Union. The currency is Kuna (HKR). The cars drive on the right. The Internet TLD is .hr and international calling code is +385.
Seven places in Croatia are listed as World Heritage Sites, some of them are for example historical complex of Split, Old City of Dubrovnik, Euphrasian Basilica in Poreč or Cathedral of Saint James in Šibenik. There are eight national parks, the most famous being probably Plitvice Lakes National Park. Croatia has eight universities, the University of Zagreb is the oldest one. The most popular sports in Croatia are football, handball, basketball, water polo, tennis, and skiing.