Croatia

 

 

 

 

Description of Croatia

Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a parliamentary democratic republic, a member of the European Union, located between Central Europe, southern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, borders on the northeast with Hungary, on the east with Serbia, on the southeast with Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro, to the northwest with Slovenia and to the southwest with the Adriatic Sea, where it shares a maritime border with Italy.

Its capital and most populous city is Zagreb. It has 56 594 km² of territorial extension - this figure includes the more than a thousand islands that are located off the coast of the Adriatic Sea - and has a varied climate, mostly continental and Mediterranean. As for the political administration, the country is divided into twenty counties and the city of Zagreb. Its population amounts to more than 4.29 million inhabitants, most of them are Croats of Catholic religion.

At the beginning of the 7th century the Croats arrived in the area and two centuries later they were organized into two duchies. In 925 Tomislav became the first king, elevating the status of the state to a kingdom. The Kingdom of Croatia maintained its sovereignty for almost two centuries, and reached its peak during the reign of Peter Krešimir IV and Demetrio Zvonimir. Croatia formed a personal union with Hungary in 1102. In 1527, threatened by Ottoman expansion, the Croatian parliament elected Ferdinand I of Habsburg as successor of the Croatian throne. In 1918, after the First World War, it was part of the ephemeral Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which had been separated from Austria-Hungary, and which later became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During the Second World War a puppet state of Nazi Germany was founded. After the war, Croatia was a founding member and federal element of the Second Yugoslavia, a socialist state. In June 1991, Croatia declared its independence, which was recognized on October 8 of that year. The Croatian War of Independence took place in the four years following the declaration.

In 2012 Croatia maintained a very high Human Development Index. The International Monetary Fund classified it as an emerging and developing economy, while the World Bank identified it as a high-income economy. Croatia is a member of the UN, the Council of Europe, NATO, the World Trade Organization and is a founding member of the Union for the Mediterranean. In addition, in July 2013 Croatia acceded to the European Union. As an active member of the United Nations peacekeeping force, he has contributed troops to the NATO security mission in Afghanistan and from 2008 to 2009 he held a seat on the UN Security Council.

The Croatian economy is dominated by the services sector, followed by industry and agriculture. Tourism is a major source of income during the summer, as the country is among the twenty most visited tourist destinations in the world. The state controls a part of the economy, with important government spending and its main trading partner is the European Union. Since 2000 the country has invested in infrastructure, especially roads and means of transport, as well as Pan-European corridors. The Croatian State provides a universal health system and free primary and secondary education, at the same time that supports the culture through various public institutions and investments in the media and literature.

 

Travel Destinations in Croatia

 

Dalmatia (Croatia)
Cetina Valley Nature Park Cetina Valley Nature Park is a protected area in the Dalmatia region.	Dubrovnik Dubrovnik is one of the most beautiful town in Croatia under protection of UNESCO due to its historical significance.	Klis Fortress Medieval walls and towers of the Klis Fortress are constructed on the ruins of the ancient citadel.	Korčula Island Korcula Island is situated in the South Croatia in central Dalmatian archipelago. Largest settlement on the island is Korcula town that is allegedly a birth place for famous Italian traveller and explorer Marco Polo.
Kornati Islands National Park Majestic Kornati Islands National Park lie in the south Croatia in the Adriatic sea.	Krka National Park Krka National Park located in Šibenik-Knin County is famous for its marvellous water cascades.	Mljet Island Marvellous Mljet Island is located in the south Adriatic Sea.	Orebić Orebic is a port town on the Adriatic coast in Dubrovnik-Neretva county of Croatia. The most famous tourist attraction in the city is the Franciscan monastery of Our Lady of Angels.
Paklenica National Park Paklenica National Park is a nature preserve with several beatiful valleys in the Zadar County.	Plitvice Lakes National Park Colorful waters of Plitvice Lakes National Park is one best known destinations in Croatia.	Salona Ancient ruins of Salona are some of the largest and well preserved sites of the Roman Empire.	Šibenik Sibenik is a coastal Croatian town in northern Dalmatia region of Croatia. Sibenik is most famous for its Cathedral of Saint James as well as other notable churches and military fortifications from different time periods.
Split Split is a historic town in Croatia most famous for its former site of a Deocletian's palace.	Trogir Trogir is a historic Croatian city located in Split-Dalmatia County on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. It was initially found by the Greek colonists who liked the this well defended and well suitable harbor.	Zadar Zadar is a historic town located in the Zadar county of Croatia. This ancient city was first mentioned in the 4th century BC.

 

North- West Croatia (Istria and Kvarner Area) (Croatia)
Brijuni National Park Brijuni National Park is located on an island that since the ancient Roman times was chosen as a fancy getaway for rich and powerful.	Dvigrad Dvigrad is one of the few genuine castle from the medieval age that were kept in its original appearance.	Medvedgrad Well preserved medieval ruins of Medvedgrad fort is perched on top of the picturesque mountain.	Nehaj Castle Nehaj Castle is a massive square fortification constructed by Ivan Lenkovic, a leader of Croatian Uskoks or partisans.
Poreč Porec is a small charming ancient city on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. It was found over 2000 years ago many of the streets in the city still keep original orientation of the narrow ancient Roman roads.	Pula Pula located on the very south tip of Istra peninsula contains some of the best preserved Roman structures harmoneosly included in the narrow streets.	Risnjak National Park Risnjak National Park is a nature preserve in mountainous region of Gorski kotar.	Rovinj Rovinj is a small town 30 km north of Pula and is situated on the shore of the Adriatic sea. Although technically a Croatian town for most of its history this was an Italian city.
Sjeverni Velebit National Park Sjeverni Velebit National Park situated in Lika-Senj County is famous for its white cliffs.

Central Croatia (Croatia)
Ozalj Castle Croatian castle of Ozalj was constructed in 1244 on a hill overlooking Kupa River. Ozalj Castle was jointly owned by two noble families of Zrinksi and Frankopan.	Zagreb Zagreb is located in the Central Croatia. It is the capital of Croatia and also the largest city in the country. It is the centre of political, cultural and economic life of the country.

 

Geography of Croatia The Republic of Croatia is a state in the Western Balkans. It is one of the former republics of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that fell apart after the Balkan War that was fought in the 90's. It shares borders with Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia- Herzegovina. The western part of the country is washed by Adriatic Sea. Eastern part of the country is taken by plains crossed by valleys of the rivers Sava and Drava. The Western part of the country that stretches along the sea is very rugged and mountainous with many picturesque island and numerous bays. Weather and Climate of Croatia Much of Croatia lies on a shores of the Adriatic Sea, which is part of the Mediterranean Sea. The climate is mild with hot summers and fairly warm but rainy winters. July and August are usually largest invasion of foreign tourists. However these are also the hottest months of the year. Forest fires break out in many parts of the country. So the best time to visit the country is in the months of May- June or September. Crowds of tourists usually dwindle, but there is still plenty of sun and moderately hot days to enjoy your stay. Temperature in winter rarely go below freezing point, but it rains a lot. Only eastern parts of the country receiving significant amount of snow fall.

Travel Tips while you travel to Croatia US citizens, British, Canadian as well as European Union don't need visa to travel to Croatia if you plan to stay less than 90 days there. However they do require returning plane ticket. Religion plays an important part in lives of people. Religious affiliations are usually divide down ethnic borders. So 87.8% of the country are Roman Catholic Croats, 4.4% are Eastern Orthodox Serbs. There is also some minor presence of Muslims, Protestants and Jews. Smoking and drinking on the streets is a normal thing in Croatia. Although certain restriction are applied around certain public, government and other localities. Politics of Croatia Croatia is a multi- party parliamentary republic with a presidential form of government. Its legislature is a two chambered parliament. Emergency numbers Police 92 Ambulance 94 Fire 93

 

 

History of Croatia

In the pre-Roman period, several important pre-Indo-European archaeological cultures existed along the Adriatic coast, the most ancient of which was the “impressiono”. In the Bronze Age, descendants of the Impresso culture existed on the Adriatic coast, among which the Butmir culture stood out for its ceramics, and later the Castellier culture, of which several hundred fortified settlements remained. To the beginning of n. e. the whole territory of modern Croatia (the so-called Liburnia) was conquered by the Romans (for more information on Roman Illyria, see Illyria and the Illyrian uprising).

The Slavic tribes of the Croats, who gave rise to the Croatian nation, migrated to the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea in the 7th century. Soon, the Kingdom of Croatia became one of the strongest in the region. In 1102, the ruling dynasty of Trpimirovich died away, and the Croatian crown was united in a dynastic union with the Hungarian. In the middle of the 15th century, Hungarian rule in the north of the country was replaced by Turkish, while Dalmatia became part of the Venetian Republic. At the same time, the Dubrovnik Republic largely maintained independence. Since 1868, the Croatian state entities within Austria-Hungary have been the crown land of Dalmatia and the lands of Croatia and Slavonia as part of Hungary.

In 1526, the successful dynastic marriage of Ferdinand I of Habsburg brought the Hungarian and Croatian crowns to the house of the Habsburgs, who ruled Croatia until the beginning of the 20th century. After the fall of the Republic of Venice (Campo-Formia Peace 1797), Istria, Dalmatia and Dubrovnik (Illyrian provinces of Napoleonic France) were added to the lands of the Habsburg monarchy.

After World War I, in 1918, Croatia became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, although the coastal areas of Austrian Primorye (Istria, Rijeka, and Zadar) went to Italy under the name of Venice-Julia. In 1929, the state was renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. On August 26, 1939, on the basis of the Tsvetkovich – Macchek agreement, Croatia received autonomy status within the kingdom as a separate banovina.

In 1941, the Ustashi, under the leadership of Ante Pavelic, created the pro-Nazi Independent State of Croatia, which carried out the genocide of Serbs, Jews and Gypsies. Also on its territory, Serbian Chetniks committed massacres of Bosnians and Croats. Under the onslaught of the communist guerrilla units of Josip Broz Tito, the Pavelic regime in Croatia and Nedic in Serbia fell and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or the SFRY was formed, which included six republics: HP Serbia, HP Croatia, HP Slovenia, HP Macedonia, HP Montenegro and HP Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In 1991, against the backdrop of a sharp intra-republican conflict between Serbs and Croats, Croatia declared independence. Iceland was the first to recognize the new country on December 19, 1991. After the declaration of independence, interethnic clashes in the republic escalated into a war in Croatia (1991-1995), which lasted until the end of 1995 (Operation Storm). The declaration of independence by Croatia and Slovenia marked the beginning of the collapse of the SFRY. Finally, the integrity of Croatia was restored in 1998. The first president of the new independent Croatia was Franjo Tudjman.

On January 22, 2012, a referendum was held in Croatia, at which the majority of voters - 66.25% - voted in favor of the country's accession to the European Union.