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: 56,542 km²
Water: 128 km²
Land: 56,414 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries
Total: 2,197 km
Border countries: (4) 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 1777 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
Extremes 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 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes

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

Population: 4,390,751 (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 1.12% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Croat, Croatian
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)

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)

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/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 11.31 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 9.72 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 est.)

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
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male/female
65 years and over: 0.6 male/female
Total population: 0.94 male/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 7.06 deaths/1000 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.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.02% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 350 (1999 est.)
Deaths: less than 100 (1999 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 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
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
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

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
In the us fax: [1] (202) 588-8,936
In the us consulates general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 588-5,899
In the us chancery: 2,343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Lawrence G. ROSSIN
From the us embassy: Andrije Hebranga 2, Zagreb 10,000
From the us mailing address: use street address
From the us telephone: [385] (1) 661-2,200
From the us fax: [385] (1) 661-2,373

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. 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.

Real gdp growth rate: 3% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $8,800 (2002 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 9%
Industry: 33%
Services: 58% (2002 est.)

Agriculture products: wheat corn sugar beets sunflower seed barley alfalfa clover olives citrus grapes soybeans potatoes; 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: 2.8% (2002 est.)

Labor force: 1.7 million (2001)
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: 20.2% (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)

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

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 4% (2002 est.)

Exports: $5.1 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: transport equipment textiles chemicals foodstuffs fuels
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)
Commodities: machinery transport and electrical equipment chemicals fuels and lubricants foodstuffs
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)

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)

Electricity
Production: 10.578 billion kWh (2000)
Production by source fossil fuel: 45%
Production by source hydro: 55%
Production by source other: 0% (2000)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 12.638 billion kWh (2000)
Exports: 900 million kWh (2000)
Imports: 3.7 billion kWh (2000)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 1,721,139 (2000)
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)

Internet
Country code: .hr
Service providers isps: 9 (2000)
Users: 480,000 (2001)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $520 million (2002 est.)
Percent of gdp: 2.39% (2002 est.)

Airports: 67 (2001)
With paved runways total: 22
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 8 (2002)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways total: 45
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 37 (2002)

Heliports: 1 (2002)

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

Railways
Total: 2,726 km
Standard gauge: 2,726 km 1.435-m gauge (NA electrified) (2000)

Waterways
Note: (perennially navigable; large sections of Sava blocked by downed bridges, silt, and debris)

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

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