Croatia

• Mediterranean and continental;
• continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters;
• mild winters, dry summers along coast

mean elevation:

331 m

elevation extremes:

0 m lowest point: Adriatic Sea; 1831 highest point: Dinara

• more of the population lives in the northern half of the country, with approximately a quarter of the populace residing in and around the capital of Zagreb;
• many of the islands are sparsely populated

• air pollution improving but still a concern in urban settings and in emissions arriving from neighboring countries;
• surface water pollution in the Danube River Basin

• 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

noun:

Croat(s), Croatian(s)

adjective:

Croatian

note: the French designation of "Croate" to Croatian mercenaries in the 17th century eventually became "Cravate" and later came to be applied to the soldiers' scarves - the cravat; Croatia celebrates Cravat Day every 18 October

0-14 years:

14.21% (male 312,805 /female 293,931)

15-24 years:

11.09% (male 242,605 /female 230,853)

25-54 years:

40.15% (male 858,025 /female 856,455)

55-64 years:

14.65% (male 304,054 /female 321,543)

65 years and over:

19.91% (male 342,025 /female 508,184) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

50.9 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

22.4 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

28.5 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

3.5 (2015 est.)

• more of the population lives in the northern half of the country, with approximately a quarter of the populace residing in and around the capital of Zagreb;
• many of the islands are sparsely populated

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years:

1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years:

1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years:

0.96 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over:

0.69 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population:

0.93 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

degree of risk:

intermediate (2016)

vectorborne diseases:

tickborne encephalitis (2016)

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.

name:

Zagreb

geographic coordinates:

45 48 N, 16 00 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

• 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia);
• notable earlier dates: ca. 925 (Kingdom of Croatia established);
• 1 December 1918 (Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (Yugoslavia) established)

• Independence Day, 8 October (1991) and Statehood Day, 25 June (1991);
• note - 25 June 1991 was the day the Croatian parliament voted for independence;
• following a three-month moratorium to allow the European Community to solve the Yugoslav crisis peacefully, parliament adopted a decision on 8 October 1991 to sever constitutional relations with Yugoslavia

history:

several previous; latest adopted 22 December 1990 (2016)

amendments:

• proposed by at least one-fifth of the Assembly membership, by the president of the republic, by the Government of Croatia, or through petition by at least 10% of the total electorate;
• proceedings to amend require majority vote by the Assembly;
• passage requires two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly;
• passage by petition requires a majority vote in a referendum and promulgation by the Assembly;
• amended several times, last in 2014 (2016)

• 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

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Croatia

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

highest courts:

Supreme Court (consists of the court president and vice president, 25 civil department justices, and 16 criminal department justices)

judge selection and term of office:

• president of Supreme Court nominated by president of Croatia and elected by Croatian Sabor for a 4-year term;
• other Supreme Court justices appointed by National Judicial Council;
• all judges serve until age 70

subordinate courts:

• Administrative Court;
• county, municipal, and specialized courts;
• note - there is an 11-member Constitutional Court with jurisdiction limited to constitutional issues but is outside Croatia's judicial system

chief of state:

President Kolinda GRABAR-KITAROVIC (since 19 February 2015)

head of government:

• Prime Minister Andrej PLENKOVIC (since 19 October 2016);
• Deputy Prime Ministers Damir KRSTICEVIC (since 19 October 2016), Predrag STROMAR (since 9 June 2017), Marija Pejcinovic BURIC (since 19 June 2017), and Tomislav TOLUSIC (since 25 May 2018)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and approved by the Assembly

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 28 December 2014 and 11 January 2015 (next to be held in 2019);
• the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the president and approved by the Assembly

election results:

• Kolinda GRABAR-KITAROVIC elected president in second round;
• percent of vote - Kolinda GRABAR-KITAROVIC (HDZ) 50.7%, Ivo JOSIPOVIC (Forward Croatia Progressive Alliance) 49.3%

description:

unicameral Assembly or Hrvatski Sabor (151 seats; 140 members in 10 multi-seat constituencies and 3 members in a single constituency for Croatian diaspora directly elected by proportional representation vote using the D'Hondt method with a 5% threshold; an additional 8 members elected from a nationwide constituency by simple majority by voters belonging to minorities recognized by Croatia; the Serb minority elects 3 Assembly members, the Hungarian and Italian minorities elect 1 each, the Czech and Slovak minorities elect 1 jointly, and all other minorities elect 2; all members serve 4-year terms

elections:

last held on 11 September 2016 as a snap election following dissolution of the Assembly on 15 July 2016 (next to be held by 23 December 2020)

election results:

• percent of vote by coalition/party - NA;
• number of seats by coalition/party - HDZ coalition 61, People's Coalition 54, Most-HL 13, Only Option 8, minorities 8 (includes SDSS 3), other 7;
• composition - men 123, women 28, percent of women 18.5%

note: as of August 2017, seats by party - HDZ 55, SDP 37, MOST-NL 12, HNS 5, HSS 5, GLAS 4, Human Blockade 3, IDS 3, SDSS 3, HDS 2, PH 2, other 7, independent 13

• Bloc of Pensioners Together or BUZ [Milivoj SPIKA]
• Bridge of Independent Lists or Most-NL [Bozo PETROV]
• Civic Liberal Alliance or GLAS [Ankar Mrak TARITAS]
• Croatian Christian Democratic Party or HDS [Goran DODIG]
• Croatian Democratic Congress of Slavonia and Baranja or HDSSB [Branimir GLAVAS]
• Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ [Andrej PLENKOVIC]
• Croatian Laborists - Labor Party or HL [David BREGOVAC]
• Croatian Party of Rights - Dr. Ante Starcevic or HSP AS [Hrvoje NICE]
• Croatian Peasant Party or HSS [Kreso BELJAK]
• Croatian Pensioner Party or HSU [Silvano HRELJA]
• Croatian People's Party - Liberal Democrats or HNS [Ivan VRDOLJAK]
• Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS [Darinko KOSOR]
• Forward Croatia Progressive Alliance [Ivo JOSIPOVIC]
• Human Blockade ("Living Wall") [Ivan PERNAR and Vilibor SINCIC]
• Independent Democratic Serb Party or SDSS [Milorad PUPOVAC]
• Istrian Democratic Assembly or IDS [Boris MILETIC]
• Let's Change Croatia or PH [Ivan LOVRINOVIC]
• Milan Bandic 365 - Party of Labor and Solidarity or BM365-SRS [Milan BANDIC]
• Movement for Successful Croatia or HRAST [Ladislav ILCIC]
• People's Party - Reformists Party [Radimir CACIC]
• Smart Party or PAMETNO [Marijana PULJAK]
• Social Democratic Party of Croatia or SDP [Davor BERNARDIC]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Pjer SIMUNOVIC (since 8 September 2017)

chancery:

2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 588-5899

FAX:

[1] (202) 588-8936

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador W. Robert KOHORST (since 12 January 2018)

embassy:

2 Thomas Jefferson Street, 10010 Zagreb

mailing address:

use embassy street address

telephone:

[385] (1) 661-2200

FAX:

[385] (1) 661-2373

• 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

name:

"Lijepa nasa domovino" (Our Beautiful Homeland)

lyrics/music:

Antun MIHANOVIC/Josip RUNJANIN

note: adopted in 1972 while still part of Yugoslavia; "Lijepa nasa domovino," whose lyrics were written in 1835, served as an unofficial anthem beginning in 1891

• 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

agriculture:

1.9%

industry:

27.3%

services:

70.8% (2017 est.)

lowest 10%:

23% (2015 est.)

highest 10%:

23% (2015 est.)

• machinery, transport and electrical equipment;
• chemicals, fuels and lubricants;
• foodstuffs

general assessment:

• the telecommunications network has improved steadily since the mid-1990s, covering much of what were once inaccessible areas;
• local lines are digital;
• telecoms market in Croatia has been shaped by Croatia becoming part of the European Union in 2013, a process which opened up the market and the creation of a regulatory environment leading to competition;
• mobile market has one of the highest penetration rates in the Balkans region;
• Government abolishes 6% tax on mobile services revenue;
• trials 5G technologies (2017)

domestic:

fixed-line teledensity has dropped somewhat to about 33 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions 101 per 100 (2017)

international:

• country code - 385;
• digital international service is provided through the main switch in Zagreb;
• Croatia participates in the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic project, which consists of 2 fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optic trunk line from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik;
• the ADRIA-1 submarine cable provides connectivity to Albania and Greece (2016)

• the national state-owned public broadcaster, Croatian Radiotelevision, operates 4 terrestrial TV networks, a satellite channel that rebroadcasts programs for Croatians living abroad, and 6 regional TV centers;
• 2 private broadcasters operate national terrestrial networks;
• roughly 25 privately owned regional TV stations;
• multi-channel cable and satellite TV subscription services are available;
• state-owned public broadcaster operates 3 national radio networks and 9 regional radio stations;
• 2 privately owned national radio networks and more than 170 regional, county, city, and community radio stations (2012)

number of registered air carriers:

3 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 46 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

1,782,666 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

775,320 mt-km (2015)

total:

2,722 km (2014)

standard gauge:

2,722 km 1.435-m gauge (985 km electrified) (2014)

total:

288 (2017)

by type:

bulk carrier 17, general cargo 39, oil tanker 18, other 214 (2017)

major seaport(s):

Ploce, Rijeka, Sibenik, Split

oil terminal(s):

Omisalj

river port(s):

Vukovar (Danube)

Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia (Oruzane Snage Republike Hrvatske, OSRH) consists of five major commands directly subordinate to a General Staff: Ground Forces (Hrvatska Kopnena Vojska, HKoV), Naval Forces (Hrvatska Ratna Mornarica, HRM, includes coast guard), Air Force and Air Defense Command (Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo I Protuzracna Obrana), Joint Education and Training Command, Logistics Command; Military Police Force supports each of the three Croatian military forces (2017)

• dispute remains with Bosnia and Herzegovina over several small sections of the boundary related to maritime access that hinders ratification of the 1999 border agreementsince the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, Croatia and Slovenia have each claimed sovereignty over Piranski Bay and four villages, and Slovenia has objected to Croatia's claim of an exclusive economic zone in the Adriatic Sea;
• in 2009, however Croatia and Slovenia signed a binding international arbitration agreement to define their disputed land and maritime borders, which led to Slovenia lifting its objections to Croatia joining the EU;
• Slovenia continues to impose a hard border Schengen regime with Croatia, which joined the EU in 2013 but has not yet fulfilled Schengen requirementsSerbia and Croatia have an unresolved border dispute along the Danube river and numerous other unresolved bilateral issues dating back to the conflicts in the 1990s

stateless persons:

2,873 (2017)

note: 659,105 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-December 2016); flows have slowed considerably in 2017; Croatia is predominantly a transit country and hosts about 340 asylum seekers as of the end of June 2018

• primarily a transit country along the Balkan route for maritime shipments of South American cocaine bound for Western Europe and other illicit drugs and chemical precursors to and from Western Europe;
• no significant domestic production of illicit drugs