Geographical position

Croatia extends from the furthest eastern edges of the Alps in the north-west to the Pannonian lowlands and the banks of the Danube in the east; its central region is covered by the Dinara mountain range, and its southern parts extend to the coast of the Adriatic Sea.

Surface

The mainland covers 56,542 km², and the surface of the territorial sea is 31,067 km².

Population

4,437,460 inhabitants; composition of population: the majority of the population are Croats.

System of government

Multi-party parliamentary republic.

Capital

Zagreb (779,145 inhabitants), the economic, traffic, cultural and academic centre of the country.

Coastline

5,835 km of which 4,058 km comprise a coastline of islands, solitary rocks and reefs. Number of islands, solitary rocks and reefs: 1,185; the largest islands are Krk and Cres; there are 50 inhabited islands.

Climate

There are two climate zones; a temperate continental climate, locally also a mountainous climate, prevails in the interior, whereas a pleasant Mediterranean climate prevails along the Adriatic coast, with an overwhelming number of sunny days, dry and hot summers, mild and humid winters; average temperature in the inland: January 0 to 2°C, August 19 to 23°C; average temperature at the seaside: January 6 to 11°C, August 21 to 27°C; the temperature is about 12°C in winter, and 25°C in summer.

Currency

Kuna (1 kuna = 100 lipa). Foreign currency can be exchanged in banks, exchange offices, post offices, travel agencies, hotels, camps, marinas; cheques can be cashed in banks.

Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic sea got its name from an ancient port of the same name. The Adriatic spans from the Balkan to the Apennine peninsula.

This is a unique area in Europe for cruising with motor boats, speedboats, or sailboats, but also for enjoying the underwater world.

The Adriatic eco-destination

The quality of the water in the Adriatic is very well preserved. The results reached through the constant measuring of the quality of water on more than 800 beaches are in accordance with the strictest criteria. Except for the cleanliness of the sea, another important quality of the coastal area is its biological and geographical particular quality, which can be seen in the number of species of plants and animals.

Islands

Croatia is truly a land of islands because it has more than a thousand of them and each one is different. Many of them are inhabited but each and every one is exceptional, with its own story and destiny.

To have a weak spot is human and the connoisseurs of Croatian islands have thousands of them. To be more precise 1185 of them. That's how many islands, islets and cliffs are located in front of 1777 kilometers of the Adriatic coast.

The first trip to the Adriatic coast and its islands is a journey into the unknown. Every other trip will be a journey to the already familiar beauty of this country, always different but equally breathtaking.

Cuisine and wines

Croatia is also well known for its great cuisine and great wines. Due to the Mediterranean climate Croatia has one of the best wines in the Europe and some well known in the world.
In cuisine you can find seafood specialties on the cost and meat such as lamb under the ash pan, roasted veal.

Cultural Heritage

Historical facts Croatia is indeed unique, not only for its crystal clear, clean blue sea, but also for a thousand years of different cultures that have replaced each other and sometimes assimilated in these areas. The Adriatic Sea is not only a deep gulf in the Mediterranean cut into the Continent of Europe thereby creating most economical trade route between Europe and the East, it is also the cradle of ancient civilizations. There is much material evidence about that which is finally beginning to come to light, from the depths of Adriatic caves and from the deep blue sea. The east coast of the Adriatic Sea was inhabited as early as the beginning of the early Stone Age, and there is proof that most of the accessible islands were also inhabited (archaeological findings in caves near the islands of Hvar and Palagruza, etc.).

How to get to Croatia

The best way to come to Croatia is by airplane. There are weekly flights from all European capitals to Zagreb (capital of Croatia) and from Zagreb there is several times a day connection to other Croatian cities on the cost such as Split or Dubrovnik.