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.

Geographic coordinates: 45 10 N, 15 30 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 56,538 km²
Land: 56,410 km²
Water: 128 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries
Total: 2,197 km
Border countries: (5) Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km; , Hungary 329 km; , Serbia and Montenegro 266 km; (241 km; with Serbia 25 km; with Montenego), Slovenia 670 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
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 coast, coastline, and islands

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Dinara 1,830 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 21%
Permanent crops: 2%
Permanent pastures: 20%
Forests and woodland: 38%
Other: 19% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 30 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: frequent and destructive earthquakes

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

Population: 4,671,584 (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: 0.13% (1998 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% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czechoslovak, and German)

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 17% (male 411,022; female 389,354)
15-64 years: 68% (male 1,591,716; female 1,592,485)
65 years and over: 15% (male 262,471; female 424,536) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.13% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 10.45 births/1000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 11.14 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.94 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)

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
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Desertification

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.75 years
Male: 70.43 years
Female: 77.28 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.54 children born/woman (1998 est.)

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

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

Government type: presidential/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-Slavonia, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Sibenik, Sisak-Moslavina, Slavonski Brod-Posavina, Split-Dalmatia, Varazdin, Virovitica-Podravina, Vukovar-Srijem, Zadar-Knin, Zagreb

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

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

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Franjo TUDJMAN (since 30 May 1990): ead of
Government: Prime Minister Zlatko MATESA (since 7 November 1995); Deputy Prime Ministers Mate GRANIC (since 8 September 1992), Ivica KOSTOVIC (since 14 October 1993), Jure RADIC (since NA October 1994), Borislav SKEGRO (since 3 April 1993), and Ljerka MINTAS-HODAK (since November 1995)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 15 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
Election results: President Franjo TUDJMAN reelected; percent of vote_Franjo TUDJMAN 61%, Zdravko TOMAC 21%, Vlado GOTOVAC 18%

Legislative branch: bicameral Assembly or Sabor consists of the House of Districts or Zupanijski Dom (68 seats_63 directly elected by popular vote, 5 presidentially appointed; members serve four-year terms) and House of Representatives or the Zastupnicki Dom (127 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: House of Districts_last held 13 April 1997 (next to be held NA 2001); House of Representatives_last held 29 October 1995 (next to be held NA 1999)
Election results: House of Districts_percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party - HDZ 42, HDZ/HSS 11, HSS 2, IDS 2, SDP/PGS/HNS 2, SDP/HNS 2, HSLS/HSS/HNS 1, HSLS 1; note_in some districts certain parties ran as coalitions, while in others they ran alone; House of Representatives_percent of vote by party - HDZ 45.23%, HSS/IDS/HNS/HKDU/SBHS 18.26%, HSLS 11.55%, SDP 8.93%, HSP 5.01%; seats by party_HDZ 75, HSLS 12, HSS 10, SDP 10, IDS 4, HSP 4, HNS 2, SNS 2, HND 1, ASH 1, HKDU 1, SBHS 1, independents 4

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

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Miomir ZUZUL
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: Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador William D. MONTGOMERY
From the us embassy: Andrije Hebranga 2, Zagreb
From the us mailing address: use street address
From the us telephone: [385] (1) 455-55-00
From the us fax: [385] (1) 455-85-85

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

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.

Real gdp growth rate: 4.4% (1997 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $4,500 (1997 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 12%
Industry: 24%
Services: 64% (1995 est.)

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

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: 0% (1995)

Labor force
Total: 1.444 million (1995)
By occupation industry and mining: 31.1%
By occupation agriculture: 4.3%
By occupation government: 19.1% (includingeducationandhealth)
By occupation other: 45.5% (1993)

Unemployment rate: 15.9% (yearend 1997 est.)

Budget
Revenues: $5.3 billion
Expenditures: $6.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $78.5 million (1997 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports: total value:$4.3 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
Commodoties: machinery and transport equipment 13.6%, miscellaneous manufactures 27.6%, chemicals 14.2%, food and live animals 12.2%, raw materials 6.1%, fuels and lubricants 9.4%, beverages and tobacco 2.7% (1993)
Partners: Germany 22%, Italy 21%, Slovenia 18% (1994)

Imports: total value:$9.1 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Commodoties: machinery and transport equipment 23.1%, fuels and lubricants 8.8%, food and live animals 9.0%, chemicals 14.2%, miscellaneous manufactured articles 16.0%, raw materials 3.5%, beverages and tobacco 1.4% (1993)
Partners: Germany 21%, Italy 19%, Slovenia 10% (1994)

Debt external: $5.904 billion (October 1997)

Exchange rates: Croatian kuna per US$1_6.369 (January 1998), 6.101 (1997), 5.434 (1996), 5.230 (1995), 5.996 (1994), 3.577 (1993)

Electricity
Capacity: 3.593 million kW (1995)
Production: 7.15 billion kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: 2,315 kWh (1995)

Telephones: 1.216 million (1993 est.)

Telephone system
Domestic: NA
International: no satellite earth stations

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $1.5 billion (1997)
Percent of gdp: 8.2% (1997)

Airports: 71 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 20
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: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 7 (1997 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 51
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 8
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 42 (1997 est.)

Heliports: 2 (1997 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 670 km; petroleum products 20 km; natural gas 310 km (1992; note_under repair following territorial dispute

Railways
Total: 1,907 km
Standard gauge: 1,907 km 1.435-m gauge (769 km electrified)
Note: some lines remain inoperative or not in use; disrupted by territorial dispute (1997)

Waterways: 785 km perennially navigable; Sava blocked by downed bridges

Merchant marine
Total: 72 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 793,114 GRT/1,187,908 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 13, cargo 31, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 5, container 5, liquefied gas 1, multi-function large load carrier 3, oil tanker 2, passenger 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 3, short-sea passenger 5
Note: Croatia owns an additional 80 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,057,523 DWT operating under the registries of Malta, Liberia, Cyprus, Panama, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1997 est.)

Disputes international: Eastern Slavonia, which was held by ethnic Serbs during the ethnic conflict, 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 WWII 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)

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