Croatia

parliamentary democracyIndependence June 1991 from Yugoslavia

Croatia as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 74 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalZagreb

Area56,538 km2

Populationas each edition published it

4.78 million July 1991 · 4.07m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 0.07% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 38.9 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 73.19 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

Not in this edition 1.66 in 1993

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

10 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 3.4 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $5,600 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition -25% in 1993

Geography

13 fields

Total area

56,538km2

Comparative area: slightly smaller than West Virginia

Coastline

5,790km

mainland 1,778 km, islands 4,012 kmContiguous zone: NA nmContinental shelf: 200-meter depth or to depth of exploitationExclusive economic zone: 12 nmExclusive fishing zone: 12 nmTerritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

1,843km

Bosnia and Hercegovina (east) 751 km, Bosnia and Hercegovina (southeast) 91 km, Hungary 292 km, Serbia and Montenegro 254 km, Slovenia 455 km

Land area

56,410 km2

Disputes

Serbian enclaves in eastern Slavonia and along the western Bosnia and Hercegovinian border; dispute with Slovenia over fishing rights in Adriatic

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 coast, coastline, and islands

Natural resources

oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, fruit, livestock

Land use

32% arable land;
20% permanent crops;
18% meadows and pastures;
15% forest and woodland;
9% other;
includes 5% irrigated

Environment

air pollution from metallurgical plants;
damaged forest;
coastal pollution from industrial and domestic waste;
subject to frequent and destructive earthquakes

Note

controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits

People

14 fields

Population

4,784,000

(July 1991), growth rate 0.39% (for the period 1981-91)

Per 1,000 population(1991)

Birth

12.2Death

11.3

Ethnic divisions

Croat 78%Serb 12%Muslims 0.9%Hungarian 0.5%Slovenian 0.5%others 7.8%

Religions

Catholic 76.5%Orthodox 11.1%Slavic Muslim 1.2%Protestant 1.4%others and unknown 11%

Literacy

96.5%

(male 98.6%, female 94.5%) age 10 and over can read and write (1991 census)

Net migration rate

NA migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Infant mortality rate

10 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth

67 years male, 74 years female (1980-82)

Total fertility rate

NA children born/woman (1991)

Nationality

noun - Croat(s); adjective - Croatian

Languages

Serbo-Croatian 96%

Labor force

1,509,489; industry and mining 37%, agriculture 4%, government NA%, other

Organized labor

Government

Parliamentary democracy

19 fields

Long-form name

None

Type

parliamentary democracy

Capital

Zagreb

Administrative divisions

102 districts (opcine, singular - opcina)

Independence

June 1991 from Yugoslavia

Constitution

promulgated on 22 December 1990

Legal system

based on civil law system;
judicial/no judicial review of legislative acts;
does/does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday

30 May, Statehood Day (1990)

Executive branch

president, prime minister

Legislative branch

bicameral

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, Constitutional Court

Leaders

Chief of State:: President Franjo TUDJMAN (since April 1990), Vice President NA (since NA)
Head of Government:: Prime Minister Franjo GREGURIC (since August 1991), Deputy Prime Minister Mila RAMLJAK (since NA )

Political parties and leaders

Christian Democratic Union, TUDJMAN;
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Stjepan Mesic;
Croatian National Party, Savka DABCEVIC-KUCAR;
Croatian Christian Democratic Party (HKDS), Ivan CESAR;
Croatian Party of Rights, Dobroslav Paraga;
Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), Drazen BUDISA

Suffrage

at age 16 if employed, universal at age 18

Elections

Parliament:: last held May 1990 (next to be held NA);
results - HDZ won 205 seats;
seats - 349 (total)
President:: NA

Other political or pressure groups

Member of

CSCE

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Dr. Franc Vinko GOLEM, Office of Republic of Croatia, 256 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036; telephone (202) 543-5586

US:: Ambassador NA;
Embassy at NA (mailing address is APO New York is 09862);
telephone NA

Flag

red, white, and blue with Croatian coat of arms (red and white checkered)

Economy

16 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

14.3%

(March 1992)

Unemployment rate

20%

(December 1991)

External debt

$2.6billion

(may assume some part of foreign debt of former Yugoslavia)

Overview

Before the political disintegration of Yugoslavia, the republic of Croatia stood next to Slovenia as the most prosperous and industrialized area, with a per capita output roughly comparable to that of Portugal and perhaps one-third above the Yugoslav average. Serbia and the Serb-dominated army of the old Yugoslavia, however, have seized Croatian territory, and the overriding determinant of Croatia's long-term economic prospects will be the final border settlement. Under the most favorable circumstances, Croatia will retain the Dalmatian coast with its major tourist attractions and Slavonia with its oilfields and rich agricultural land. Even so, Croatia; would face monumental problems stemming from: the legacy of longtime Communist mismanagement of the economy; large foreign debt; damage during the fighting to bridges, factories, powerlines, buildings, and houses; and the disruption of economic ties to Serbia and the other former Yugoslav republics. At the minimum, extensive Western aid and investment, especially in the tourist and oil industries, would seem necessary to salvage a desperate economic situation. However, peace and political stability must come first.

GDP

NA - $26.3 billion, per capita $5,600; real growth rate -25% (1991 est.)

Budget

revenues $NA million; expenditures $NA million, including capital expenditures of $NA million

Exports

$2.9 billion (1990)

commodities:: machinery and transport equipment (30%), other manufacturers (37%), chemicals (11%), food and live animals (9%), raw materials (6.5%), fuels and lubricants (5%)
partners:: principally the other former Yugoslav republics

Imports

$4.4 billion (1990)

commodities:: machinery and transport equipment (21%), fuels and lubricants (19%), food and live animals (16%), chemicals (14%), manufactured goods (13%), miscellaneous manufactured articles (9%), raw materials (6.5%), beverages and tobacco (1%)
partners:: principally other former Yugoslav republics

Industrial production

declined as much as 11% in 1990 and probably another 29% in 1991

Electricity

3,570,000 kW capacity; 8,830 million kWh produced, 1,855 kWh per capita 1991)

Industries

chemicals and plastics, machine tools, fabricated metal, electronics, pig iron and rolled steel products, aluminum reduction, paper, wood products (including furniture), building materials (including cement), textiles, shipbuilding, petroleum and petroleum refining, food processing and beverages

Agriculture

Croatia normally produces a food surplus;
most agricultural land in private hands and concentrated in Croat-majority districts in Slavonia and Istria;
much of Slavonia's land has been put out of production by fighting;
wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflowers, alfalfa, and clover are main crops in Slavonia;
central Croatian highlands are less fertile but support cereal production, orchards, vineyards, livestock breeding, and dairy farming;
coastal areas and offshore islands grow olives, citrus fruits, and vegetables

Economic aid

Currency

Croatian dinar(s)

Exchange rates

Croatian dinar per US $1 - 60.00 (April 1992)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Networkskm

Highways

32,071Railroads

2,698Inland waterways

785

Highways: (1990); 23,305 km paved, 8,439 km gravel, 327 km earth · Railroads: (34.5% electrified)

Railroads

2,698 km (34.5% electrified)

Highways

32,071 km total (1990); 23,305 km paved, 8,439 km gravel, 327 km earth

Pipelines

crude oil 670 km, petroleum products 20 km, natural gas 310 km

Ports

maritime - Rijeka, Split, Kardeljevo (Ploce); inland - Vukovar, Osijek, Sisak, Vinkovci

Merchant marine

11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 60,802 GRT/65,560 DWT;
includes 1 cargo, 3 roll-on/roll-off, 5 passenger ferries, 2 bulk carriers;
note - also controlled by Croatian shipowners are 196 ships (1,000 GRT or over) under flags of convenience - primarily Malta and St. Vincent - totaling 2,593,429 GRT/4,101,119 DWT;
includes 91 general cargo, 7 roll-on/ roll-off, 6 refrigerated cargo, 13 container ships, 3 multifunction large load carriers, 52 bulk carriers, 3 passenger ships, 11 petroleum tankers, 4 chemical tankers, 6 service vessels