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About Croatia and the capital, Zagreb

The national flag of Croatia	Borderline map of Croatia
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue – the Pan-Slav colors – superimposed by the Croatian coat of arms; the coat of arms consists of one main shield (a checkerboard of 13 red and 12 silver (white) fields) surmounted by five smaller shields that form a crown over the main shield; the five small shields represent five historic regions (from left to right): Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria, and Slavonia. Note: the Pan-Slav colors were inspired by the 19th-century flag of Russia.	Border length: total: 2,237 km. Border countries (total: 5): Bosnia and Herzegovina 956 km, Hungary 348 km, Montenegro 19 km, Serbia 314 km, Slovenia 600 km.

About Zagreb

Croatian capital Zagreb is very much Central Europe’s surprise package. This city challenges preconceptions and combines the gritty urban culture of northern Europe with the laidback vibe of the Mediterranean south. It has long been a quirky and creative place with a thriving alternative music scene, edgy fashions, creative clubbing, and addictively eccentric bars. However, Adriatic-bound travelers paid it little attention until recently.

Zagreb is currently enjoying something of a moment, with a rapid increase in the number of things that make a city purr – more enjoyable places to eat, more enjoyable places to drink, and a festival driven sense that things are happening in the arts.

Did you know about Croatia?

• For much of its existence, Croatia was under Austrian rule. It joined Yugoslavia in 1919, but declared independence on June 25, 1991.
• Croatia only regained control of Serb-occupied Eastern Slavonia, around Vukovar, in 1998.
• The Adriatic coastline of Croatia contains many old towns, such as Dubrovnik, popular with tourists and sailors.

Croatia folded on two of its sides around neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina. The country has a broad northern region and a long strip of land along the Adriatic coast. The region behind the Adriatic coast is mainly mountainous and includes the Dinaric Alps. Dalmatia is a lower-lying region located along the Adriatic coast. Considerable areas are forested and wild animals include bears, wolves, wild cats, and wild boars.

Croatia has various mineral resources including coal, petroleum, iron ore, and bauxite. Before the outbreak of war in 1991, Croatia was a fairly prosperous republic of the former Yugoslavia, surpassed in productivity only by Slovenia and accounting for one-quarter of Yugoslavia’s national wealth. However, the fighting in the region has devastated the country’s land, economy, and infrastructure, and recovery is likely to be a slow process. Croatia’s capital, Zagreb, is situated fairly centrally in the northern region.

Facts of Croatia (HR)

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, etymology: name derives from the Croats, a Slavic tribe who migrated to the Balkans in the 7th century A.D.
Codes: ISO; HR, Internet; .hr
Capital city: Zagreb
Language(s): Croatian (official language) 95.6%, Serbian 1.2%, other 3% (including Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and Albanian), unspecified 0.2% (2011 estimate)
National holiday(s): Independence Day, 8 October (1991) and Statehood Day, 25 June (1991) Community to solve the Yugoslav crisis peacefully, parliament adopted a decision on 8 October 1991 to sever constitutional relations with Yugoslavia
Motto: N/A
Currency: Croatian kuna (HRK), since 1994
GPS: 45 10 N, 15 30 E, Zagreb; 45 48 N 16 00 E
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia
Geography note: controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits; most Adriatic Sea islands lie off the coast of Croatia – some 1,200 islands, islets, ridges, and rocks
Land boundaries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 956 km, Hungary 348 km, Montenegro 19 km, Serbia 314 km, Slovenia 600 km, total: 2,237 km
Maritime boundaries: Adriatic Sea
Coastline: 5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km)
Area: total: 56,594 sq km; land: 55,974 sq km, water: 620 sq km (total 21 851,06 mi2), slightly smaller than West Virginia.
Roadways: total: 26,958 km (includes 1,416 km of expressways) (2015)
Waterways: 785 km (2009)
Local time (capital): UTC+1, 6 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time
Note to the local time: Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Population in Croatia: 4 164 783
Population in Zagreb: 685 500 (including the metropolitan areas)
Urbanization: urban population: 59% of total population (2015)
Major urban areas population: ZAGREB (capital) 687,000 (2015)
Population growth rate: -0.5% (2016 estimate)
Birth rate: 9 births / 1,000 population (2016 estimate)
Death rate: 12.1 deaths / 1,000 population (2016 estimate)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.22% (male 315,971 / female 297,339) 15-24 years: 11.4% (male 252,285 / female 239,634) 25-54 years: 40.75% (male 878,971 / female 878,707) 55-64 years: 14.83% (male 312,621 / female 326,929) 65 years and over: 18.81% (male 320,418 / female 490,832) (2016 estimate)
Median age: total: 42.7 years; male: 40.8 years, female: 44.8 years (2016 estimate)
Ethnic groups: Croat 90.4%, Serb 4.4%, other 4.4% (including Bosniak, Hungarian, Slovene, Czech, and Roma), unspecified 0.8% (2011 estimate)
Religions: Roman Catholic 86.3%, Orthodox 4.4%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2.5%, not religious or atheist 3.8% (2011 estimate)
Government type: Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic
Legal system: civil law system influenced by legal heritage of Austria–Hungary; note – Croatian law was fully harmonized with the European Community acquis as of the June 2010 completion of EU accession negotiations
National anthem: Lijepa nasa domovino (Our Beautiful Homeland)
Known national hazards: destructive earthquakes
Major infectious diseases: The degree of risk(s): intermediatevectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis (2016)
Land use: agricultural land: 23.7%; arable land 16%; permanent crops 1.5%; permanent pasture 6.2%; forest: 34.4%; other: 41.9% (2011 estimate)
Agricultural products: arable crops (wheat, corn, barley, sugar beet, sunflower, rapeseed, alfalfa, clover); vegetables (potatoes, cabbage, onion, tomato, pepper); fruits (apples, plum, mandarins, olives), grapes for wine; livestock (cattle, cows, pigs); 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
Export commodities: transport equipment, machinery, textiles, chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels
Main export partners: Italy 13.4%, Slovenia 12.5%, Germany 11.4%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 9.9%, Austria 6.6%, Serbia 4.9% (2015)
Import commodities: machinery, transport and electrical equipment; chemicals, fuels and lubricants; foodstuffs
Main import partners: Germany 15.5%, Italy 13.1%, Slovenia 10.7%, Austria 9.2%, Hungary 7.8% (2015)

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