|
Introduction |
|
Background: |
The lands that
today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
until the close of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and
Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia.
Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal 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.
|
|
Geography |
|
Location: |
Southeastern
Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and
Herzegovina and Slovenia
|
|
Geographic
coordinates: |
45 10 N, 15 30 E
|
|
Map references: |
Europe
|
|
Area: |
total:
56,542 sq km
land: 56,414 sq km
water: 128 sq km
|
|
Area -
comparative: |
slightly smaller
than West Virginia
|
|
Land boundaries: |
total: 2,197
km
border countries: 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
1,777 km, islands 4,058 km)
|
|
Maritime claims: |
territorial sea:
12 nm
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 coastline and islands
|
|
Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Dinara 1,830 m
|
|
Natural
resources: |
oil, some coal,
bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt,
silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower
|
|
Land use: |
arable land:
26.09%
permanent crops: 2.27%
other: 71.65% (2001)
|
|
Irrigated land: |
30 sq km (1998
est.)
|
|
Natural hazards: |
destructive
earthquakes
|
|
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
|
|
Environment -
international agreements: |
party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent
Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
|
|
Geography -
note: |
controls most land
routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits
|
|
People |
|
Population: |
4,495,904 (July
2005 est.)
|
|
Age structure: |
0-14 years:
16.4% (male 378,615/female 359,231)
15-64 years: 67% (male 1,497,355/female 1,514,993)
65 years and over: 16.6% (male 283,460/female 462,250)
(2005 est.)
|
|
Median age: |
total: 39.97
years
male: 38.01 years
female: 41.76 years (2005 est.)
|
|
Population
growth rate: |
-0.02% (2005 est.)
|
|
Birth rate: |
9.57 births/1,000
population (2005 est.)
|
|
Death rate: |
11.38 deaths/1,000
population (2005 est.)
|
|
Net migration
rate: |
1.58 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2005 est.)
|
|
Sex ratio: |
at birth:
1.06 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
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
|
|
Infant mortality
rate: |
total: 6.84
deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.79 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
|
|
Life expectancy
at birth: |
total
population: 74.45 years
male: 70.79 years
female: 78.31 years (2005 est.)
|
|
Total fertility
rate: |
1.39 children
born/woman (2005 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - adult
prevalence rate: |
less than 0.1%
(2001 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS -
people living with HIV/AIDS: |
200 (2001 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS -
deaths: |
less than 10 (2001
est.)
|
|
Nationality: |
noun:
Croat(s), Croatian(s)
adjective: Croatian
|
|
Ethnic groups: |
Croat 89.6%, Serb
4.5%, other 5.9% (including Bosniak, Hungarian, Slovene, Czech,
and Roma) (2001 census)
|
|
Religions: |
Roman Catholic
87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 1.3%, other
and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2% (2001 census)
|
|
Languages: |
Croatian 96.1%,
Serbian 1%, other and undesignated 2.9% (including Italian,
Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German) (2001 census)
|
|
Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.5%
male: 99.4%
female: 97.8% (2003 est.)
|
|
Government |
|
Country name: |
conventional
long form: Republic of Croatia
conventional short form: Croatia
local long form: Republika Hrvatska
local short form: Hrvatska
former: People's Republic of Croatia, Socialist Republic
of Croatia
|
|
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: |
Independence Day, 8
October (1991); note - 25 June 1991 is the day the Croatian
Parliament voted for independence; following a 3-month
moratorium to allow the European Community to solve the Yugoslav
crisis peacefully, Parliament adopted a decision on 8 October
1991 to sever constitutional relations with Yugoslavia
|
|
Constitution: |
adopted on 22
December 1990; revised 2000, 2001
|
|
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 Ivo SANADER (since 9
December 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers Jadranka KOSOR (since 23
December 2003) and Damir POLANEC (since NA February 2005)
cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister
and approved by the parliamentary Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote for a
five-year term; election last held 16 January 2005 (next to be
held January 2010); the leader of the majority party or the
leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime
minister by the president and then approved by the Assembly
election results: Stjepan MESIC reelected president;
percent of vote - Stjepan MESIC (HNS) 66%, Jadranka KOSOR (HDZ)
34%
|
|
Legislative
branch: |
unicameral Assembly
or Sabor (152 seats; note - one seat was added in the November
2003 parliamentary elections; members elected from party lists
by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Assembly - last held 23 November 2003 (next to
be held in 2007)
election results: Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; number of seats by party - HDZ 66, SDP 34, HSS 10, HNS 10,
HSP 8, IDS 4, Libra 3, HSU 3, SDSS 3, other 11
note: minority government coalition - HDZ, DC, HSLS, HSU,
SDSS
|
|
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 Assembly
|
|
Political
parties and leaders: |
Croatian Bloc or HB
[Ivic PASALIC]; Croatian Christian Democratic Union or HKDU [Anto
KOVACEVIC]; Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ [Ivo SANADER];
Croatian Party of Rights or HSP [Anto DJAPIC]; Croatian Peasant
Party or HSS [Zlatko TOMCIC]; Croatian Pensioner Party or HSU
[Vladimir JORDAN]; Croatian People's Party or HNS [Vesna PUSIC]
(in 2005 party merged with Libra to become Croatian People's
Party-Liberal Democrats or NS-LD [Vesna PUSIC]); Croatian Social
Liberal Party or HSLS [Ivan CEHOK]; Croatian True Revival Party
or HIP [Miroslav TUDJMAN]; Democratic Centre or DC [Vesna
SKARE-OZBOLT]; Independent Democratic Serb Party or SDSS
[Vojislav STANIMIROVIC]; Istrian Democratic Assembly or IDS
[Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Liberal Party or LS [Zlatko BENASIC]; Party of
Liberal Democrats or Libra [Jozo RADOS] (in 2005 merged with HNS);
Social Democratic Party of Croatia or SDP [Ivica RACAN]
|
|
Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA
|
|
International
organization participation: |
ABEDA, BIS, CE, CEI,
EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), OAS
(observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
|
|
Flag
description: |
red, white, and
blue horizontal bands with Croatian coat of arms (red and white
checkered)
|
|
Economy |
|
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 a mild recession in 2000 with
tourism, banking, and public investments leading the way.
Unemployment remains high, at about 14 percent, with structural
factors slowing its decline. While macroeconomic stabilization
has largely been achieved, structural reforms lag because of
deep resistance on the part of the public and lack of strong
support from politicians. Growth, while impressively about 4%
for the last several years, has been achieved through high
fiscal and current account deficits. The government is gradually
reducing a heavy back log of civil cases, many involving land
tenure. The EU accession process should accelerate fiscal and
structural reform.
|
|
GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $50.33 billion (2004 est.)
|
|
GDP - real
growth rate: |
3.7% (2004 est.)
|
|
GDP - per
capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $11,200 (2004 est.)
|
|
GDP -
composition by sector: |
agriculture:
8.2%
industry: 30.1%
services: 61.7% (2004 est.)
|
|
Labor force: |
1.71 million (2004
est.)
|
|
Labor force - by
occupation: |
agriculture 2.7%,
industry 32.8%, services 64.5% (2004)
|
|
Unemployment
rate: |
13.8% (2004 est.)
|
|
Population below
poverty line: |
11% (2003)
|
|
Household income
or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
3.4%
highest 10%: 24.5% (2003 est.)
|
|
Distribution of
family income - Gini index: |
29 (1998)
|
|
Inflation rate
(consumer prices): |
2.5% (2004 est.)
|
|
Investment
(gross fixed): |
28.6% of GDP (2004
est.)
|
|
Budget: |
revenues:
$14.14 billion
expenditures: $15.65 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
|
|
Public debt: |
41.7% of GDP (2004
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: |
2.7% (2004 est.)
|
|
Electricity -
production: |
12.51 billion kWh
(2002)
|
|
Electricity -
production by source: |
fossil fuel:
33.6%
hydro: 66%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.4% (2001)
|
|
Electricity -
consumption: |
15.2 billion kWh
(2002)
|
|
Electricity -
exports: |
406 million kWh
(2002)
|
|
Electricity -
imports: |
3.966 billion kWh
(2002)
|
|
Oil -
production: |
21,000 bbl/day
(2004 est.)
|
|
Oil -
consumption: |
89,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.)
|
|
Oil - exports: |
NA
|
|
Oil - imports: |
NA
|
|
Oil - proved
reserves: |
93.6 million bbl (1
January 2002)
|
|
Natural gas -
production: |
1.76 billion cu m
(2001 est.)
|
|
Natural gas -
consumption: |
2.84 billion cu m
(2001 est.)
|
|
Natural gas -
exports: |
0 cu m (2001 est.)
|
|
Natural gas -
imports: |
1.08 billion cu m
(2001 est.)
|
|
Natural gas -
proved reserves: |
34.36 billion cu m
(1 January 2002)
|
|
Current account
balance: |
$-1.925 billion
(2004 est.)
|
|
Exports: |
$7.845 billion
f.o.b. (2004 est.)
|
|
Exports -
commodities: |
transport
equipment, textiles, chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels
|
|
Exports -
partners: |
Italy 23.1%, Bosnia
and Herzegovina 14.7%, Germany 11.5%, Austria 9.6%, Slovenia
7.7% (2004)
|
|
Imports: |
$16.7 billion
f.o.b. (2004 est.)
|
|
Imports -
commodities: |
machinery,
transport and electrical equipment, chemicals, fuels and
lubricants, foodstuffs
|
|
Imports -
partners: |
Italy 17.3%,
Germany 15.7%, Slovenia 7.1%, Austria 7.1%, Russia 7%, France
4.3% (2004)
|
|
Reserves of
foreign exchange and gold: |
$8.563 billion
(2004 est.)
|
|
Debt - external: |
$26.4 billion (2004
est.)
|
|
Currency (code): |
kuna (HRK)
|
|
Currency code: |
HRK
|
|
Exchange rates: |
kuna per US dollar
- 6.0358 (2004), 6.7035 (2003), 7.8687 (2002), 8.34 (2001),
8.2766 (2000)
|
|
Fiscal year: |
calendar year
|
|
Communications |
|
Telephones -
main lines in use: |
1.825 million
(2002)
|
|
Telephones -
mobile cellular: |
2.553 million
(2003)
|
|
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: country code - 385; 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)
|
|
Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 16, FM 98,
shortwave 5 (1999)
|
|
Radios: |
1.51 million (1997)
|
|
Television
broadcast stations: |
36 (plus 321
repeaters) (September 1995)
|
|
Televisions: |
1.22 million (1997)
|
|
Internet country
code: |
.hr
|
|
Internet hosts: |
29,644 (2004)
|
|
Internet Service
Providers (ISPs): |
9 (2000)
|
|
Internet users: |
1.014 million
(2003)
|
|
Transportation |
|
Railways: |
total: 2,726
km
standard gauge: 2,726 km 1.435-m gauge (984 km
electrified) (2004)
|
|
Highways: |
total:
28,344 km
paved: 23,979 km (including 455 km of expressways)
unpaved: 4,365 km (2002)
|
|
Waterways: |
785 km (2004)
|
|
Pipelines: |
gas 1,340 km; oil
583 km (2004)
|
|
Ports and
harbors: |
Omisalj, Ploce,
Rijeka, Sibenik, Vukovar (on Danube)
|
|
Merchant marine: |
total: 73
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 750,579 GRT/1,178,786 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 25, cargo 12, chemical tanker 2,
passenger/cargo 25, petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 1,
roll on/roll off 4
foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1)
registered in other countries: 31 (2005)
|
|
Airports: |
68 (2004 est.)
|
|
Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 23
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 9 (2004 est.)
|
|
Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 45
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 37 (2004 est.)
|
|
Heliports: |
1 (2004 est.)
|
|
Military |
|
Military
branches: |
Ground Forces (Hrvatska
Vojska, HKoV), Naval Forces (Hrvatska Ratna Mornarica, HRM), Air
and Air Defense Forces (Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo i
Protuzrakoplovna Obrana, HRZiPZO)
|
|
Military
manpower - military age and obligation: |
18 years of age for
compulsory military service, with 6-month service obligation; 16
years of age with consent for voluntary service; Croatian
Military Police planning to end conscription in 2005 (December
2004)
|
|
Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 18-49:
1,005,058 (2005 est.)
|
|
Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 18-49:
725,914 (2005 est.)
|
|
Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
29,020 (2005 est.)
|
|
Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$620 million (2004)
|
|
Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2.39% (2002 est.)
|
|
Transnational Issues |
|
Disputes -
international: |
discussions
continue with Bosnia and Herzegovina over several small disputed
sections of the boundary; the Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime
boundary agreement, which would have ceded most of Pirin Bay and
maritime access to Slovenia and several villages to Croatia,
remains un-ratified and in dispute; as a European Union
peripheral state, neighboring Slovenia must conform to the
strict Schengen border rules to curb illegal migration and
commerce through southeastern Europe while encouraging close
cross-border ties with Croatia
|
|
Refugees and
internally displaced persons:: |
IDPs: 12,600
(Croats and Serbs displaced in 1992-1995 war) (2004)
|
|
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
|
