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英国 United Kingdom 爱尔兰 Ireland 比利时 Belgium 荷兰 Netherlands 法国 France 西班牙 Spain 葡萄牙 Portugal 意大利 Italy 希腊 Greece 奥地利 Austria 匈牙利 Hungary 德国 Germany 瑞士 Switzerland 罗马尼亚 Romania 俄罗斯 Russia 波兰 Poland 克罗地亚 Croatia (Hrvatska) 捷克 Czech 芬兰 Finland 瑞典 Sweden 挪威 Norway 冰岛 Iceland 土耳其 Turkey 丹麦 Denmark 阿尔巴尼亚 Albania 爱沙尼亚 Republic of Estonia 安道尔 Andorra 白俄罗斯 Belarus 保加利亚 The Republic of Bulgaria 波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那 Bosnia and Herzegovina 梵蒂冈 Vatican City State (Holy See) 黑山 The Republic of Montenegro 拉脱维亚 Latvia 立陶宛 Republic of Lithuania 列支敦士登 Liechtenstein 卢森堡 Luxembourg 马耳他 Republic of Malta 马其顿 The Republic of Macedonia 摩尔多瓦 The Republic of Moldova 摩纳哥 Monaco 塞尔维亚 the Republic of Serbia 斯洛伐克 The Slovak Republic 斯洛文尼亚 the Republic of Slovenia 圣马力诺 San Marino 乌克兰 Ukraine |
| kè luó dì yà Croatia (Hrvatska) shǒudōu:sà gé lè bù guógūdàimǎ: hr |
 克罗地亚 克罗地亚 克罗地亚 克罗地亚 克罗地亚 克罗地亚guó qí kè luó dì yà guó qí chéng cháng fāng xíng， cháng yǔ kuān zhī bǐ yuē wéi ３ ∶ ２。 yóu sān gè píng xíng xiāng děng de héng cháng fāng xíng zǔ chéng， zì shàng 'ér xià fēn bié wéi hóng、 bái、 lán sān sè。 qí miàn zhōng jiān huì yòu guó huī。 kè luó dì yà yú １ ９９１ nián ６ yuè２ ５ rì xuān bù tuō lí yuán nán sī lā fū dú lì， shàng shù xīn guó qí shì１９９ ０ nián１２ yuè２２ rì kāi shǐ qǐ yòng de。 guó huī kè luó dì yà guó huī wéi dùn huī。 dùn miàn yóu２５ gè hóng、 bái xiāngjiàn de fāng gé zǔ chéng。 dùn huī shàng duān yòu yī gè fēng gé huà de wáng guān， wáng guān yóu wǔ gè xiǎo dùn zǔ chéng。 cóng zuǒ zhì yòu wǔ gè xiǎo dùn shàng de tú 'àn fēn bié wéi： yī wān bái sè xīn yuè hé yī méi huáng sè liù jiǎo xīng； lán、 hóng xiāngjiàn de tiáo dài； sān gè shì yòu wáng guān de huáng sè shī zǐ tóu； hóng jiǎo hóng tí de shān yáng； yī zhǐ diāo hé yī kē liù jiǎo xīng。 guó huī lái zì９ shì jì de kè luó dì yà gǔ lǎo wáng guó de biāo zhì， wǔ gè xiǎo dùn xiàng zhēng dāng shí wáng guó de wǔ gè shěng qū。 guó jiā zhèng yào zǒng tǒng sī jié pān · méi xī qí（ StjepanMesic），２０００ nián２ yuè dāng xuǎn zǒng tǒng。２００５ nián１ yuè chán lián zǒng tǒng。 zì rán dì lǐ miàn jī５６５３ ８ píng fāng gōng lǐ。 kè luó dì yà wèi yú zhōng 'ōu de dōng nán biān yuán， bā 'ěr gān bàn dǎo de xī běi， yà dé lǐ yà hǎi dōng 'àn。 gé yà dé lǐ yà hǎi yǔ yì dà lì xiāng wàng， běi bù dé lín guó shì sī luò wén ní yà hé xiōng yá lì， dōng miàn hé nán miàn zé shì sài 'ěr wéi yà yǔ bō hēi。 xī nán bù wéi dí nà lā shān dì， duō yán róng dì mào。 yán hǎi wéi dá 'ěr mǎ tí yà hǎi 'àn， běi bù wéi sī lā wò ní qiū líng yǔ sà wǎ hé yán 'àn píng yuán。 yán hǎi wéi dì zhōng hǎi shì qì hòu， nèi lù zhú jiàn xiàng wēn dài dà lù xìng qì hòu guò dù。 nóng yè jí zhōng zài yán sà wǎ hé liǎng 'àn de píng yuán dì qū， nóng chǎn pǐn yòu tián cài、 yù mǐ、 xiǎo mài、 yān cǎo、 pú táo děng。 yán hǎi chǎn yóu gǎn lǎn、 níng méng、 gān jú děng yà rè dài guǒ lèi。 shān dì qiū líng qū xùmù yè fā dá。 yòu méi、 shí yóu、 tiān rán qì、 lǚ tǔ kuàng děng kāi cǎi。 gāi guó dǎo yǔ zhòng duō， dà、 xiǎo gòng 1185 gè， yóu cǐ kè luó dì yà yě bèi hěn duō rén chéng wéi“ qiān dǎo zhī guó”。 tè shū de dì lǐ shǐ kè luó dì yà jìng nèi chéng xiàn liǎng zhǒng bù tóng de qì hòu lèi xíng， yán hǎi dì qū wéi dì zhōng hǎi shì qì hòu， nèi lù dì qū zé shì sì jì fēn míng de dà lù xìng qì hòu。 kè luó dì yà fēn wéi 3 gè dì lǐ qū yù： běi bù、 dōng běi bù píng yuán， zhōng bù shān dì， yī sī tè lā bàn dǎo hé dá 'ěr mǎ tí yà yán hǎi dì qū。 rén kǒu 4,282,216(2000 nián 7 yuè )。 zhù yào mín zú shì kè luó dì yà zú（ ７８ ．１ ％）， qí tā wéi sài 'ěr wéi yà zú、 mù sī lín zú、 xiōng yá lì zú、 yì dà lì zú、 ā 'ěr bā ní yà zú、 jié kè zú děng。 guān fāng yǔ yán wéi kè luó dì yà yǔ。 zhù yào zōng jiào shì tiān zhù jiào（ xìn jiào rén shù zhàn zǒng rén kǒu de７６．６％）。 kè luó dì yà hǎi gǎng chéng shì dù bù luó fū ní kè wèi yú yà dé lǐ yà hǎi bīn， shì kè luó dì yà zhù míng de lǚ yóu zhōng xīn hé liáo yǎng shèng dì。 zhè lǐ yǐ shān bàng hǎi， fēng jǐng yōu měi， qì hòu wēn hé， bèi yù wéi“ yà dé lǐ yà hǎi míng zhū” hé“ chéng shì bó wù guǎn”。 chéng qū fēn jiù chéng hé xīn chéng liǎng bù fēn。 dù bù luó fū ní kè bù jǐn shì 'ōu zhōu zhōng shì jì jiàn zhù bǎo cún jiào wán hǎo de yī gè chéng shì， ér qiě yě shì yī zuò wén huà chéng shì， měi nián dōuyào jǔ bàn yī cì” dù bù luó fū ní kè zhī xià” xì jù jié。 zài kè luó dì yà jìng wài de lín guó， yǐ jí měi guó， ào dà lì yà děng dì qū hái jū zhù zhe yuē 400 wàn de kè luó dì yà rén。 zōng jiào jū mín duō xìn fèng tiān zhù jiào hé dōng zhèng jiào huò bì dì nà 'ěr shǒu dū sà gé lè bù Zagreb wèi yú kè luó dì yà de xī běi bù， zuò luò zài sà wǎ hé xī 'àn， méi dé wéi dé ní chá shān jiǎo xià。 miàn jī２８ ４ píng fāng gōng lǐ。 rén kǒu７７ wàn（２００１ nián）。 yī yuè píng jūn qì wēn －１ .６ ℃， qī yuè píng jūn qì wēn２０ .９℃， nián píng jūn qì wēn１２ .７℃。 nián píng jūn jiàng shuǐ liàng８９０ háo mǐ。 zhòng yào chéng shì ào xī yé kè， wèi yú dōng bù de píng yuán dì qū， kè luó dì yà de liáng cāng wǎ lā rì dīng， wèi yú běi bù， sù yòu bā luò kè zhī chéng de měi yù lǐ yé kǎ， wèi yú xī běi， yōng yòu kè luó dì yà de dì yī dà gǎng kǒu， lǐ yé kǎ gǎng zài luó mǎ dì guó shí qī， hái céng yī dù shì 'ōu zhōu zuì dà de gǎng kǒu dù bù luó fū ní kè， wèi yú zuì nán duān， bèi chēng wéi yà dé lǐ yà hǎi shàng de zhēn zhū。 zài bā 'ěr gān dì qū bèi bù tóng yì zú tǒng zhì liǎo shàng qiān nián de tóng shí， dù bù luó fū ní kè què yī zhí zuò wéi dú lì de gòng hé guó cún zài， zhí zhì bèi ná pò lún suǒ zhàn lǐng。 jié rì xīn nián（ 1 yuè 1 rì） láo dòng jié（ 5 yuè 1 rì） jiàn jūn jié（ 5 yuè 28 rì） guó qìng（ 5 yuè 30 rì） fǎn fǎ xī sī zhàn zhēng shèng lì rì（ 6 yuè 22 rì） gǎn 'ēn jié（ 8 yuè 5 rì） wàn shèng jié（ 11 yuè 1 rì） shèng dàn jié（ 12 yuè 25 rì） èr、 jiǎn shǐ ６ shì jì mò７ shì jì chū， sī lā fū rén yí jū dào bā 'ěr gān bàn dǎo dìng jū。８ shì jì mò hé９ shì jì chū， kè luó dì yà rén jiàn lì liǎo zǎo qī fēng jiàn guó jiā。１０ shì jì jiàn lì liǎo qiáng shèng de kè luó dì yà wáng guó。１１０２ zhì１５２７ nián chǔyú xiōng yá lì wáng guó tǒng zhì zhī xià。１５２７ zhì１９１８ nián shòu hā bù sī bǎo wáng cháo de tǒng zhì， zhí zhì 'ào xiōng dì guó bēng kuì。１９１８ nián１２ yuè， kè luó dì yà yǔ yī xiē nán bù sī lā fū mín zú lián hé chéng lì sài 'ěr wéi yà－ kè luó dì yà－ sī luò wén ní yà wáng guó，１９２９ nián gǎi chēng nán sī lā fū wáng guó。１９４１ nián， dé yì fǎ xī sī rù qīn nán sī lā fū， jiàn lì liǎo“ kè luó dì yà dú lì guó”。１９４５ nián fǎn fǎ xī sī shèng lì hòu， kè luó dì yà yǔ nán sī lā fū hé bìng。１９６３ nián gǎi chēng nán sī lā fū shè huì zhù yì lián bāng gòng hé guó， kè chéng wéi liù gè gòng hé guó zhī yī。１９９０ nián５ yuè， kè jǔ xíng 'èr zhàn hòu shǒu cì duō dǎng zhì dà xuǎn， kè mín zhù gòng tóng tǐ huò shèng zhí zhèng。 tóng nián１２ yuè， kè tōng guò xīn xiàn fǎ， guī dìng kè wéi zhù quán hé mín zhù guó jiā。１９９１ nián６ yuè２５ rì， kè luó dì yà gòng hé guó xuān bù dú lì， tóng nián１０ yuè８ rì zhèng shì xuān bù tuō lí nán sī lā fū lián bāng gòng hé guó。 cǐ jǔ yǐn qǐ kè jìng nèi sài 'ěr wéi yà jū mín de wǔ zhuāng dǐ kàng。１９９２ nián２ yuè， lián hé guó 'ān lǐ huì tōng guò jué yì， jué dìng xiàng kè jìng nèi de sài 'ěr wéi yà zú jù jū qū pài qiǎn lián hé guó bǎo hù bù duì。 kè luó dì yà wéi běi yuē huǒ bàn guó， mù qián zhèng zài jī jí jiā rù běi yuē。 １９９２ nián５ yuè２２ rì， kè luó dì yà jiā rù lián hé guó。 sān、 jīng jì sēn lín hé shuǐ lì zī yuán fēng fù， quán guó sēn lín miàn jī２０７ .９ wàn gōng qǐng， sēn lín fù gài shuài wéi４３ .５％。 cǐ wài， hái yòu shí yóu、 tiān rán qì、 lǚ děng zī yuán。 zhù yào gōng yè bù mén yòu shí pǐn jiā gōng、 fǎng zhì、 zào chuán、 jiàn zhù、 diàn lì、 shí huà、 yě jīn、 jī xiè zhì zào hé mù cái jiā gōng yè děng。 kè lǚ yóu yè fā dá， shì guó mín jīng jì de zhòng yào zǔ chéng bù fēn hé wài huì shōu rù de zhù yào lái yuán。 zhù yào fēng jǐng qū yòu xiù lì mí rén de yà dé lǐ yà hǎi hǎi bīn、 pǔ lì tè wéi cǎi hú qún hé bù lǐ 'é ní dǎo děng guó jiā gōng yuán。 zhòng yào gǎng shì yòu 'ào xī yé kè、 lǐ yé kǎ、 sī pǔ lì tè、 pǔ lā děng。 kè luó dì yà lì shǐ míng chéng sī pǔ lì tè shì de dài kè lǐ xiān gōng。 jiàn yú gōng yuán 305 nián de dài kè lǐ xiān gōng， zhàn dì 3 wàn píng fāng mǐ， gōng diàn qiáng gāo 17 héng 21 mǐ， kuān 2 mǐ， zhèng mén 6 gēn dà lǐ shí zhù shì yuǎn shè chóngyáng cóng zhōng dōng yùn lái de， gōng chéng hào fán， hóng wěi zhuàng lì。 1979 nián， dài kè lǐ xiān gōng bèi liè rù lián hé guó jiào kē wén zǔ zhì de《 shì jiè yí chǎn míng lù》。 sì、 wén huà kè luó dì yà yòu zhòng duō bó wù guǎn， qí zhōng xiāng dāng yī bù fēn shì guī sī rén suǒ yòu de； kè luó dì yà guó jiā jù yuàn de lì shǐ kě zhuī sù dào 1868 nián。 yǎn chū de shuǐ píng hěn gāo chāo， ér piào jià què hěn dī lián， píng mín hěn róng yì jiē chù dào gāo yǎ yì shù。 fā míng lǐng dài， zài kè luó dì yà yǔ zhōng， kè luó dì yà de mín zú míng chēng yǔ lǐng dài zhè gè cí hái jí wéi xiāng sì。 kè luó dì yà rén shì hrvata， ér lǐng dài shì kravata。 gāng bǐ， fā míng zhě de xìng shì shì Penkala， zhōng wén yì wéi péng kǎ lā。 yīng wén zhōng de gāng bǐ jiào zuò pen， zhè dà gài jiù shì qǔ de fā míng zhě Penkala xìng shì zhōng de dì yī gè yīn jié 'ér lái de。 xīn wén chū bǎn １９９６ nián， kè gòng yòu１７６０ jiā chū bǎn dān wèi， chū bǎn kān wù yuē３０００ zhǒng。 kè wén quán guó xìng bào kān gòng yòu liǎng zhǒng：《 wǎn bào》， rì fā xíng liàng２０５０００ fèn；《 xìn shǐ bào》４２０００ fèn； dì fāng xìng rì bào gòng yòu jiǔ zhǒng： rú《 zì yóu dá 'ěr mǎ tí yà bào》１２００００ fèn；《 xīn bào》４０００ fèn děng。 chú kè guó jiā diàn shì tái（ Ｈ Ｔ Ｖ） wài， quán guó mù qián yòu７ jiā shěng shì jí shāng yè diàn shì tái。 lìng wài， kè quán guó xiàn yòu diàn tái１０８ jiā， qí zhōng guó jiā jí３ jiā、 shěng jí１２ jiā hé shì jí９３ jiā。 kè mù qián yōng yòu４ jiā tōng xùn shè， bāo kuò kè luó dì yà tōng xùn shè（ HINA）、 kè tōng shè yǐng xiàng shè（ FaH）、 tiān zhù jiào xìn xī tōng xùn shè（ IKA） hé sī pǔ lì tè sī rén xīn wén tōng xùn shè（ STINA）。 qí zhōng kè tōng xùn shè wèiguó jiā tōng xùn shè， chéng lì yú１９９０ nián７ yuè。 wǔ、 wài jiāo zhòng shì fā zhǎn tóng dà guó de yǒu hǎo hé zuò guān xì； zài jiān jué wéi hù guó jiā lì yì hé píng děng hù lì de jī chǔ shàng， tóng suǒ yòu guó jiā fā zhǎn zhèng zhì、 jīng jì、 wén huà děng lǐng yù de quán miàn guān xì、 róng rù 'ōu zhōu jīng jì 'ān quán yī tǐ huà， zhòng shì jiā qiáng tóng zhōng 'ōu hé lín guó de guān xì。 yǔ zhōng guó guān xì １９９２ nián４ yuè２７ rì， zhōng guó chéng rèn kè luó dì yà gòng hé guó， tóng nián５ yuè１３ rì， zhōng kè liǎng guó jiàn jiāo。２００５ nián５ yuè， kè luó dì yà zǒng lǐ sà nà dé lái huá zhèng shì fǎng wèn， liǎng guó qiān shǔ jiàn lì quán miàn hé zuò huǒ bàn guān xì de lián hé shēng míng。 liù、 yùn dòng kè luó dì yà de duì wǔ yě duō cì qǔ dé guò shuǐ qiú， shǒu qiú de shì jiè guànjūn。 kè luó dì yà guó nèi yòu zú qiú jù lè bù lián méng bǐ sài。 sà gé lè bù de dí nà mó hé sī pǔ lì tè de hǎi dù kè shì wén míng yú 'ōu zhōu de jù lè bù。 zài 1998 nián fǎ guó shì jiè bēi shàng， kè luó dì yà zú qiú duì hēi mǎ yī bān， qǔ dé liǎo dì sān míng de chéng jì。 kè luó dì yà duì shì qián nán sī lā fū zú qiú de zhòng yào lì liàng， tā men yǐ kào zì jǐ mín zú tè yòu de tiān cái yǔ qín fèn chuàng zào liǎo zú qiú shǐ shàng de wú shù jīng diǎn。 qí guó jiā dú lì hòu， gāi guó zú qiú duì zài shì jiè bēi hé 'ōu jǐn sài shàng de chéng jì kě juàn kě diǎn， qí zhōng， 1998 nián， kè luó dì yà duì dì yī cì cān jiā shì jiè bēi biàn qǔ dé liǎo jì jūn de hǎo chéng jì， sū kè hái chéng wéi liǎo zuì jiā shè shǒu。 kè luó dì yà duì de qiú yī yě shì qí guó qí de sè cǎi， hóng bái gé de jīng diǎn duì fú zài guó jì zú tán dú shù yī zhì。 lán qiú fāng miàn， nán sī lā fū dì qū de lán qiú yùn dòng céng jīng bèi xī fāng méi tǐ chēng zuò chú NBA zhī wài， zuì shòu rén guān zhù de lán qiú bǐ sài。 pīng pāng qiú fāng miàn， kè luó dì yà yòu zhe liáng hǎo de chuán tǒng。 yùn dòng yuán shuǐ píng zài 'ōu zhōu shǔ yú hěn gāo de。 bù fá chū sè de wǎng qiú xuǎn shǒu， yī wàn · liǔ bǐ xī qí shì kè luó dì yà de wǎng qiú míng xīng， céng jīng kě yǐ yǔ fèi dé lè kàng héng， tā hái zhàn shèng guò 'ā jiā xī。 gē lán · yī wàn ní sài wéi qí， zài 2001 nián de wēn bù 'ěr dēng wǎng qiú jǐn biāo sài zhōng gòng fā chū duō dá 227 gè Ace qiú， bìng yǐ wài kǎ qiú yuán shēn fèn duó dé gāi jiè nán dān guànjūn。 2004 nián tā xuān bù tuì yì， dàn 2005 nián céng yī dù fù chū， bìng yǐ tì bǔ shēn fèn xié zhù kè luó dì yà zhēng duó dài wéi sī bēi jǐn biāo， jiēguǒ kè luó dì yà rú yuàn shǒu duó gāi xiàng biāo。 qī、 lì shǐ rén wù mǎ kě · bō luó， tā chū shēng yú kè luó dì yà de kǎo 'ěr chǔ lā dǎo。 gāi dì qū dāng shí shòu dào wēi ní sī zhè gè guó jiā de tǒng zhì。 yòu yóu yú tā de yóu jì shì yòng dāng shí de yì dà lì yǔ xiě chéng de， suǒ yǐ shì rén cái duō chēng tā wéi wēi ní sī rén， huò yì dà lì rén。 ní gǔ lā · tè sī lā， zhè wéi kè luó dì yà kē xué jiā zài qīng shàonián shí qī jiù yòu hěn duō fā míng chuàng zào， dào měi guó gōng zuò hòu tā zuò chū liǎo jù dà de gòng xiàn ―― fā míng liǎo jiāo liú diàn， zài kē xué jì shù de fā zhǎn shǐ shàng， tè sī lā bèi chēng wéi rén lèi jìn rù diàn qì shí dài de zhòng yào tuī dòng zhě。 mò huò luó wéi qí， zhù míng dì zhì xué jiā， yī gè dì céng yǐ tā de míng zì mìng míng mǎ kè xī mǔ（ Maksim） yú 1975 nián shēng yú kè luó 'āi xī yà de yǎ dé lǐ yà hǎi 'àn、 yī gè jiào zuò ibenik de xiǎo zhèn， jiǔ suì kāi shǐ xué xí gāng qín， suí jí zhǎn xiàn tā zài gāng qín yǎn zòu shàng guò rén de tiān fù。（ 1999 nián） yíng dé lǔ bīn sī tǎn gāng qín dà sài shǒu jiǎng。 xiàn wéi 'ōu zhōu xīn gǔ diǎn wáng zǐ、 gāng qín shèng shǒu。 Croatia is a member of United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe. The country is also a candidate for membership of the European Union and received a NATO membership invitation on 3 April 2008. On October 17, 2007 Croatia became a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2008-2009 term. The Croats settled on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea and the Pannonian lands in early 7th century, forming two principalities, Dalmatia and Pannonia. The establishment of the Trpimirović dynasty ca. 850 brought strengthening to the Dalmatian Croat duchy, which became a kingdom in 925. In 1102 Croatia entered into a personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary. After the 1526 Battle of Mohács, the "Reliquiae reliquiarum olim inclyti Regni Croatiae" (the remains of the Kingdom of Croatia) became a part of the Habsburg Monarchy in 1527. In 1918 Croatia became a part of the Kingdom of SHS and later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In 1941-1945 during World War II, an Axis puppet state known as the Independent State of Croatia existed. After the victory of Tito's People's Liberation Movement and the Allies, Croatia became a constitutive federal republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In 1991 Croatia proclaimed independence by holding the first democratic elections in the country but had to fight a long and bloody war against the Serb rebels and JNA until 1995. Croatia was recognized on January 15, 1992 by the European Union and the United Nations. The first country to recognize Croatia was Iceland on December 19, 1991. Government and politics Banski dvoriSince 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. His official residence is Predsjednički dvori. Apart from that he has summer residences on the islands of Vanga (Brijuni islands) and the island of Hvar. The Croatian Parliament (Sabor) is a unicameral legislative body (a second chamber, the "House of Counties", which was set up by the Constitution of 1990, was abolished in 2001). The number of the Sabor's members can vary from 100 to 160; they are 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 two deputy prime ministers and fourteen 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. Government's official residence is at Banski dvori. Recently, Bianca Kunjasic was voted in parliament. Geography Map of CroatiaCroatia is located between South-Central Europe and Middle Europe. Its shape resembles that of a crescent or a horseshoe, which flanks its neighbours Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. To the north lie Slovenia and Hungary; Italy lies across the Adriatic Sea. Its mainland territory is split in two non-contiguous parts by the short coastline of Bosnia and Herzegovina around Neum. Its terrain is diverse, including: plains, lakes and rolling hills in the continental north and northeast (Central Croatia and Slavonia, part of the Pannonian Basin); densely wooded mountains in Lika and Gorski Kotar, part of the Dinaric Alps; rocky coastlines on the Adriatic Sea (Istria, Northern Seacoast and Dalmatia). Phytogeographically, Croatia belongs to the Boreal Kingdom and is shared between the Central European and Illyrian provinces of the Circumboreal Region and the Adriatic province of the Mediterranean Region. According to the WWF, the territory of Croatia can be subdivided into three ecoregions: the Pannonian mixed forests, Dinaric Mountains mixed forests and Illyrian deciduous forests. The country is famous for its many 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. Offshore Croatia consists of over one thousand islands varying in size. The largest islands in Croatia are Cres and Krk which are located in the Adriatic Sea. The Danube, the second longest river in Europe, runs through the city of Vukovar. Dinara, the eponym of the Dinaric Alps, is the highest peak of Croatia at 1831 metres above sea level. Counties The Plitvice Lakes, a UNESCO World Heritage SiteCroatia is divided into 20 counties (županija) and the capital Zagreb's city district (in italics below): Anglicized name Native name 1 Zagreb Zagrebačka 2 Krapina-Zagorje Krapinsko-zagorska 3 Sisak-Moslavina Sisačko-moslavačka 4 Karlovac Karlovačka 5 Varaždin Varaždinska 6 Koprivnica-Križevci Koprivničko-križevačka 7 Bjelovar-Bilogora Bjelovarsko-bilogorska 8 Primorje-Gorski Kotar Primorsko-goranska 9 Lika-Senj Ličko-senjska 10 Virovitica-Podravina Virovitičko-podravska 11 Požega-Slavonia Požeško-slavonska 12 Brod-Posavina Brodsko-posavska 13 Zadar Zadarska 14 Osijek-Baranja Osječko-baranjska 15 Šibenik-Knin Šibensko-kninska 16 Vukovar-Srijem Vukovarsko-srijemska 17 Split-Dalmatia Splitsko-dalmatinska 18 Istria Istarska 19 Dubrovnik-Neretva Dubrovačko-neretvanska 20 Međimurje Međimurska 21 City of Zagreb Grad Zagreb Demographics Croatia is inhabited mostly by Croats (89.9 per cent of the population). There are around twenty minority groups. Serbs are the largest minority, comprising 4.5 per cent of the total population. The predominant religion is Catholicism (87.8 per cent), with some Orthodox (4.4 per cent) and Sunni Muslim (1.3 per cent) minorities. The official and common language, Croatian, is a South Slavic language, using the Latin alphabet. According to the 2001 census, 96.1 per cent of the population speak Croatian as their first language. The population of Croatia has been stagnating over the last decade. During the 1991-1995 war, large sections of the population were displaced and emigration increasćed. In 1991 during an ethnic cleansing campaign carried out by rebel-Serb forces and the JNA under control of the former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic 80,000 Croats were expelled from their homes by force. 11,834 Croats were killed and 1348 are still missing.Even moderate Serbs were killed by Serb forces.Many Croats have returned but a large portion fled to western Europe and stayed there.A large number of Croats (around 118,000)expelled from Serb-held parts of Bosnia,mostly Bosanska Posavina in 1992 continue to live in Croatia unable to return to their homes.Some 200,000 Serbs left Croatia at the end of the war.Only a minority of Serbs have returned to Croatia since 1995. The natural growth rate of the population is currently negative with the demographic transition completed half a century ago. Average life expectancy is 75.1 years, and the literacy rate is 98.1 per cent. Law 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. Economy Dubrovnik's Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and major tourist attractionThe Croatian economy has a stable functioning market economy which is one of the most advanced of South-Eastern Europe. International Monetary Fund data shows that Croatian nominal GDP stood at US$50.053 billion, or US$11,271 per capita, in 2007. The IMF forecast for 2008 is US$54.950 billion, or US$12,374 per capita. In purchasing power parity terms, total GDP was US$69.866 billion in 2007, equivalent to US$15,733 per capita. For 2008, it is forecast to be US$74.419 billion, or US$16,758 per capita. According to Eurostat data, Croatian PPS GDP per capita stood at 57.5 per cent of the EU average in 2007, and is forecast to reach 57.8 per cent in 2008. Real GDP growth in 2007 was 6.0 per cent. The average gross salary in 2007 was 6,634 kuna per month. In 2007, the International Labour Organization-defined unemployment rate stood at 9.1 per cent, after falling steadily from 14.7 percent in 2002. The registered unemployment rate is higher, though, standing at 14.7 percent in December 2007. In 2007, 7.2 percent of economic output was accounted for by agriculture, 32.8 percent by industry and 60.7 percent by the service sector. According to 2004 data, 2.7 percent of the workforce were employed in agriculture, 32.8 percent by industry and 64.5 in services. The industrial sector is dominated by shipbuilding, food processing and the chemical industry. Tourism is a notable source of income during the summer, with over 10 million foreign tourists in 2006 generating a revenue of €8 billion. Croatia is ranked as the 18th most popular tourist destination in the world. In 2006 Croatia exported goods to the value of USD$10.4 billion (FOB) (US$19.7 billion including service exports). Of particular concern is the backlogged judiciary system, combined with inefficient public administration, especially issues of land ownership and corruption. Another main problem includes the large and growing national debt which has reached over 30 billion dollars. The country has been preparing for membership in the European Union, its most important trading partner. In February 2005, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU officially came into force. Education Primary education in Croatia starts at the age of six or seven and consists of eight grades. Secondary education is provided by gymnasiums and vocational schools. Croatia has seven universities, the University of Zagreb, University of Split, University of Rijeka, University of Osijek, University of Zadar, University of Dubrovnik and the University of Pula. The University of Zagreb was founded in 1669 and is therefore the oldest in Southeastern Europe. There are also polytechnic higher education institutions. Transport Croatia has an extensive rail network, although due to historical circumstances, the Istria region is not accessible by train without passing through neighbouring Slovenia. Train services are operated by Croatian Railways (Croatian: Hrvatske željeznice). Major airports are located in Zagreb, Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka (on the island of Krk), Osijek, Bol, Lošinj and Pula. Croatia Airlines is the national airline and flag carrier. An extensive system of ferries, operated by Jadrolinija, serves Croatia's many islands and links coastal cities. Ferry services are also available to Italy. Culture Arena, the Roman amphitheatre in PulaCroatian culture is the result of a thirteen century-long history which has seen the development of many cities and monuments. The country includes six World Heritage sites and eight national parks. Croatia is also the birthplace of a number of historical figures included among the notable people are three Nobel prize winners, and numerous inventors. Some of the world's first fountain pens came from Croatia. Croatia also has a place in the history of clothing as the origin of the necktie (kravata). The country has a long artistic, literary and musical tradition. Also of interest is the diverse nature of Croatian cuisine. Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List Šibenik, The Cathedral of St James (St. Jacob) Cultural Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basilica in the Historic Centre of Poreč (1997) Historic City of Trogir (1997) Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian (1979) Old City of Dubrovnik (1979) The Cathedral of St James in Šibenik(2000) Natural Plitvice Lakes National Park (1979) Sport Sports popular in Croatia include football, handball, basketball, water polo and tennis. The Croatian national football team finished third in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Davor Šuker won the Golden Boot as the top goal scorer. The country failed in its joint bid with Hungary to co-host the 2012 European Championships. The two main teams in Croatia are NK Dinamo Zagreb with between 33% and 36% of the population supporting them and HNK Hajduk Split with about 25%. Croatian national handball team were world champions in 2003 and two time Olympic winners in 1996 and 2004. Ivano Balić is considered to be the best handball player in the world. RK Zagreb was a two time European champion and RK Bjelovar won the same championship once. The national basketball team finished third at the 1994 FIBA World Championship, second at the 1992 Summer Olympics and third at EuroBasket 1993 and 1995. Croatian basketball clubs were European champions 5 times , KK Split three times and KK Cibona twice. The third most famous basketball club is KK Zadar. Croatian national water polo team are the current world champions. Mladost was a seven time European champion and was awarded the title Best Club of the 20th Century by LEN. Jug and Jadran were both three time European champions. Croatian Davis Cup team won the tournament in 2005. Tennis player Goran Ivanišević is one of the country's most recognisable sportsmen who won the 2001 Men's Singles title at Wimbledon. Janica Kostelić and Ivica Kostelić in skiing, Blanka Vlašić in athletics, Duje Draganja, Sanja Jovanović and Đurđica Bjedov in swimming, Dražen Petrović, Krešimir Ćosić, Toni Kukoč and Dino Rađa in basketball, Matija Ljubek in canoeing, Željko Mavrović and Mate Parlov in boxing, Branko Cikatić and Mirko Filipović, known as "Cro Cop", in kickboxing and mixed martial arts, Tamara Boroš in table tennis are among the most famous athletes. |
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