from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Croatia
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 45 10 N, 15 30 E
coordinates:
Map Europe
references:
Area: total: 56,542 sq km
land: 56,414 sq km
water: 128 sq km
Area - slightly smaller than West Virginia
comparative:
Land total: 2,197 km
boundaries: border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km,
Hungary 329 km, Serbia 241 km, Montenegro 25 km,
Slovenia 670 km
Coastline: 5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km)
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
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
coastline and islands
Elevation lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
extremes: highest point: Dinara 1,830 m
Natural oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium,
resources: gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt,
hydropower
Land use: arable land: 25.82%
permanent crops: 2.19%
other: 71.99% (2005)
Irrigated 110 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural destructive earthquakes
hazards:
Environment - air pollution (from metallurgical plants) and resulting
current acid rain is damaging the forests; coastal pollution
issues: from industrial and domestic waste; landmine removal
and reconstruction of infrastructure consequent to
1992-95 civil strife
Environment - party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94,
international Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
agreements: 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 - controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean
note: Sea and Turkish Straits
People
Population: 4,494,749 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.2% (male 373,638/female 354,261)
15-64 years: 67% (male 1,497,958/female 1,515,314)
65 years and over: 16.8% (male 288,480/female 465,098)
(2006 est.)
Median age: total: 40.3 years
male: 38.3 years
female: 42.1 years (2006 est.)
Population -0.03% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 9.61 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 11.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 1.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
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: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 6.72 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 6.7 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 6.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 74.68 years
expectancy at male: 71.03 years
birth: female: 78.53 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.4 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 200 (2001 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - less than 10 (2001 est.)
deaths:
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 presidential/parliamentary democracy
type:
Capital: name: Zagreb
geographic coordinates: 45 48 N, 15 58 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in
March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative 20 counties (zupanije, zupanija - singular) and 1 city*
divisions: (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 Independence Day, 8 October (1991); note - 25 June 1991
holiday: is the day the Croatian Parliament voted for
independence; following a three-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 chief of state: President Stjepan (Stipe) MESIC (since
branch: 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 POLANCEC (since 15
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 (eligible for a second 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 66%, Jadranka KOSOR
(HDZ) 34% in the second round
Legislative unicameral Assembly or Sabor (152 seats; note - one
branch: seat was added in the November 2003 parliamentary
elections; members elected from party lists by popular
vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 23 November 2003 (next to be held
in 2007)
election results: 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 Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; judges for both
branch: courts appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial
Council of the Republic, which is elected by the
Assembly
Political Croatian Bloc or HB [Ivic PASALIC]; Croatian Christian
parties and Democratic Union or HKDU [Anto KOVACEVIC]; Croatian
leaders: Democratic Union or HDZ [Ivo SANADER]; Croatian Party
of Rights or HSP [Anto DJAPIC]; Croatian Peasant Party
or HSS [Josip FRISCIC]; 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 [Djurdja ADLESIC]; 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]; Social Democratic
Party of Croatia or SDP [Ivica RACAN]
Political NA
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International ACCT (observer), BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, EAPC,
organization EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU,
participation: ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO,
MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF
(observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP,
UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Neven JURICA
representation chancery: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC
in the US: 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 588-5899
FAX: [1] (202) 588-8936
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Robert A. BRADTKE
representation embassy: 2 Thomas Jefferson Street, 10010 Zagreb
from the US: mailing address: use street address
telephone: [385] (1) 661-2200
FAX: [385] (1) 661-2373
Flag three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and
description: blue superimposed by the Croatian coat of arms (red and
white checkered)
Economy
Economy - Before the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the Republic of
overview: 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 18%, 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 impressive at about 3% to 4%
for the last several years, has been stimulated, in
part, through high fiscal deficits and rapid credit
growth. The EU accession process should accelerate
fiscal and structural reform.
GDP $55.79 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $34.94 billion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 4.3% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $12,400 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 7%
composition by industry: 30.8%
sector: services: 62.2% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 1.71 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - agriculture: 2.7%
by occupation: industry: 32.8%
services: 64.5% (2004)
Unemployment 18% official rate; labor force surveys indicate
rate: unemployment around 14% (2005 est.)
Population 11% (2003)
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: 3.4%
income or highest 10%: 24.5% (2003 est.)
consumption by
percentage
share:
Distribution 29 (2001)
of family
income - Gini
index:
Inflation rate 3.3% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 28.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $17.69 billion
expenditures: $19.35 billion; including capital
expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Public debt: 49.7% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, barley,
products: 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 5.1% (2005 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 11.15 billion kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 33.6%
production by hydro: 66%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0.4% (2001)
Electricity - 15.81 billion kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 550 million kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 5.99 billion kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 20,500 bbl/day (2005 est.)
production:
Oil - 90,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Oil - proved 93.6 million bbl (1 January 2002)
reserves:
Natural gas - 1.85 billion cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 2.99 billion cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2001 est.)
exports:
Natural gas - 1.08 billion cu m (2001 est.)
imports:
Natural gas - 24.72 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
proved
reserves:
Current $-2.541 billion (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $10.3 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - transport equipment, textiles, chemicals, foodstuffs,
commodities: fuels
Exports - Italy 21.8%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 14.7%, Germany
partners: 10.7%, Slovenia 8.1%, Austria 7.3% (2005)
Imports: $18.93 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - machinery, transport and electrical equipment;
commodities: chemicals, fuels and lubricants; foodstuffs
Imports - Italy 15.9%, Germany 14.9%, Russia 9.1%, Slovenia 6.8%,
partners: Austria 5.8%, China 4.7%, France 4.2% (2005)
Reserves of $8.8 billion (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $30.62 billion (2005 est.)
external:
Economic aid - ODA, $166.5 million (2002)
recipient:
Currency kuna (HRK)
(code):
Currency code: HRK
Exchange kuna per US dollar - 5.9473 (2005), 6.0358 (2004),
rates: 6.7035 (2003), 7.8687 (2002), 8.34 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 1,889,500 (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 2.984 million (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: NA
system: 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
Radio AM 16, FM 98, shortwave 5 (1999)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 1.51 million (1997)
Television 36 (plus 321 repeaters) (September 1995)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 1.22 million (1997)
Internet .hr
country code:
Internet 18,825 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 9 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 1,451,100 (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 68 (2006)
Airports - total: 23
with paved over 3,047 m: 2
runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 9 (2006)
Airports - total: 45
with unpaved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 37 (2006)
Heliports: 2 (2006)
Pipelines: gas 1,340 km; oil 583 km (2006)
Railways: total: 2,726 km
standard gauge: 2,726 km 1.435-m gauge (1,199 km
electrified) (2005)
Roadways: total: 28,344 km
paved: 24,186 km (including 742 km of expressways)
unpaved: 4,158 km (2004)
Waterways: 785 km (2006)
Merchant total: 72 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,079,286 GRT/
marine: 1,724,698 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 22, cargo 11, chemical tanker 3,
passenger/cargo 27, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated
cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3
registered in other countries: 36 (Belize 1, Cyprus 2,
Liberia 7, Malta 10, Marshall Islands 2, Panama 5,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 9) (2006)
Ports and Omisalj, Ploce, Rijeka, Sibenik, Vukovar (on Danube)
terminals:
Military
Military Ground Forces (Hrvatska Kopnena Vojska, HKoV), Naval
branches: Forces (Hrvatska Ratna Mornarica, HRM), Air and Air
Defense Forces (Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo i
Protuzrakoplovna Obrana, HRZiPZO), Joint Education and
Training Command, Logistics Command; Military Police
Force supports each of the three Croatian military
forces (2006)
Military 18 years of age for compulsory military service, with
service age six-month service obligation; 16 years of age with
and consent for voluntary service (December 2004)
obligation:
Manpower males age 18-49: 1,005,058
available for females age 18-49: 1,008,511 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 725,914
for military females age 18-49: 823,611 (2005 est.)
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 29,020
reaching females age 18-49: 27,897 (2005 est.)
military
service age
annually:
Military $620 million (2004)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 2.39% (2002 est.)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - discussions continue with Bosnia and Herzegovina over
international: several small disputed sections of the boundary related
to maritime access that hinders ratification of the
1999 border agreement; 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 IDPs: 12,600 (Croats and Serbs displaced in 1992-95
internally war) (2005)
displaced
persons:
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