:Croatia Geography

Total area:
    56,538 km2
Land area:
    56,410 km2
Comparative area:
    slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
    1,843 km; Bosnia and Hercegovina (east) 751 km, Bosnia and Hercegovina
    (southeast) 91 km, Hungary 292 km, Serbia and Montenegro 254 km, Slovenia
    455 km
Coastline:
    5,790 km; mainland 1,778 km, islands 4,012 km
Maritime claims:
  Contiguous zone:
    NA nm
  Continental shelf:
    200-meter depth or to depth of exploitation
  Exclusive economic zone:
    12 nm
  Exclusive fishing zone:
    12 nm
  Territorial sea:
    12 nm
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

:Croatia People

Population:
    4,784,000 (July 1991), growth rate 0.39% (for the period 1981-91)
Birth rate:
    12.2 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate:
    11.3 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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
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%
Languages:
    Serbo-Croatian 96%
Literacy:
    96.5% (male 98.6%, female 94.5%) age 10 and over can read and write (1991
    census)
Labor force:
    1,509,489; industry and mining 37%, agriculture 4%, government NA%, other
Organized labor:
    NA

:Croatia Government

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:
    NA
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)

:Croatia Economy

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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
    14.3% (March 1992)
Unemployment rate:
    20% (December 1991)
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
External debt:
    $2.6 billion (may assume some part of foreign debt of former Yugoslavia)
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

:Croatia Economy

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:
    NA
Currency:
    Croatian dinar(s)
Exchange rates:
    Croatian dinar per US $1 - 60.00 (April 1992)
Fiscal year:
    calendar year

:Croatia Communications

Railroads:
    2,698 km (34.5% electrified)
Highways:
    32,071 km total (1990); 23,305 km paved, 8,439 km gravel, 327 km earth
Inland waterways:
    785 km perennially navigable
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
Civil air:
    NA major transport aircraft
Airports:
    8 total, NA usable; NA with permanent-surface runways; NA with runways over
    3,659 m; 7 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; NA with runways 1,220-2,439 m; 1 with
    runways 900 m
Telecommunications:
    350,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 14 AM, 8 FM, 12 (2 repeaters) TV;
    1,100,000 radios; 1,027,000 TVs; NA submarine coaxial cables; satellite
    ground stations - none

:Croatia Defense Forces

Branches:
    Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Frontier Guard,
    Home Guard, Civil Defense
Manpower availability:
    males 15-49, 1,188,576; NA fit for military service; 42,664 reach military
    age (18) annually
Defense expenditures:
    $NA, NA% of GDP