Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Croatia Almanac
Official Name:
Republika Hrvatska, or just Hrvatska for short.
Snapshot History:
After losing their independence to Hungary in 1102, the Croats
watched as most of their coastline became Venetian and their interior was conquered
by Ottomans. Croatia was “rescued” by the Habsburgs, but after World War I it be-
came part of Yugoslavia—a decision many Croats regretted until they finally gained
independence in 1991 through a bitter war with their Serb neighbors.
Population:
Of the country's 4.5 million people, 90 percent are ethnic Croats (Cath-
olic) and 4.5 percent are Serbs (Orthodox). (The Serb population was more than
double that before the ethnic cleansing of the 1991-1995 war.) About 1.3 percent of
Croatians are Bosniak (Muslim). “Croatians” are citizens of Croatia; “Croats” are a
distinct ethnic group made up of Catholic South Slavs. So Orthodox Serbs living in
Croatia are Croatians (specifically “Croatian Serbs”), but they aren't Croats.
Latitude and Longitude:
45°N and 15°E (similar latitude to Venice, Italy or Port-
land, Oregon).
Area:
22,000 square miles, similar to West Virginia.
Geography:
This boomerang-shaped country has two terrains: Stretching north to
south is the long, rugged Mediterranean coastline (3,600 miles of beach, including
more than 1,100 offshore islands), which is warm and dry. Rising up from the sea
are the rocky Dinaric Mountains. To the northeast, beginning at about Zagreb, Croa-
tia'sflat,inland“panhandle”(calledSlavonia)isanextensionoftheGreatHungarian
Plain, with hot summers and cold winters.
Biggest Cities:
The capital, Zagreb (in the northern interior), has 790,000 people;
Split(alongtheDalmatianCoast)has178,000;andRijeka(onthenortherncoast)has
129,000.
Economy:
Much of the country's wealth ($80 billion GDP, $18,000 GDP per capita)
comes from tourism, banking, and trade with Italy. Unemployment is a stiff 19 per-
cent.
Currency:
1 kuna (kn, or HRK) = about 20 cents, and 5 kunas = about $1. One kuna
is broken down into 100 lipas.
Kuna
is Croatian for “marten” (a foxlike animal), re-
calling a time when fur pelts were used as currency. A
lipa
is a linden tree.
Government:
The single-house assembly (Sabor) of 153 legislators is elected by
popular vote. The country's prime minister (the head of the majority party in parlia-
ment, the center-left Social Democratic party) is currently Zoran Milanovi
ć
; the dir-
