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Croatia

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   Croatia
                   Republika Hrvatska
   Republic of Croatia

   Flag of Croatia Coat of arms of Croatia
   Flag            Coat of arms
   Motto: none
   Historical: Antemurale Christianitatis (Latin)
   English: "Bulwark of Christianity"
   Anthem: " Lijepa naša domovino"
   "Our beautiful homeland"
   Patron saint: Sv.Josip
   "St.Joseph"
   Location of Croatia
   Capital
   (and largest city)     Zagreb
                          45°48′N 16°0′E
     Official languages   Croatian^1
   Government             Republic
    - President           Stjepan Mesić
    - Prime minister      Ivo Sanader
        Independence
    - From SFR Yugoslavia June 25, 1991
    - Medieval kingdom    925
    - Medieval duchy      March 4, 852
    - Founded             seventh century (first half)
                          Area
    - Total               56,542 km² ( 126th)
                          21,831 sq mi
    - Water (%)           0.01
                       Population
    - July 2005 estimate  4,551,000 ( 115th)
    - 2001 census         4,437,460
    - Density             81/km² ( 109th)
                          210/sq mi
         GDP ( PPP)       2006 estimate
    - Total               $59,334 billion ( 71st)
    - Per capita          $14,285 ( 52nd)
        HDI  (2006)       0.846 (high) ( 44th)
          Currency        Kuna (kn)  ( HRK)
         Time zone        CET ( UTC+1)
    - Summer ( DST)       CEST ( UTC+2)
        Internet TLD      .hr
        Calling code      +385
   ^1Locally also Italian in Istria county.

   Croatia ( Croatian: Hrvatska listen ), officially the Republic of
   Croatia (Republika Hrvatska), is a country in Europe at the crossroads
   of the Mediterranean, Central Europe and the Balkans. Its capital is
   Zagreb. Croatia shares land borders with Slovenia and Hungary to the
   north, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro to the
   south, as well as a sea border with Italy to the west. It is a
   candidate for membership in the European Union and NATO.

History of Croatia

   A tribe of Croats came to the Roman provinces of Dalmatia and Pannonia
   in the 7th century and was ultimately assimilated into the larger
   native Illyro-Roman and recently arrived Slavic population which took
   the same name. Ruled by various Croatian rulers, these duchies were
   intermittently controlled by the Roman Empire at Constantinople and the
   Franks. Eventually Croatia became an independent kingdom in 925, when —
   by a decree of the Holy Catholic Church in Rome — King Tomislav was
   crowned first king of Croatia.

   Croatia retained its independence until 1102 when, after decades of
   inner struggles, the country entered a dynastic union with Kingdom of
   Hungary under the name Lands of the Crown of St. Stephen. Croatian
   statehood was preserved through a number of institutions, notably the
   Sabor which served as an assembly of Croatian nobles, and the ban or
   viceroy. Furthermore, the Croatian nobles retained their lands and
   titles.

   By the mid-1400s, the Hungarian kingdom was shaken by the Ottoman
   expansion as much of the mountainous country now known as Bosnia and
   Herzegovina fell to the Turks. At the same time, Dalmatia became mostly
   Venetian. Dubrovnik was a city-state that was, at first, Byzantine
   (Roman) and Venetian, but later, unlike other Dalmatian city-states,
   became independent as Republic of Dubrovnik, even though it was often
   under the suzerainty of neighbouring powers.

   The Battle of Mohács in 1526 led the Croatian Parliament to elect the
   Habsburgs to the throne of Croatia. Habsburg rule eventually thwarted
   Ottoman expansion, and by the 18th century, much of the Croatian
   territories that had previously been Ottoman passed to the Austrians.
   The odd crescent shape of the Croatian lands remained as a mark, more
   or less, of the frontier to the Ottoman advance into Europe. Further
   south, Istria, Dalmatia and Dubrovnik all eventually passed to the
   Habsburg Monarchy between 1797 and 1815.

   Following World War I, Croatia joined the State of Slovenes, Croats and
   Serbs. Shortly thereafter, this joint state entered into a union with
   Serbia to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which
   eventually became Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929. After Germany and its
   Axis allies invaded Yugoslavia in April 1941, the Nazis permitted the
   extreme right-wing organization Ustaše, backed and sponsored by Italian
   fascists, to found the " Independent State of Croatia". The new regime
   was highly dependent upon German support for survival. Numerous
   concentration camps were established in Croatia between 1941 and 1945,
   when many Serbs, Jews, Gypsies anti-fascist Croats and others were
   murdered for racial, religious or political reasons. When the Axis
   powers were defeated in Croatia by the anti-fascists, the State
   Anti-Fascist Council of People's Liberation of Croatia (ZAVNOH)
   declared the People's Republic of Croatia, which became one of the six
   socialist republics within federal Yugoslavia.

   Along with Slovenia, Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia
   on June 25, 1991, which triggered the Croatian War of Independence. The
   Serb population living in Croatia revolted, supported by the Yugoslav
   army and paramilitary extremist groups from Serbia. The ensuing months
   saw combat between newly established Croatian Army and joint
   Yugoslav/Serb armed forces. Following this stage of the war, the
   independence of Croatia was internationally-recognized. During the war,
   the Croatian Serbs proclaimed their own state in areas where they made
   up relative or absolute ethnic majority, the " Republic of Serbian
   Krajina", a short lived territory without international recognition.
   The war left hundreds of thousands refugees on the Croatian side, and
   thousands were killed either in battle or by ethnic cleansing. The war
   ended in 1995, after the Croatian Army successfully launched two major
   military operations to retake the occupied area.

   At the time of first modern Croatia's president Franjo Tuđman's death
   in December 1999, the country was in a parlous state. The HDZ lost
   power after the presidential and parliamentary elections at the
   beginning of 2000, which ushered in a new era of politicians who
   pledged commitment to political and economic reforms and Croatia's
   integration into the European mainstream. The left-centre coalition
   government was led by the SDP until November 2003, when the reformed
   HDZ formed minority government. President Stjepan Mesić, coming from
   centrist/liberal party HNS, was elected two times, in 2000 and 2005.
   The constitution has been changed to shift power away from the
   president to the parliament. Croatia has joined the World Trade
   Organization and opened up the economy, making it grow and inflation
   was kept under control. It joined NATO's Partnership for Peace program
   and became an official candidate for membership in that alliance. By
   early 2003 it had made sufficient progress to apply for European Union
   membership, becoming the second EU candidate country from former
   Yugoslavia, after Slovenia. Accession negotiations were opened on
   October 3, 2005, and the country is expected to become an EU member
   state in 2009 or 2010.

Geography

   Map of Croatia
   Enlarge
   Map of Croatia

   Croatia is located in Southern Europe.

   Croatia has a shape that resembles a crescent or a horseshoe which
   helps account for its many neighbours: Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia,
   Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Italy across the Adriatic. Its
   mainland territory is split in two non-contiguous parts by the short
   coastline of Bosnia and Herzegovina around Neum.

   Its terrain is diverse, containing:
     * plains, lakes and rolling hills in the continental north and
       northeast (Central Croatia and Slavonia, part of the Pannonian
       plain);
     * densely wooded mountains in Lika and Gorski Kotar, part of the
       Dinaric Alps;
     * rocky coastlines on the Adriatic Sea ( Istria, Northern Seacoast
       and Dalmatia).

   The country is famous for its many beautiful national parks.

   Croatia has a mixture of climates. In the north and east it is
   continental, Mediterranean along the coast and a semi-highland and
   highland climate in the south-central region.

   National Geographic Magazine in 2005 named Croatia as the most
   beautiful country in the world. Croatia offshore, has more than 1,000
   islands varying in size.

Politics

                                                   Croatia is a member of:
                                                       United Nations
                                                      Council of Europe
                                                            OSCE
                                                    Partnership for Peace
                                                     Other organizations

   Since the adoption of the 1990 Constitution, Croatia has been a
   democratic republic. Between 1990 and 2000 it had a semi-presidential
   system, and since 2000 it has a parliamentary system.

   The President of the Republic (Predsjednik) is the head of state,
   directly elected to a five-year term and is limited by the Constitution
   to a maximum of two terms. In addition to being the commander in chief
   of the armed forces, the president has the procedural duty of
   appointing the Prime minister with the consent of the Parliament, and
   has some influence on foreign policy.

   The Croatian Parliament (Sabor) is a unicameral legislative body of
   between 100 and 160 representatives, all elected by popular vote to
   serve four-year terms. The plenary sessions of the Sabor take place
   from January 15 to July 15, and from September 15 to December 15.

   The Croatian Government (Vlada) is headed by the Prime minister who has
   2 deputy prime ministers and 14 ministers in charge of particular
   sectors of activity. The executive branch is responsible for proposing
   legislation and a budget, executing the laws, and guiding the foreign
   and internal policies of the republic.

   Croatia has a three-tiered judicial system, consisting of the Supreme
   Court, county courts, and municipal courts. The Constitutional Court
   rules on matters regarding the Constitution.
   Zagreb skyline
   Enlarge
   Zagreb skyline

Administrative divisions

   The Plitvice Lakes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
   Enlarge
   The Plitvice Lakes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
   The Old Harbour at Dubrovnik's Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
   Enlarge
   The Old Harbour at Dubrovnik's Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

   Croatia is divided into 21 counties (Croatian: županija) and the city
   district of the capital, Zagreb*:
    1. Zagreb county (Zagrebačka županija)
    2. Krapina-Zagorje county (Krapinsko-zagorska županija)
    3. Sisak-Moslavina county (Sisačko-moslavačka županija)
    4. Karlovac county (Karlovačka županija)
    5. Varaždin county (Varaždinska županija)
    6. Koprivnica-Križevci county (Koprivničko-križevačka županija)
    7. Bjelovar-Bilogora county (Bjelovarsko-bilogorska županija)
    8. Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (Primorsko-goranska županija)
    9. Lika-Senj county (Ličko-senjska županija)
   10. Virovitica-Podravina county (Virovitičko-podravska županija)
   11. Požega-Slavonia county (Požeško-slavonska županija)
   12. Brod-Posavina county (Brodsko-posavska županija)
   13. Zadar county (Zadarska županija)
   14. Osijek-Baranja county (Osječko-baranjska županija)
   15. Šibenik-Knin county (Šibensko-kninska županija)
   16. Vukovar-Srijem county (Vukovarsko-srijemska županija)
   17. Split-Dalmatia county (Splitsko-dalmatinska županija)
   18. Istria county (Istarska županija)
   19. Dubrovnik-Neretva county (Dubrovačko-neretvanska županija)
   20. Međimurje county (Međimurska županija)
   21. Zagreb (Grad Zagreb)*

Economy

   Croatia has an economy based mostly on various services and some,
   mostly light, industry. Tourism is a notable source of income during
   the summer. The estimated Gross Domestic Product per capita in
   purchasing power parity terms for 2005 was USD 12,158 or 45.2% of the
   EU average for the same year.

   The Croatian economy is post-communist. In the late 1980s, at the
   beginning of the process of economic transition, its position was
   favourable, but it was gravely impacted by de-industrialization and war
   damages as well as having problems from losing the markets of
   Yugoslavia and the SEV.

   Main economic problems include high unemployment (15.7% in 2006) and an
   insufficient amount of economic reforms. Of particular concern is the
   heavily backlogged judiciary system, combined with inefficient public
   administration, especially involving land ownership.

   The country has since experienced faster economic growth and has been
   preparing for membership in the European Union, its most important
   trading partner.

   In February 2005, Croatia implemented the Stabilization and Association
   Agreement with the EU and is advancing further towards full EU
   membership. The country expects some major economic impulses and high
   growth rates in the following next years (currently Croatia suffers
   from high export deficit and considerable debt). Croatia is expecting a
   boom in investments, especially greenfield investments.

Demographics

   Split, the largest and most important city in Dalmatia
   Enlarge
   Split, the largest and most important city in Dalmatia

   The population of Croatia has been stagnating over the last decade. The
   1991–1995 war in Croatia had previously displaced large parts of the
   population and increased emigration. Some Croats who fled the country
   during the war are returning. The natural growth rate is minute or
   negative (less than ± 1%), as the demographic transition has been
   completed half a century ago. Average life expectancy is approximately
   75 years, and the literacy rate is 98.5%.

   Croatia is inhabited mostly by Croats (89.9%). There are around twenty
   minorities, Serbs being the largest one (4.5%) and others having less
   than 0.5% each. The predominant religion is Catholicism (87.8%), with
   some Orthodox (4.4%) and Sunni Muslim (1.3%) minorities. The official
   and common language, Croatian, is a South Slavic language, using the
   Latin alphabet. Less than 5% of the population cites other languages as
   their mother tongues.

   CAPTION: Ethnic composition of Croatia

    Ethnicity   Population   %
   Croats       3,977,171  89.63%
   Serbs        201,631    4.54%
   Bosniaks     20,755     0.49%
   Italians     19,636     0.44%
   Hungarians   16,595     0.37%
   Albanians    15,082     0.34%
   Slovenians   13,173     0.30%
   Czechs       10,510     0.24%
   Roma         9,463      0.21%
   Montenegrins 4,926      0.11%
   Slovaks      4,712      0.11%
   Macedonians  4,270      0.10%

   There is also a sizable German and Austrian minority. There is an
   increasing Chinese population in the bigger cities, most of whom reside
   in Zagreb. There are an estimated 1500 - 3000 Chinese nationals living
   in Croatia today

Culture

   Croatian culture is based on a thirteen-century-long history during
   which the country has attained many monuments and cities, which gave
   birth to a good number of brilliant individuals. The country includes
   six World Heritage sites and eight national parks. Two Nobel prize
   winners came from Croatia, as did numerous important inventors and
   other notable people — notably, some of the first fountain pens came
   from Croatia.

   Croatia also has a place in the history of clothing as the origin of
   the necktie (cravat). The country has a long artistic, literary and
   musical tradition. Of particular interest is also the diverse cuisine.

Neighbouring countries

   Flag of Slovenia  Slovenia Flag of Hungary  Hungary
   Flag of Italy  Italy  Image:Template CanadianCityGeoLocation West.png
   Gulf of Venice •  Adriatic Sea North Flag of Serbia  Serbia
   West    Flag of Croatia  Croatia     East
   South
   Adriatic Sea
   Image:Template CanadianCityGeoLocation South.png
   Flag of Italy  Italy Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina  Bosnia and
   Herzegovina
   Flag of Montenegro  Montenegro

   Countries of Europe

   Albania · Andorra · Armenia^1 · Austria · Azerbaijan^2 · Belarus ·
   Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus^1 ·
   Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Georgia^2 ·
   Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Italy · Kazakhstan^2 ·
   Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Republic of Macedonia
   · Malta · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands · Norway · Poland
   · Portugal · Romania · Russia^2 · San Marino · Serbia · Slovakia ·
   Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey^2 · Ukraine · United
   Kingdom · Vatican City

   (1) Entirely in Asia but having socio-political connections with
   Europe. (2) Has significant territory in Asia.
   Countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea

   Albania • Algeria • Bosnia and Herzegovina • Croatia • Cyprus • Egypt •
   France • Greece • Israel • Italy • Lebanon • Libya • Malta • Monaco •
   Montenegro • Morocco • Slovenia • Spain • Syria • Tunisia • Turkey

   For dependent and other territories, see Dependent territory and List
   of unrecognized countries.
   Countries on the Adriatic Sea

   Flag of Albania  Albania • Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina  Bosnia and
   Herzegovina • Flag of Croatia  Croatia • Flag of Italy  Italy • Flag of
   Montenegro  Montenegro • Flag of Slovenia  Slovenia
   European Union members and candidates

   Austria • Belgium • Cyprus • Czech Republic • Denmark • Estonia •
   Finland • France • Germany • Greece • Hungary • Ireland • Italy •
   Latvia • Lithuania • Luxembourg • Malta • Netherlands • Poland •
   Portugal • Slovakia • Slovenia • Spain • Sweden • United Kingdom

   Countries acceding on January 1, 2007: Bulgaria • Romania

   Candidate countries: Croatia • Turkey • Republic of Macedonia (referred
   to as the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia by the European Union)
   Francophonie
   Members: Belgium • Benin • Bulgaria • Burkina Faso • Burundi • Cambodia
   • Cameroon • Canada • New Brunswick • Quebec • Ontario • Cape Verde •
   Central African Republic • Chad • Comoros • Côte d'Ivoire • Cyprus •
   Democratic Republic of the Congo • Djibouti • Dominica • Egypt •
   Equatorial Guinea • France • French Guiana • Gabon • Ghana • Guadeloupe
   • Guinea • Guinea-Bissau • Haiti • Laos • Lebanon • Madagascar • Mali •
   Martinique • Mauritania • Mauritius • Morocco • Niger • Republic of the
   Congo • Romania • Rwanda • Saint Lucia • São Tomé and Príncipe •
   Senegal • Seychelles • Saint-Pierre and Miquelon • Switzerland • Togo •
   Tunisia • Ukraine • Vanuatu • Vietnam

   Observers: Armenia • Austria • Croatia • Czech Republic • Georgia •
   Hungary • Lithuania • Mozambique • Poland • Serbia • Slovakia •
   Slovenia • Ukraine
   Slavic-speaking nations

   West Slavic: Flag of Czech Republic  Czech Republic • Flag of Poland
   Poland • Flag of Slovakia  Slovakia

   South Slavic: Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina  Bosnia and Herzegovina •
   Flag of Bulgaria  Bulgaria • Flag of Croatia  Croatia • Flag of
   Republic of Macedonia  Republic of Macedonia • Flag of Montenegro
   Montenegro • Flag of Serbia  Serbia • Flag of Slovenia  Slovenia

   East Slavic: Flag of Belarus  Belarus • Flag of Russia  Russia • Flag
   of Ukraine  Ukraine
   Republics and Autonomous Provinces of the former Yugoslavia (SFRY)
   Flag of SFR Yugoslavia

   Bosnia and Herzegovina • Croatia • Republic of Macedonia • Montenegro •
   Serbia (Kosovo • Vojvodina) • Slovenia
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
