About Croatia

Croatia, often also called a country of a thousand islands – it is a blend of a thousand year-old historical and cultural heritage, unreal natural beauty, top gastronomy, different lifestyles, dialects and mentalities. Welcome!

GEOGRAPHY

Croatia is a Mediterranean middle European country, bordered by the Adriatic sea along its entire coastline. Encompassing the area of the Pannonian lowlands, through the narrow area of the Dinara mountain, as far as the Adriatic sea, an unusual horseshoe shape has been created – different and unique. With its 2,028 km-long frontier, it borders with Slovenia in the west, Hungary in the north, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the east, while the Adriatic sea divides it from neighbouring Italy. Its capital is Zagreb, the economic, political, cultural and academic centre of Croatia.

AREA

The total surface area of Croatia equals 89.810 km2, of which 56.610 km2 is land, while 33.200 km2 belongs to the sea. The 5.835 km-long Croatian coast is made up of 1.244 islands, islets, cliffs and rocks, but also bays, basins and peninsulas. Such indented and rich coastline is the reason why Croatia is often called the country of a thousand islands.

POPULATION

According to the most recent census, 3,888.529 inhabitants live in Croatia. The majority of the inhabitants are made up of Croatians and the most numerous minorities are Serbs, Bosnians, Albanians, Italians and Slovenians. The most represented religion is Catholic, followed by Greek orthodox in second place and Islamic in third place. The official language is Croatian, the mother tongue of 95% of the population. Apart from Croatian, Italian is also an official language in Istria.

CLIMATE

Due to its geographical position, the climate in Croatia is divided into two zones – moderately continental and Mediterranean. The moderately continental climate and partially also the mountain climate, characterised by sharp and cold winters and relatively dry summers, prevail in inland Croatia. On the other hand, areas along the Adriatic coast have a pleasant Mediterranean climate, characterised by dry and hot summers and wet and mild winters. Thanks to the Mediterranean climate, the Adriatic coast abounds in sunny days and sea temperatures which, during the summer months, do not fall below 20°C. Sunny and warm days throughout the year have created a holiday destination for all the seasons.

CURRENCY

On January 1st, 2023, the Euro is the official currency in Croatia, and all payments can be made in the Euro currency.

UNESCO MATERIAL HERITAGE

Croatia is a country where cultural, historical and natural heritage is revealed in museums, galleries, churches and in its natural beauty. Thanks to its unique value, there are 7 sites in Croatia, which occupy an inevitable entry in the UNESCO List of World Heritage.

  1. National Park Plitvice lakes
  2. Euphrasian Basilica, Poreč
  3. Cathedral of St. James, Šibenik
  4. Diocletian Palace, Split
  5. Old town centre of the town of Trogir
  6. Old town centre of the town of Dubrovnik
  7. Stari Grad Plain, island of Hvar

UNESCO NON-MATERIAL HERITAGE

Apart from material heritage, Croatia also inscribes 13 goods which represent non-material heritage on the UNESCO List of World Heritage – oral tradition, social customs, festivals, rituals, traditional artisanal trades and similar.

  1. Lacemaking, production of lace in Croatia
  2. Festival of St. Blaise, the patron saint of the town of Dubrovnik
  3. Sinjska alka, a knights’ tournament in Sinj
  4. Zvončari, bell ringers’ festival procession in Kastav
  5. Ljelja, Slavonian Queens’ annual procession in Gorjani
  6. Two-part singing and playing in the Istrian scale, Istria and Kvarner
  7. Procession Za Križen, a night procession on the island of Hvar
  8. Traditional manufacturing of children’s wooden toys, Hrvatsko zagorje
  9. Bećarac, a vocal and instrumental song of Slavonija, Baranja and Srijem
  10. Medičarski obrt, manufacture of decorated gingerbread in Northern Croatia
  11. Silent circle dance Nijemo kolo, a folklore dance from the area of Dalmatinska zagora
  12. Klapa singing, a capella style music from the area of Dalmatia
  13. Ojkanje, a traditional music expression of Dalmatia

NATIONAL PARKS

The untouched nature of Croatia does not leave anyone indifferent. The diversity of the plant and animal world and natural beauty created 8 national parks, distributed throughout the whole of Croatia.

  1. National Park Brijuni, Istria
  2. National Park Risnjak, Gorski kotar
  3. National Park Plitvice lakes, Lika, Senj and Karlovac
  4. National Park Northern Velebit, Dalmatia – Zadar
  5. National Park Paklenica, Dalmatia – Zadar
  6. National Park Krka, Dalmatia – Šibenik
  7. National Park Kornati, Dalmatia – Šibenik
  8. National Park Mljet, Dubrovnik region

PARKS OF NATURE

Apart from its 8 national parks, Croatia also abounds in parks of nature – natural areas with distinguished landscapes, educational, cultural, historical, tourism and recreational values. Visit them!

  1. Park of Nature Biokovo, Dalmatia – Split
  2. Park of Nature Kopački rit, Continental Croatia
  3. Park of Nature Lastovo archipelago, Dubrovnik region
  4. Park of Nature Lonjsko polje, Continental Croatia
  5. Park of nature Medvednica, Continental Croatia
  6. Park of Nature Papuk, Continental Croatia
  7. Park of Nature Telašćica, Dalmatia – Zadar
  8. Park of Nature Velebit, Dalmatia – Zadar
  9. Park of Nature Vrana lake, Dalmatia – Zadar
  10. Park of Nature Učka, Istria
  11. Park of Nature Žumberak, Continental Croatia

Welcome to Croatia!