General information about Croatia

Geographical position

The territory of Croatia stretches from the eastern most edges of the Alps on the north - west to Panonian valley and Danube on the east, the central parts includes Dinara mountain massif and the southern parts extend to the coast of Adriatic sea.

Surface:

The mainland covers 56,594 km2; surface area of territorial waters totals 31,067 km2.

Population:

4,437,460 inhabitants; composition of population: the majority of the population are Croats; national minorities are Serbs, Slovenes, Hungarians, Bosnians, Italians, Czechs and others.

System of government:

Multi-party parliamentary republic.

 Capital:

Zagreb (779,145 inhabitants), the economic, traffic, cultural and academic centre of the country.

 Coastline:

5,835.3 km, of which 4,058 km comprise the coastlines of islands, solitary rocks and reefs.

Number of islands, solitary rocks and reefs:

1,185; the largest islands are Cres and Krk; there are 47 inhabited islands.

Highest peak:

Dinara: 1,831 m above sea level.

Climate:

Croatia has three climate zones; the prevailing climate in the country's interior is moderately rainy; on the highest peaks, a forest climate with snow falls, while the areas along the Adriatic coast have a pleasantly mild Mediterranean climate with a large number of sunny days; summers are dry and hot, winters mild and wet with significant precipitations. Average temperatures in the interior: January -2 to 0o C, somewhat lower at the highest altitudes; August - about 20 oC and about 12 oC on the highest peaks. Average temperature in the littoral: January - 5 to 9 oC, August - 22 to 25 oC; sea temperature in winter: 2 oC; in summer, about 25 oC

Currency:

kuna (1 kuna = 100 lipa). Foreign currency can be exchanged in banks, exchange offices, post offices, travel agencies, hotels, camps, marinas; cheques can be cashed in banks.