Map of Croatia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: 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.


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Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Ethnic Groups in Eastern Europe, Europe

Area
Total area total: 56,538 km²
Land: 56,410 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries: total 2,028 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km, Serbia and Montenegro 266 km (241 km with Serbia; 25 km with Montenego), Slovenia 501 km

Coastline: 5,790 km (mainland 1,778 km, islands 4,012 km)

Maritime claims: continental shelf:200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

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 coast, coastline, and islands

Elevation

Natural resources: oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt

Land use
Arable land: 32%
Permanent crops: 20%
Meadows and pastures: 18%
Forest and woodland: 15%
Other: 15%

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

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


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Population: 4,665,821 (July 1995 est.)
Growth rate: 0.13% (1995 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Croat(s)
Adjective: Croatian

Ethnic groups: Croat 78%, Serb 12%, Muslim 0.9%, Hungarian 0.5%, Slovenian 0.5%, others 8.1% (1991)

Languages: Serbo-Croatian 96%, other 4%

Religions: Catholic 76.5%, Orthodox 11.1%, Slavic Muslim 1.2%, Protestant 0.4%, others and unknown 10.8%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 19% (female 418,272; male 442,064)
15-64 years: 68% (female 1,592,187; male 1,588,455)
65 years and over: 13% (female 394,650; male 230,193) (July 1995 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.13% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 11.02 births/1000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 10.55 deaths/1000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.77 migrant(s)/1000 population (1995 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: air pollution (from metallurgical plants) and resulting acid rain is damaging the forests; coastal pollution from industrial and domestic waste; widespread casualties and destruction of infrastructure in border areas affected by civil strife
Current issues natural hazards: frequent and destructive earthquakes
Current issues international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 8.4 deaths/1000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.02 years
Male: 70.59 years
Female: 77.65 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.62 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1991)
Total population: 97%
Male: 99%
Female: 95%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Croatia
Conventional short form: Croatia
Local long form: Republika Hrvatska
Local short form: Hrvatska

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Zagreb

Administrative divisions: 21 counties (zupanijas, zupanija - singular):Bjelovar-Bilogora, City of Zagreb, Dubrovnik-Neretva, Istra, Karlovac, Koprivnica-Krizevci, Krapina-Zagorje, Lika-Senj, Medimurje, Osijek-Baranja, Pozega-Slavonija, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Sibenik, Sisak-Moslavina, Slavonski Brod-Posavina, Split-Dalmatia, Varazdin, Virovitica-Podravina, Vukovar-Srijem, Zadar-Knin, Zagreb

Dependent areas

Independence: 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

National holiday: Statehood Day, 30 May (1990)

Constitution: adopted on 22 December 1990

Legal system: based on civil law system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Franjo TUDJMAN (since 30 May 1990); election last held 4 August 1992 (next to be held NA 1997); results - Franjo TUDJMAN reelected with about 56% of the vote; his opponent Dobroslav PARAGA got 5% of the vote
Head of government: Prime Minister Nikica VALENTIC (since 3 April 1993); Deputy Prime Ministers Mato GRANIC (since 8 September 1992); Ivica KOSTOVIC (since 14 October 1993); Jure RADIC (since NA); Borislav SKEGRO (since 3 April 1993)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president

Legislative branch: bicameral parliament Assembly (Sabor)
House of Districts Zupanije Dom: elections last held 7 and 21 February 1993 (next to be held NA February 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (68 total; 63 elected, 5 presidentially appointed) HDZ 37, HSLS 16, HSS 5, Istrian Democratic Assembly 3, SPH-SDP 1, HNS 1
House of Representatives Predstavnicke Dom: elections last held 2 August 1992 (next to be held NA August 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (138 total) HDZ 85, HSLS 14, SPH-SDP 11, HNS 6, Dalmatian Action/Istrian Democratic Assembly/ Rijeka Democratic Alliance coalition 6, HSP 5, HSS 3, SNS 3, independents 5

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: CCC, CE (guest), CEI, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (observer), OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Petar A. SARCEVIC
In the us chancery: 2,343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 588-5,899
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 588-8,936
In the us consulates general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Peter W. GALBRAITH
From the us embassy: Andrije Hebranga 2, Zagreb
From the us mailing address: US Embassy, Zagreb, Unit 1345, APO AE 9,213-1345
From the us telephone: [385] (41) 456-000
From the us FAX: [385] (41) 440-235

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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. At present, Croatian Serb Separatists control approximately one-third of the Croatian territory, and one of the overriding determinants of Croatia's long-term political and economic prospects will be the resolution of this territorial dispute. Croatia faces serious economic problems stemming from:the legacy of longtime Communist mismanagement of the economy; large foreign debt; damage during the fighting to bridges, factories, power lines, buildings, and houses; the large refugee population, both Croatian and Bosnian; and the disruption of economic ties to Serbia and the other former Yugoslav republics, as well as within its own territory. At the minimum, extensive Western aid and investment, especially in the tourist and oil industries, would seem necessary to revive the moribund economy. However, peace and political stability must come first; only then will recent government moves toward a "market-friendly" economy restore old levels of output. As of February 1995, fighting continues among Croats, Serbs, and Muslims, and national boundaries and final political arrangements are still in doubt.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3.4% (1994 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $2,640 (1994 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: Croatia normally produces a food surplus; most agricultural land in private hands and concentrated in Croat-majority districts in Slavonia and Istria; much of Slavonia's land has been put out of production by fighting; wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflowers, alfalfa, and clover are main crops in Slavonia; central Croatian highlands are less fertile but support cereal production, orchards, vineyards, livestock breeding, and dairy farming; coastal areas and offshore islands grow olives, citrus fruits, and vegetables

Industries: chemicals and plastics, machine tools, fabricated metal, electronics, pig iron and rolled steel products, aluminum reduction, paper, wood products (including furniture), building materials (including cement), textiles, shipbuilding, petroleum and petroleum refining, food processing and beverages

Industrial production growth rate: -4% (1994 est.)

Labor force: 1,509,489
By occupation industry and mining: 37%
By occupation agriculture: 16% (1981est.)
By occupation government: NA%
By occupation other: NA%

Unemployment rate: 17% (December 1994)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $N/A
Expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $3.9 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
Commodoties: machinery and transport equipment 30%, other manufacturers 37%, chemicals 11%, food and live animals 9%, raw materials 6.5%, fuels and lubricants 5% (1990)
Partners: EC countries, Slovenia

Imports: $4.7 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
Commodoties: machinery and transport equipment 21%, fuels and lubricants 19%, food and live animals 16%, chemicals 14%, manufactured goods 13%, miscellaneous manufactured articles 9%, raw materials 6.5%, beverages and tobacco 1% (1990)
Partners: EC countries, Slovenia, FSU countries

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $2.9 billion (September 1994)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Croatian kuna per US $1 - 5.6144 (November 1994)


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Electricity
Capacity: 3,570,000 kW
Production: NA kWh
Production consumption per capita: NA kWh (1993)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system: 350,000 telephones
Local: NA
Intercity: NA
International: no satellite links

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 337 billion to 393 billion dinars, NA% of GDP (1993 est.), note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 76
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 55
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2438 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 8

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 670 km; petroleum products 20 km; natural gas 310 km (1992; note - now disrupted because of territorial dispute

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 785 km perennially navigable

Merchant marine
Total: 35 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 181,565 GRT/225,533 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 20, chemical tanker 1, container 2, oil tanker 2, passenger 2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, short-sea passenger 4
Note: also controlled by Croatian shipowners are 134 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,286,231 DWT that operate under Maltese and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines registry

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Ethnic Serbs have occupied UN protected areas in eastern Croatia and along the western Bosnia and Herzegovinian border

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs