Official name: Republika Hrvatska (Republic of Croatia)
Type of state: Parliamentary democratic republic
Head of state: President
Head of government: Prime minister
Time zone: CET
Land area: 55.538 km2 (world ranking 124), 35% forest and woodland, 57% arable land and permanent pasture
Expanse: N-S 400 km, W-E 450 km
Land boundaries: 2.028 km (Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km, Yugoslavia 266 km, Slovenia 501 km)
Coast: Croatia's Adriatic coast extends over 1.778 kilometres; 1.185 islands of which 67 are inhabited. The largest islands are Krk and Cres
Capital: Zagreb with ca. 870.000 inhabitants is the economic, cultural and scientific centre of the country.
National languages: Croatian, in areas with strong ethnic minorities, Serbian, Italian, and Hungarian are also official languages.
State religion: none
Currency: 1 Kuna = 100 lipa / 1 Euro is equivalent to 7.5 Kuna (as at 12/2002)
Population: The Republic of Croatia has a population of 4.480.000 (as at 2001)
Ethnic makeup of the population: Croats 78.1%; Serbs 12.1%; Muslims 0.9%; Hungarians 0.5%; Slovenes 0.5%; other 7.9%
Religion: Catholic 72.1%; Orthodox 14.1%; Muslim 1.3%; other 12.5%Main Cities: Zagreb 868.000 inhabitants; Split 201.000 inhabitants; Rijeka 168.000 inhabitants.
International registration: HR
National holiday: 30. May (Republic day)
World cultural heritage sites: The historic town of Dubrovnik as well as some of the islands nearby; the historic town and palace of the Emperor Diocletian in Split; National park of the Plitvice Lakes; the Basilica of Euphrasius and the historic town centre of Porec.

Geography: The country is shaped like a boomerang and is divided into three regions. The long rocky Dalmatian coastline and the Dinaric Alps are foothills of the Italian and Austrian Alps. Two further mountain ridges, the Velebit and the Kapela mountains run parallel to the Dinaric Alps. A rise of the sea level flooded the valleys at the Dalmatian coast and produced the typical coastline with its countless, steep and exciting islands and the rocky peninsulas with their many bays. Inland, north of the Adriatic coastline, is a karst area, which consists of a limestone landscape with bizarre caves and glacial basins, which were formed by erosion. Fells and the fertile Sava plain form the central southern part of Croatia around the capital Zagreb.

Flora and Fauna: Plants of the Mediterranean region determine the vegetation in Dalmatia. In particular, cedars, pine trees, agaves, cypresses and olive trees can be found. In Slavonia, oak tree forests are widespread, whereas beeches and coniferous trees dominate the higher regions.
Special creatures of the animal kingdom are brown bears, wolves and chamois, who live in remote or protected areas of the Dinaric Mountains. Peregrine falcons nest in the steep cliffs of the Kornati Islands and the goose vultures and golden eagles in the Paklenicqa gorge of the inshore North-Dalmatian Velebit Mountains.

Culture: Due to its varied history, the culture of the Croatian Region has been marked by many influences. Northern Italy has influenced Istria and Dalmatia. In Zagreb and other cities of Northern Croatia, you can still clearly see the legacy of the imperial and dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. Slavonia is a typical East-Central European developed and cultivated section, which amongst other features also has a small Germany minority of Danube-Swabian origin. In the Northeast, you can feel Hungarian influences, and at the border with Bosnia-Herzegovina a definite South-Slavian atmosphere.

General data: Croatia is a parlamentar  democracy, which by its culture and history belongs to the central European circle. It is divided into 10 regions. On the northwest of the land the climate is continental, at the coast mediterranean and in the highland alpine. Among a large number of economic branches (metal processing, wood, leather, paper, food, chemical, pharmaceutical industries etc.) the most important are tourism and shipbuilding industry. Croatia has good road, air and railway traffic connections, as well as within the country itself as with abroad. Croatia is not only rich in cultural heritage, but it is also a land of natural phenomenons of breathtaking beauty: the Plitvice Lakes, the Brijuni Archipel, the Velebit Mountain, the biggest peninsula of the Adriatic, Istria, just to mention some... Croatia has 8 National Parcs and 10 Nature Parcs, and ecologically it is the land with the purest environment in the Mediterranean. Shortly, it is a land of rich culture, which knew how to connect its tradition with a modern way of life and which attracts visitors in many different ways. Croatia is a true paradise for tourists, sailing enthusiasts, fishermen and nature explorers, but also for the gourmands, who will be delighted by its rich gastronomic offer.

Culture and history: from the 9th to the 12th century Croatia was under the rule of croatian dukes and kings (the first croatian king Tomislav was crowned in 925). From this period date first early croatian churches and written funds. From the 12th century until 1990 Croatia had many different rulers, among which there was the Habsburg Monarchy, which left deep traces in culture and every-day living in the continental part of the country: its capital, Zagreb, is called , and really, Zagreb has many things in common with Vienna, from the architectural point of view. The surroundings of Zagreb abound in mediaeval fortresses and burgs, among which the most famous are Trakošćan and Veliki Tabor. On the coast have Romans, Italians and Frenchmen left their traces; the towns on the coast abound in monuments dating back to Roman times (the amphitheatre in Pula, the Diokletian Palace in Split.....) and in monuments from the Renaissance (Dubrovnik, Šibenik, Trogir...). Even under foreign rule Croatia had as a special territorial unit its own administration and has kept its culture and spirit throughout many centuries. Croatia has also given many famous artists and scientists during the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and in modern times. Long cultural tradition is testimoned by large number of cultural monuments and works of croatian architects, sculpturers, painters, writers and world famous scientists, such as Nikola Tesla, Ruđer Bošković, Juraj Dalmatinac, Ivan Meštrović, Julije Klović, Marin Držić and many others. As for the cultural heritage, the most important monuments have a status of UNESCO-heritage; the town of Dubrovnik, the Šibenik cathedral, Romanc City in Trogir, the St. Euphrasius Basilica in Poreč, the Diokletian Palace in Split and the Plitvice Lakes.

SOURCE: Traveller Portal - CROATIA