| 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. |
| Location: |
Southeastern
Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and
Herzegovina and Slovenia |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
45 10 N, 15 30 E |
| 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:
2,028 km
border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932
km, Hungary 329 km, Yugoslavia 266 km, Slovenia 501 km |
| Coastline: |
5,835 km
(mainland 1,777 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
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:
21%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 38%
other: 19% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
30 sq km (1993
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-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
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 |
| Population: |
4,334,142 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
18.16% (male 403,722; female 383,151)
15-64 years: 66.61% (male 1,452,872; female
1,434,086)
65 years and over: 15.23% (male 245,727; female
414,584) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.48% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
12.82
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
11.41
deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
13.37 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
7.21 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 73.9 years
male: 70.28 years
female: 77.73 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.94 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.02% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
350 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
less than 100
(1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Croat(s)
adjective: Croatian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Croat 78.1%, Serb
12.2%, Bosniak 0.9%, Hungarian 0.5%, Slovenian 0.5%, Czech
0.4%, Albanian 0.3%, Montenegrin 0.3%, Roma 0.2%, others
6.6% (1991) |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic
76.5%, Orthodox 11.1%, Muslim 1.2%, Protestant 0.4%, others
and unknown 10.8% (1991) |
| Languages: |
Croatian 96%,
other 4% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and
German) |
| 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 long form: Republika Hrvatska
local short form: Hrvatska |
| Government
type: |
presidential/parliamentary
democracy |
| Administrative
divisions: |
20 counties (zupanije,
zupanija - singular), 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: |
Republic
Day/Statehood Day, 30 May (1990) |
| 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), Zeljka ANTUNOVIC (since 27 January
2000), 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
election results: Stjepan MESIC elected
president; percent of vote - Stjepan MESIC (HNS) 56%, Drazen
BUDISA (HSLS) 44%
note: government coalition - SDP, HSLS, HSS,
LP, HNS, IDS |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral
Assembly or Sabor consists of the House of Counties or
Zupanijski Dom (68 seats, 63 directly elected by popular
vote, 5 appointed by the president; members serve four-year
terms; note - House of Counties to be abolished in 2001) and
House of Representatives or the Zastupnicki Dom (151 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Counties - last held 13
April 1997; House of Representatives - last held 2-3 January
2000 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: House of Counties - percent
of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - HDZ 42, HSLS/HSS
11, HSS 2, IDS 2, SDP/PGS/HNS 2, SDP/HNS 2, HSLS/HSS/HNS 1,
HSLS 1; note - in some districts certain parties ran as
coalitions, while in others they ran alone; 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 |
| 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: |
Alliance of
Croatian Coast and Mountains Department or PGS [Luciano
SUSANJ]; Croatian Christian Democratic Union or HKDU [Marko
VESELICA]; Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ [Ivo SANADER];
Croatian Party of Rights or HSP [Dobroslav PARAGA]; Croatian
Peasant Party or HSS [Zlatko TOMCIC]; Croatian People's
Party or HNS [Vesna PUSIC]; Croatian Social Liberal Party or
HSLS [Drazen BUDISA]; Independent Democratic Serb Party or
SDSS [Vojislav STANIMIROVIC]; Istrian Democratic Assembly or
IDS [Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Liberal Party or LP [leader NA]; Social
Democratic Party of Croatia or SDP [Ivica RACAN]
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 |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| 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, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS
(observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Ivan GRDESIC
chancery: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 588-5899
FAX: [1] (202) 588-8936
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Cleveland, Los
Angeles, New York |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Lawrence G. ROSSIN
embassy: Andrije Hebranga 2, 100000 Zagreb
mailing address: use street address
telephone: [385] (1) 455-55-00
FAX: [385] (1) 455-85-85 |
| 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. Croatia faces considerable economic
problems stemming from: the legacy of longtime communist
mismanagement of the economy; damage during the internecine
fighting to bridges, factories, power lines, buildings, and
houses; the large refugee and displaced population, both
Croatian and Bosnian; and the disruption of economic ties.
Stepped-up Western aid and investment, especially in the
tourist and oil industries, would help bolster the economy.
The economy emerged from its mild recession in 2000 with
tourism the main factor. Massive 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. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $24.9 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
3.2% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $5,800 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
10%
industry: 19%
services: 71% (1999 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
4% (1999 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
6% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
1.68 million
(October 2000) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture NA%,
industry NA%, services NA% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
22% (October
2000) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$6 billion
expenditures: $4.7 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
| 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: |
1.7% (2000) |
| Electricity
- production: |
10.96 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
40.89%
hydro: 59%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.11% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
13.643 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
1 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
4.45 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
wheat, corn,
sugar beets, sunflower seed, alfalfa, clover, olives,
citrus, grapes, soy beans, potatoes; livestock, dairy
products |
| Exports: |
$4.3 billion
(f.o.b., 1999) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
transport
equipment, textiles, chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels |
| Exports
- partners: |
Italy 18%,
Germany 15.7%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 12.8%, Slovenia 10.6%,
Austria 6.2% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$7.8 billion
(c.i.f., 1999) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery,
transport and electrical equipment, chemicals, fuels and
lubricants, foodstuffs |
| Imports
- partners: |
Germany 18.5%,
Italy 15.9%, Russia 8.6%, Slovenia 7.9%, Austria 7.1% (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$9.9 billion
(December 1999) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$NA |
| Exchange
rates: |
kuna per US
dollar - 8.089 (January 2001), 8.277 (2000), 7.112 (1999),
6.362 (1998), 6.101 (1997), 5.434 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
1.488 million
(1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
187,000 (yearend
1998) |
| 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) |
| 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
Service Providers (ISPs): |
9 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
100,000 (1999) |
| Railways: |
total:
2,296 km
standard gauge: 2,296 km 1.435-m gauge (983 km
electrified) (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
27,840 km
paved: 23,497 km (including 330 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 4,343 km (1998) |
| Waterways: |
785 km
note: (perennially navigable; large sections of
Sava blocked by downed bridges, silt, and debris) |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 670 km;
petroleum products 20 km; natural gas 310 km (1992) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Dubrovnik, Dugi
Rat, Omisalj, Ploce, Pula, Rijeka, Sibenik, Split, Vukovar
(inland waterway port on Danube), Zadar |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
53 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 631,853 GRT/969,739
DWT
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 18, chemical
tanker 1, combination bulk 5, container 3, multi-functional
large-load carrier 3, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 2,
refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea
passenger 3 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
22
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: 8 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
45
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 36 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Ground Forces,
Naval Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
19 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 1,085,877 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 859,621 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
30,037 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$575 million
(2000) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
3.8% (2000) |
| Disputes
- international: |
Croatia and Italy
made progress toward resolving a bilateral issue dating from
World War II over property and ethnic minority rights;
progress with Slovenia on discussions of adjustments to land
boundary, but problems remain in defining maritime boundary
in Gulf of Piran; Croatia and Yugoslavia are negotiating the
status of the strategically important Prevlaka Peninsula,
which is currently under a UN military observer mission (UNMOP) |
| Illicit
drugs: |
transit point
along the Balkan route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western
Europe; a minor transit point for maritime shipments of
South American cocaine bound for Western Europe |
|
