Croatia




                                 Geography


Location:
     Balkan State, Southeastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula, bordering
     the Adriatic Sea, between Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Map references:
     Africa, Ethnic Groups in Eastern Europe, Europe, Standard Time Zones
     of the World
Area:
total area:
     56,538 sq km
land area:
     56,410 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
     total 2,028 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km, Serbia
     and Montenegro 266 km (241 km with Serbia; 25 km with Montenego),
     Slovenia 501 km
Coastline:
     5,790 km (mainland 1,778 km, islands 4,012 km)
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
     200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
     12 nm
exclusive fishing zone:
     12 nm
territorial sea:
     12 nm
International disputes:
     Serbs have occupied UN protected areas in eastern Croatia and along
     the western Bosnia and Herzegovinian 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
Land use:
arable land:
     32%
permanent crops:
     20%
meadows and pastures:
     18%
forest and woodland:
     15%
other:
     15%




Irrigated land:
     NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
     air pollution from metallurgical plants is damaging the forests;
     coastal pollution from industrial and domestic waste; widespread
     casualties and destruction of infrastructure in border areas affected
     by civil strife
natural hazards:
     subject to frequent and destructive earthquakes
international agreements:
     party to - Air Pollution, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
     Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified -
     Biodiversity, Climate Change
Note:
     controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and
     Turkish Straits


                                  People


Population:
     4,697,614 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     0.07% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     11.27 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     10.54 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     8.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     73.6 years
male:
     70.14 years
female:
     77.26 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     1.65 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Croat(s)
adjective:
     Croatian
Ethnic divisions:
     Croat 78%, Serb 12%, Muslim 0.9%, Hungarian 0.5%, Slovenian 0.5%,
     others 8.1%
Religions:
     Catholic 76.5%, Orthodox 11.1%, Slavic Muslim 1.2%, Protestant 0.4%,
     others and unknown 10.8%
Languages:
     Serbo-Croatian 96%, other 4%




Literacy:
total population:
     NA%
male:
     NA%
female:
     NA%
Labor force:
     1,509,489
by occupation:
     industry and mining 37%, agriculture 16% (1981 est.), government NA%,
     other


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Republic of Croatia
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Republika Hrvatska
local short form:
     Hrvatska
Digraph:
     HR
Type:
     parliamentary democracy
Capital:
     Zagreb
Administrative divisions:
     21 counties (zupanijas, zupanija - singular): Bjelovar-Bilogora, City
     of Zagreb, Dubrovnik-Neretva, Istra, Karlovac, Koprivnica-Krizevci,
     Krapina-Zagorje, Lika-Senj, Medimurje, Osijek-Baranja,
     Pozega-Slavonija, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Sibenik, Sisak-Moslavina,
     Slavonski Brod-Posavina, Split-Dalmatia, Varazdin,
     Virovitica-Podravina, Vukovar-Srijem, Zadar-Knin, Zagreb
Independence:
     NA June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
National holiday:
     Statehood Day, 30 May (1990)
Constitution:
     adopted on 2 December 1990
Legal system:
     based on civil law system
Suffrage:
     16 years of age, if employed;  18 years of age, universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
     President Franjo TUDJMAN (since 30 May 1990); election last held 4
     August 1992 (next to be held NA 1995); Franjo TUDJMAN reelected with
     about 56% of the vote; his opponent Dobroslav PARAGA got 5% of the
     vote




head of government:
     Prime Minister Nikica VALENTIC (since 3 April 1993); Deputy Prime
     Ministers Mato GRANIC (since 8 September 1992), Ivica KOSTOVIC (since
     NA), Vladimir SEKS (since September 1992), Borislav SKEGRO (since NA)
cabinet:
     Council of Ministers; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
     bicameral parliament Assembly (Sabor)
House of Districts (Zupanije Dom):
     elections last held 7 and 21 February 1993 (next to be held NA
     February 1997); seats - (68 total; 63 elected, 5 presidentially
     appointed) HDZ 37, HSLS 16, HSS 5, Istrian Democratic Assembly 3,
     SPH-SDP 1, HNS 1
House of Representatives (Predstavnicke Dom):
     elections last held 2 August 1992 (next to be held NA August 1996);
     seats - (138 total) HDZ 85, HSLS 14, SPH-SDP 11, HNS 6, Dalmatian
     Action/Istrian Democratic Assembly/ Rijeka Democratic Alliance
     coalition 6, HSP 5, HSS 3, SNS 3, independents 5
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court, Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders:
     Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Stjepan MESIC, chairman of the
     executive council; Croatian People's Party (HNS), Savka
     DABCEVIC-KUCAR, president; Serbian People's Party (SNS), Milan DUKIC;
     Croatian Party of Rights (HSP), leader NA; Croatian Social Liberal
     Party (HSLS), Drazen BUDISA, president; Croatian Peasant Party (HSS),
     leader NA; Dalmatian Action/Istrian Democratic Assembly/Rijecka
     Democratic Alliance coalition; Social Democratic Party of
     Croatia-Party of Democratic Changes (SPH-SDP), Ivica RACAN
Other political or pressure groups:
     NA
Member of:
     CE (guest), CEI, CSCE, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
     INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM
     (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Petr A. SARCEVIC
chancery:
     (temporary) 236 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002
telephone:
     (202) 543-5580
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Peter W. GALBRAITH
embassy:
     Andrije Hebranga 2, Zagreb
mailing address:
     US Embassy, Zagreb, Unit 1345, APO AE 09213-1345
telephone:
     [385] (41) 444-800
FAX:
     [385] (41) 45 85 85




Flag:
     red, white, and blue horizontal bands with Croatian coat of arms (red
     and white checkered)


                                  Economy


Overview:
     Before the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the republic of Croatia, after
     Slovenia, was 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. At present, Croatian Serb
     Nationalists control approximately one-third of the Croatian
     territory, and one of the overriding determinants of Croatia's
     long-term political and economic prospects will be the resolution of
     this territorial dispute. Croatia faces monumental economic problems
     stemming from: the legacy of longtime Communist mismanagement of the
     economy; large foreign debt; damage during the fighting to bridges,
     factories, power lines, buildings, and houses; the large refugee
     population, both Croatian and Bosnian; and the disruption of economic
     ties to Serbia and the other former Yugoslav republics, as well as
     within its own territory. 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; only then will recent
     government moves toward a "market-friendly" economy reverse the sharp
     drop in output. As of May 1994, fighting continues among Croats,
     Serbs, and Muslims, and national boundaries and final political
     arrangements are still in doubt.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $21.8 billion (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     -19% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
     $4,500 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     26% monthly average (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     21% (December 1993)
Budget:
revenues:
     $NA
expenditures:
     $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
     $3.9 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
     machinery and transport equipment 30%, other manufacturers 37%,
     chemicals 11%, food and live animals 9%, raw materials 6.5%, fuels and
     lubricants 5% (1990)
partners:
     EC countries, Slovenia
Imports:
     $4.7 billion (c.i.f., 1993)




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% (1990)
partners:
     EC countries, Slovenia, FSU countries
External debt:
     $2.6 billion (December 1993)
Industrial production:
     growth rate -5.9% (1993 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
     3,570,000 kW
production:
     11.5 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     2,400 kWh (1992)
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
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:
     1 Croatian dinar (CD) = 100 paras; a new currency, the kuna, replaced
     the dinar on 30 May 1994
Exchange rates:
     Croatian dinar per US $1 - 6,544 (January 1994), 3,637 (15 July 1993),
     60.00 (April 1992)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Railroads:
     2,592 km of standard guage (1.435 m) of which 864 km are electrified
     (1992); note - disrupted by territorial dispute
Highways:
total:
     32,071 km
paved:
     23,305 km




unpaved:
     gravel 8,439 km; earth 327 km (1990)
Inland waterways:
     785 km perennially navigable
Pipelines:
     crude oil 670 km; petroleum products 20 km; natural gas 310 km (1992);
     note - now disrupted because of territorial dispute
Ports:
     coastal - Omisalj (oil), Ploce, Rijeka, Split; inland - Osijek,
     Slavonski Samac, Vukovar, Zupanja
Merchant marine:
     28 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 108,194 GRT/131,880 DWT, cargo
     18, container 1, oil tanker 1, passenger 2, refrigerated cargo 1,
     roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, short-sea passenger 3
note:
     also controlled by Croatian shipowners are 151 ships (1,000 GRT or
     over) under flags of convenience - primarily Malta and St. Vincent -
     totaling 2,221,931 GRT/3,488,263 DWT; includes cargo 60, roll-on/
     roll-off 8, refrigerated cargo 4, container 12, multifunction large
     load carriers 3, bulk 45, oil tanker 9, liquified gas 1, chemical
     tanker 4, service vessel 5
Airports:
total:
     75
usable:
     70
with permanent-surface runways:
     16
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     7
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     5
Telecommunications:
     350,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 14 AM, 8 FM, 12 (2 repeaters)
     TV; 1,100,000 radios; 1,027,000 TVs; satellite ground stations - none


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 1,182,767; fit for military service 946,010; reach
     military age (19) annually 33,166 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     337 billion-393 billion Croatian dinars, NA% of GDP (1993 est.); note
     - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current
     exchange rate could produce misleading results