Croatia

Republic of CroatiaRepublika Hrvatska

presidential/parliamentary democracyIndependence 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

Croatia as the 1999 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 108 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

Position45 10 N, 15 30 E

Area56,538 sq km

LocationSoutheastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea,

Populationas each edition published it

4.68 million July 1999 est. · 4.78m in 1992

Population growth% a year

0.1% 1999 est. · 0.07% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 38.9 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

74 years 1999 est. · 73.19 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.52 children per woman 1999 est. · 1.66 in 1993

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

7.84 deaths per 1,000 live births 1999 est. · 10 in 1992

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$5,100 1998 est. · $5,600 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

3% 1998 est. · -25% in 1993

Geography

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, | between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia

18 fields

Land useshare of 56,538 sq km

arable land 21%permanent crops 2%permanent pastures 20%forests and woodland 38%other 19% (1993 est.)irrigated 30 sq km (1993 est.)

Area

56,538sq km

land: 56,410 sq kmwater: 128 sq kmslightly smaller than West Virginia

Coastline

5,790km

(mainland 1,778 km, islands 4,012 km)continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationterritorial sea: 12 nm

Highest point

1,830m

Dinaralowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m

Land boundaries

2,197km

border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km, Serbia and Montenegro 266 km (241 km with Serbia; 25 km with Montenegro), Slovenia 670 km

Location

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia

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

Environment--current issues

air pollution (from metallurgical plants) and resulting acid rain is damaging the forests;
coastal pollution from industrial and domestic waste;
widespread casualties and destruction of infrastructure in border areas affected by civil strife

Environment--international agreements

party to:: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification

Geography--note

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

People

15 fields

Population

4,676,865

(July 1999 est.)growth rate: 0.1% (1999 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1999 est.)

Birth

10.34Death

11.14Net migration

1.81

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1999 est.)74

70.69 · 77.52

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1991 est.)97%

99% · 95%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups(1991)

Croat 78%Serb 12%Muslim 0.9%Hungarian 0.5%Slovenian 0.5%others 8.1% (1991)

Religions

Catholic 76.5%Orthodox 11.1%Muslim 1.2%Protestant 0.4%others and unknown 10.8%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 17% (male 404,761; female 383,088)
15-64 years:: 68% (male 1,591,831; female 1,591,106)
65 years and over:: 15% (male 272,219; female 433,860) (1999 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.94 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate

7.84 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Croat(s)
adjective:: Croatian

Languages

Serbo-Croatian 96%, other 4% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German)

Government

Presidential/parliamentary democracy; President Franjo TUDJMAN (since 30 May 1990); Prime Minister Zlatko MATESA (since 7 November 1995)

19 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

61%

-Franjo TUDJMAN 61%Zdravko TOMAC 21%Vlado GOTOVAC 18%election last held 15 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)

Legislature, 127 seatsone dot, one seat

-HDZ 75HSLS 12HSS 10SDP 10IDS 4HSP 4HNS 2SNS 2HND 1ASH 1HKDU 1SBHS 1independents 4

Country name

conventional long form:: Republic of Croatia
conventional short form:: Croatia
local long form:: Republika Hrvatska
local short form:: Hrvatska

Administrative divisions

21 counties (zupanije,

zupanija--singular):: Bjelovar-Bilogora, City of Zagreb, Dubrovnik-Neretva, Istra, Karlovac, Koprivnica-Krizevci, Krapina-Zagorje, Lika-Senj, Medimurje, Osijek-Baranja, Pozega-Slavonia, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Sibenik, Sisak-Moslavina, Slavonski Brod-Posavina, Split-Dalmatia, Varazdin, Virovitica-Podravina, Vukovar-Srijem, Zadar-Knin, Zagreb

note: there are two special self-governing districts (kotari,

kotar--singular) under local Serb control:: Glina, Knin

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Franjo TUDJMAN (since 30 May 1990)
head of government:: Prime Minister Zlatko MATESA (since 7 November 1995);
Deputy Prime Ministers Mate GRANIC (since 8 September 1992), Ivica KOSTOVIC (since 14 October 1993), Jure RADIC (since NA October 1994), Borislav SKEGRO (since 3 April 1993), and Ljerka MINTAS-HODAK (since November 1995)
cabinet:: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections:: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 15 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002);
prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
election results:: President Franjo TUDJMAN reelected; percent of vote--Franjo TUDJMAN 61%, Zdravko TOMAC 21%, Vlado GOTOVAC 18%

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) and House of Representatives or the Zastupnicki Dom (127 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:: House of Counties--last held 13 April 1997 (next to be held NA 2001); House of Representatives--last held 29 October 1995 (next to be held NA 1999)
election results:: House of Counties--percent of vote by party--NA;
seats by party--HDZ 42, HDZ/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--HDZ 45.23%, HSS/IDS/HNS/HKDU/SBHS 18.26%, HSLS 11.55%, SDP 8.93%, HSP 5.01%;
seats by party--HDZ 75, HSLS 12, HSS 10, SDP 10, IDS 4, HSP 4, HNS 2, SNS 2, HND 1, ASH 1, HKDU 1, SBHS 1, independents 4

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, judges appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the Republic, which is elected by the House of Representatives;
Constitutional Court, judges appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the Republic, which is elected by the House of Representatives

Political parties and leaders

Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ

Political pressure groups and leaders

International organization participation

BIS (pending member), CCC, CE, CEI, 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, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Miomir ZUZUL
chancery:: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general:: Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador William D. MONTGOMERY
embassy:: Andrije Hebranga 2, Zagreb
mailing address:: use street address

Flag description

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

Economy

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.

31 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$5,100

purchasing power parity? · (1998 est.)

Real growth rate

(1998 est.)industrial production growth: 3.7% (1998 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

5.4%

(1998)

Unemployment rate

18.6%

(yearend 1998)

GDP--composition by sector(1995 est.)

agriculture 12%industry 24%services 64% (1995 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

22%

Germany

21%

Italy

19%

18%

Slovenia

10%

Exports $4.5 billion (f.o.b., 1998)Imports $8.4 billion (c.i.f., 1998)(1994)

Budget

Revenues

$5.3 billionExpenditures

$6.3 billion (1997 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $78.5 million

Electricity

fossil fuel 29.25%hydro 70.75%nuclear 0% · other 0%

Electricity production

10.682 billion (1996)Electricity consumption

14.632 billion (1996)Electricity exports

1 billion (1996)Electricity imports

4.95 billion (1996)

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. Western aid and investment, especially in the tourist and oil industries, would help restore the economy. The government has been successful in some reform efforts--partially macroeconomic stabilization policies--and it has normalized relations with its creditors. Yet it still is struggling with privatization of large state enterprises and with bank reform. In 1998, Croatia made progress in reducing its current account deficit to about 8% of GDP from 12% the previous year. Economic growth continues to lag, however, and growing levels of inter-enterprise debt plague the domestic economy. Four commercial banks were put under government control and a major conglomerate is teetering on collapse.

GDP

purchasing power parity--$23.6 billion (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Labor force

1.63 million (1998)

Labor force--by occupation

industry and mining 31.1%, agriculture 4.3%, government 19.1% (including education and health), other 45.5% (1993)

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

Agriculture--products

wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, alfalfa, clover, olives, citrus, grapes, vegetables; livestock, dairy products

Exports

$4.5 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities

machinery and transport equipment 13.6%, miscellaneous manufactures 27.6%, chemicals 14.2%, food and live animals 12.2%, raw materials 6.1%, fuels and lubricants 9.4%, beverages and tobacco 2.7% (1993)

Imports

$8.4 billion (c.i.f., 1998)

Imports--commodities

machinery and transport equipment 23.1%, fuels and lubricants 8.8%, food and live animals 9.0%, chemicals 14.2%, miscellaneous manufactured articles 16.0%, raw materials 3.5%, beverages and tobacco 1.4% (1993)

Debt--external

$8 billion (October 1998)

Economic aid--recipient

$NA

Currency

1 Croatian kuna (HRK) = 100 lipas

Exchange rates

Croatian kuna per US$1--6.317 (January 1999), 6.362 (1998), 6.157 (1997), 5.434 (1996), 5.230 (1995), 5.996 (1994)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 fields

Fixed lines

1.216 million

(1993 est.)

Telephone system

domestic:: NA
international:: no satellite earth stations

Radio broadcast stations

AM 14, FM 8, shortwave 0

Radios

1.1 million

Television broadcast stations

18 (in addition, there are 145 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

1.52 million (1992 est.)

Transportation

10 fields

Merchant marine, 64 ships by typeone square, one ship · (1998 est.)

bulk 15cargo 26chemical tanker 2combination bulk 5container 5liquefied gas 1multifunction large-load carrier 3oil tanker 1passenger 1roll-on/roll-off cargo 2short-sea passenger 3

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m

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

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

under 914 m

total: 51 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 8

Networkskm

Highways

27,840Railways

2,296Waterways

785

Highways: paved: 22,690 km (including 330 km of expressways) · unpaved: 5,150 km (1997 est.) · Railways: standard gauge: 2,296 km 1.435-m gauge (796 km electrified) note: some lines remain inoperative or not in use; disrupted by territorial dispute (1997) · Waterways: ; large sections of Sava blocked by downed bridges, silt, and debris

Railways

total:: 2,296 km
standard gauge:: 2,296 km 1.435-m gauge (796 km electrified)

note: some lines remain inoperative or not in use; disrupted by territorial dispute (1997)

Highways

total:: 27,840 km
paved:: 22,690 km (including 330 km of expressways)
unpaved:: 5,150 km (1997 est.)

Waterways

785 km 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);
note--under repair following territorial dispute

Military

Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air and Air | Defense Forces, Frontier Guard, Home Guard

7 fields

Military expenditures--percent of GDP

(1999)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes--international

Eastern Slavonia, which was held by ethnic Serbs during the ethnic conflict, was returned to Croatian control by the UN Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia on 15 January 1998;
Croatia and Italy made progress toward resolving a bilateral issue dating from World War II over property and ethnic minority rights;
significant progress has been made with Slovenia toward resolving a maritime border dispute over direct access to the sea in the Adriatic;
Serbia and Montenegro is disputing Croatia's claim to the Prevlaka Peninsula in southern Croatia because it controls the entrance to Boka Kotorska in Montenegro;
Prevlaka is currently under observation by the UN military observer mission in Prevlaka (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

Central Intelligence Agency. “Croatia.” The World Factbook 1999. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/croatia/1999.

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