World Atlas 2010 (4th edition)

200

Croatia

EUROPE

FACTFILE

OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Croatia

DATE OF FORMATION: 1991

CAPITAL: Zagreb

POPULATION: 4.42 million

TOTAL AREA: 21,831 sq. miles

(56,542 sq. km)

DENSITY: 202 people per sq. mile

LANGUAGES: Croatian

RELIGIONS: Roman Catholic 88%,

other 7%, Orthodox Christian 4%,

Muslim 1%

ETHNIC MIX: Croat 90%, other 5%,

Serb 5%

GOVERNMENT: Parliamentary system

CURRENCY: Kuna = 100 lipa

Though it was controlled by Hungary from medieval

times and was a part of the Yugoslav state for much of

the 20th century, Croatia has a very strong national identity.

GEOGRAPHY

Rocky, mountainous Adriatic

coastline is dotted with islands. Interior is

a mixture of wooded mountains and

broad valleys.

CLIMATE

The interior has a temperate

continental climate. Mediterranean

climate along the Adriatic coast.

PEOPLE & SOCIETY

Croats are distinguished from

Bosniaks and Serbs by their Roman

Catholic faith and use of the Latin

alphabet. Many Serbs fled Croatia during

the early 1990s conflict that accompanied

Yugoslavia’s breakup. Minority rights and

fighting organized crime are key issues in

the quest for EU membership by 2011.

THE ECONOMY

The war cost the economy an

estimated $50 billion. Unemployment has

been persistently high. Corruption deters

foreign investment. Tourism is mainly on

the Dalmatian coast.

INSIGHT: Croatia only regained

control of Serb-occupied Eastern

Slavonia, around Vukovar, in 1998

1000m/3281ft

500m/1640ft

200m/656ft

Sea Level

50 km

50 miles

0

0

HUNGARY

SLOVENIA

BOSNIA

&

HERZEGOVINA

MON.

SERBIA

Adriatic

Sea

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Is

tr

a

Sl

avo

nia

Di

na

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A

lp

s

Dr

ava

Kupa S

ava

D

an

ub

e

Slavonski

Brod

Osijek

Vukovar

Virovitica

Koprivnica

Karlovac

Rijeka

Zadar

Pula

Split

Dubrovnik

Varaªdin

Âakovec

ZAGREB