Map of Croatia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | 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. Under UN supervision the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998.


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

Geographic coordinates: 45 10 N 15 30 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries

Coastline: 5,790 km (mainland 1778 km islands 4,012 km)

Maritime claims

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

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

Land use

Irrigated land: 30 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: frequent and destructive earthquakes

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


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Population: 4,282,216 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 0.93% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

Ethnic groups: Croat 78.1% Serb 12.2% Muslim 0.9% Hungarian 0.5% Slovenian 0.5% Czech 0.4% Albanian 0.3% Montenegrin 0.3% Roma 0.2% others 6.6% (1991)

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

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

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.93% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 12.82 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 11.51 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 7.98 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 7.35 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 1.94 children born/woman (2000 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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: presidential/parliamentary democracy

Capital: Zagreb

Administrative divisions: 20 counties (zupanije zupanija - singular) 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

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

Legislative branch: bicameral Assembly or Sabor consists of the House of Counties or Zupanijski Dom (68 seats - 63 directly elected by popular vote 5 appointed by the president; members serve four-year terms) and House of Representatives or the Zastupnicki Dom (151 seats members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court judges appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the Republic which is elected by the House of Representatives; Constitutional Court judges appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the Republic which is elected by the House of Representatives

Political parties and leaders: Action of the Social Democrats of Croatia or ASH [Silvije DEGEN]; Alliance of Croatian Coast and Mountains Department or PGS [Luciano SUSANJ]; Croatian Christian Democratic Union or HKDU [Marko VESELICA president]; Croatian Democratic Independents or HND [Josip MANOLIC president]; Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ [Vladimir SEKS acting president]; Croatian Party of Rights or HSP [Anto DJAPIC]; Croatian Party of Rights 1861 or HSP 1861 [Dobrislav PARAGA]; Croatian Peasant Party or HSS [Zlatko TOMCIC]; Croatian People's Party or HNS [Radimir CACIC president]; Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS [Drazen BUDISA president]; Independent Democratic Serb Party or SDSS [Vojislav STANIMIROVIC]; Istrian Democratic Assembly or IDS [Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Liberal Party or LP [Vlado GOTOVAC president]; Party of Democratic Action or SDA [Semso TANKOVIC]; Primorje Gorski Kotar Alliance [leader NA]; Serbian National Party or SNS [Milan DJUKIC]; Slanvonsko-Baranja Croatian Party or SBHS [Damir JURIC]; Social Democratic Party of Croatia or SDP [Ivica RACAN]

International organization participation: BIS CCC CE CEI EBRD ECE FAO IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Inmarsat Intelsat Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU NAM (observer) OAS (observer) OPCW OSCE UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation

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. Croatia faces considerable economic problems stemming from: the legacy of longtime communist mismanagement of the economy; damage during the internecine fighting to bridges factories power lines buildings and houses; the large refugee and displaced population both Croatian and Bosnian; and the disruption of economic ties. Western aid and investment especially in the tourist and oil industries would help restore the economy. The government has been successful in some reform efforts - partially macroeconomic stabilization policies - and it has normalized relations with its creditors. Yet it still is struggling with privatization of large state enterprises and with bank reform. The recession that began at the end of 1998 continued through most of 1999 and GDP growth for the year was flat. Inflation remained in check and the kuna was stable. The death of President TUDJMAN in December 1999 and the defeat of his ruling Coatian Democratic Union or HDZ party in parliamentary and presidential elections in January 2000 has ushered in a new government committed to economic reform but faced with the challenge of halting the economic decline.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 0% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: wheat corn sugar beets sunflower seed alfalfa clover olives citrus grapes vegetables; livestock dairy products

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% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 1.65 million (1999)
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: 20% (1999 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices: 4.4% (1999)

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: $4.5 billion (f.o.b. 1998)
Commodities: textiles chemicals foodstuffs fuels
Partners: Italy 21% Germany 18% Bosnia and Herzegovina 15% Slovenia 12% (1997)

Imports: $8.4 billion (c.i.f. 1998)
Commodities: machinery transport and electrical equipment chemicals fuels and lubricants foodstuffs
Partners: Germany 20% Italy 19% Slovenia 8% Austria 8% (1997)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $8.1 billion (October 1999)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Croatian kuna per US$1 - 7.591 (January 2000) 7.112 (1999) 6.362 (1998) 6.157 (1997) 5.434 (1996) 5.230 (1995)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 9.515 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity consumption: 12.949 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity exports: 900 million kWh (1998)

Electricity imports: 5 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular: 187,000 (yearend 1998)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $950 million (FY99)
Percent of gdp: 5% (FY99)

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: 67 (1999 est.)

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports: 1 (1999 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 670 km; petroleum products 20 km; natural gas 310 km (1992); note - under repair following territorial dispute

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 785 km perennially navigable; large sections of Sava blocked by downed bridges silt and debris

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Eastern Slavonia which was held by ethnic Serbs during the ethnic conflict between the Croats and the Serbs was returned to Croatian control by the UN Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia on 15 January 1998; Croatia and Italy made progress toward resolving a bilateral issue dating from World War II over property and ethnic minority rights; significant progress has been made with Slovenia toward resolving a maritime border dispute over direct access to the sea in the Adriatic; Serbia and Montenegro is disputing Croatia's claim to the Prevlaka Peninsula in southern Croatia because it controls the entrance to Boka Kotorska in Montenegro; Prevlaka is currently under observation by the UN Military Observer Mission in Prevlaka (UNMOP)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transit point along the Balkan route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe; a minor transit point for maritime shipments of South American cocaine bound for Western Europe