]! ^! The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal independent Communist state under the strong hand of Marshal TITO. Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands. Under UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998. 
]" ^" Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia ^# 45 10 N, 15 30 E ^$ Europe ^% `! 56,542 sq km `" 56,414 sq km `# 128 sq km ^& slightly smaller than West Virginia ^' `! 2,197 km `Y Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km, Serbia 241 km, Montenegro 25 km, Slovenia 670 km ^( 5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km) ^) `$ 12 nm `O 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation ^* Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast ^+ geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands ^, `% Adriatic Sea 0 m `& Dinara 1,830 m ^- oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower ^. `' 25.82% `( 2.19% `) 71.99% (2005) ^/ 110 sq km (2003) ^0 destructive earthquakes ^1 air pollution (from metallurgical plants) and resulting acid rain is damaging the forests; coastal pollution from industrial and domestic waste; landmine removal and reconstruction of infrastructure consequent to 1992-95 civil strife _P `P Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling `Q Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol ^2 controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits; the vast majority of Adriatic Sea islands lie off the coast of Croatia - some 1,200 islands, islets, ridges, and rocks 
]# ^3 4,493,312 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 16% (male 368,639/female 349,703) `, 67.1% (male 1,499,354/female 1,515,932) `- 16.9% (male 292,526/female 467,158) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 40.6 years `. 38.6 years `/ 42.3 years (2007 est.) ^6 -0.035% (2007 est.) ^7 9.63 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 11.57 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 1.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.06 male(s)/female `1 1.054 male(s)/female `, 0.989 male(s)/female `- 0.626 male(s)/female `2 0.926 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births `. 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 74.9 years `. 71.26 years `/ 78.75 years (2007 est.) ^= 1.41 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> less than 0.1% (2001 est.) ^? 200 (2001 est.) ^@ less than 10 (2001 est.) ^A `3 Croat(s), Croatian(s) `4 Croatian ^B Croat 89.6%, Serb 4.5%, other 5.9% (including Bosniak, Hungarian, Slovene, Czech, and Roma) (2001 census) ^C Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2% (2001 census) ^D Croatian 96.1%, Serbian 1%, other and undesignated 2.9% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German) (2001 census) ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 98.5% `. 99.4% `/ 97.8% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 Republic of Croatia `7 Croatia `Z Republika Hrvatska `[ Hrvatska `\ People's Republic of Croatia, Socialist Republic of Croatia ^H presidential/parliamentary democracy ^I `8 Zagreb `9 45 48 N, 15 58 E `: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) `p +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October ^J 20 counties (zupanije, zupanija - singular) and 1 city* (grad - singular); Bjelovarsko-Bilogorska Zupanija, Brodsko-Posavska Zupanija, Dubrovacko-Neretvanska Zupanija, Istarska Zupanija, Karlovacka Zupanija, Koprivnicko-Krizevacka Zupanija, Krapinsko-Zagorska Zupanija, Licko-Senjska Zupanija, Medimurska Zupanija, Osjecko-Baranjska Zupanija, Pozesko-Slavonska Zupanija, Primorsko-Goranska Zupanija, Sibensko-Kninska Zupanija, Sisacko-Moslavacka Zupanija, Splitsko-Dalmatinska Zupanija, Varazdinska Zupanija, Viroviticko-Podravska Zupanija, Vukovarsko-Srijemska Zupanija, Zadarska Zupanija, Zagreb*, Zagrebacka Zupanija ^K 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia) ^L Independence Day, 8 October (1991); note - 25 June 1991 was the day the Croatian Parliament voted for independence; following a three-month moratorium to allow the European Community to solve the Yugoslav crisis peacefully, Parliament adopted a decision on 8 October 1991 to sever constitutional relations with Yugoslavia ^M adopted on 22 December 1990; revised 2000, 2001 ^N based on civil law system ^O 18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed) ^P `; President Stjepan (Stipe) MESIC (since 18 February 2000) `< Prime Minister Ivo SANADER (since 9 December 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers Jadranka KOSOR (since 23 December 2003) and Damir POLANCEC (since 15 February 2005) `= Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and approved by the parliamentary Assembly `> president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 16 January 2005 (next to be held in January 2010); the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president and then approved by the Assembly `? Stjepan MESIC reelected president; percent of vote - Stjepan MESIC 66%, Jadranka KOSOR 34% in the second round ^Q unicameral Assembly or Sabor (152 seats; members elected from party lists by popular vote to serve four-year terms) `> last held 23 November 2003 (next to be held in November 2007) `? percent of vote by party - NA; number of seats by party - HDZ 63, SDP 34, HNS 11, HSS 9, HSP 7, IDS 4, HDSSB 3, HSLS 3, HSU 3, SDSS 3, other 12 `* minority government coalition - HDZ, DC, HSLS, HSU, SDSS; note - the Democratic Center party or DC withdrew from the government in February 2006 ^R Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; judges for both courts appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the Republic, which is elected by the Assembly ^S Croatian Bloc or HB [Ivic PASALIC]; Croatian Christian Democratic Union or HKDU [Anto KOVACEVIC]; Croatian Democratic Congress of Slavonia and Baranja or HDSSB [Branimir GLAVAS]; Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ [Ivo SANADER]; Croatian Party of Rights or HSP [Anto DJAPIC]; Croatian Peasant Party or HSS [Josip FRISCIC]; Croatian Pensioner Party or HSU [Vladimir JORDAN]; Croatian People's Party or HNS [Vesna PUSIC] (in 2005 party merged with Libra to become Croatian People's Party-Liberal Democrats or NS-LD); Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS [Djurdja ADLESIC]; Croatian True Revival Party or HIP [Miroslav TUDJMAN]; Democratic Centre or DC [Vesna SKARE-OZBOLT]; Independent Democratic Serb Party or SDSS [Vojislav STANIMIROVIC]; Istrian Democratic Assembly or IDS [Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Social Democratic Party of Croatia or SDP [Ivica RACAN] ^T NA ^U ACCT (observer), BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC ^V `R Ambassador Neven JURICA `S 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 `T [1] (202) 588-5899 `U [1] (202) 588-8936 `V Chicago, Los Angeles, New York ^W `R Ambassador Robert A. BRADTKE `_ 2 Thomas Jefferson Street, 10010 Zagreb `` use street address `T [385] (1) 661-2200 `U [385] (1) 661-2373 ^X three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue superimposed by the Croatian coat of arms (red and white checkered) 
]% ^Y Once one of the wealthiest of the Yugoslav republics, Croatia's economy suffered badly during the 1991-95 war as output collapsed and the country missed the early waves of investment in Central and Eastern Europe that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall. Since 2000, however, Croatia's economic fortunes have begun to improve slowly, with moderate but steady GDP growth between 4% and 5% led by a rebound in tourism and credit-driven consumer spending. Inflation over the same period has remained tame and the currency, the kuna, stable. Nevertheless, difficult problems still remain, including a stubbornly high unemployment rate, a growing trade deficit and uneven regional development. The state retains a large role in the economy, as privatization efforts often meet stiff public and political resistance. While macroeconomic stabilization has largely been achieved, structural reforms lag because of deep resistance on the part of the public and lack of strong support from politicians. The EU accession process should accelerate fiscal and structural reform. ^Z $59.41 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $37.35 billion (2006 est.) ^\ 4.4% (2006 est.) ^] $13,200 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 6.8% `A 30.9% `B 62.3% (2006 est.) ^_ 1.72 million (2006 est.) ^` `@ 2.7% `A 32.8% `B 64.5% (2004) ^a 17.2% official rate; labor force surveys indicate unemployment around 14% (2006 est.) _! 11% (2003) _" `C 3.4% `D 24.5% (2003 est.) _d 29 (2001) _# 3.4% (2006 est.) _V 28.5% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $17.78 billion `F $19.06 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) _% 56.2% of GDP (2006 est.) _& wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, barley, alfalfa, clover, olives, citrus, grapes, soybeans, potatoes; livestock, dairy products _' chemicals and plastics, machine tools, fabricated metal, electronics, pig iron and rolled steel products, aluminum, paper, wood products, construction materials, textiles, shipbuilding, petroleum and petroleum refining, food and beverages, tourism _( 5% (2006 est.) _) 12.95 billion kWh (2004) _* 16.53 billion kWh (2004) _+ 600 million kWh (2004) _, 5.086 billion kWh (2004) _- 20,500 bbl/day (2005 est.) _. 93,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ NA bbl/day _0 NA bbl/day _W 93.6 million bbl (1 January 2002) _1 1.64 billion cu m (2004 est.) _2 2.75 billion cu m (2004 est.) _X 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Y 1.11 billion cu m (2004 est.) _Z 24.64 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.) _Q $-2.892 billion (2006 est.) _3 $11.17 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _4 transport equipment, textiles, chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels _5 Italy 21.8%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 14.7%, Germany 10.7%, Slovenia 8.1%, Austria 7.3% (2005) _6 $21.79 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _7 machinery, transport and electrical equipment; chemicals, fuels and lubricants; foodstuffs _8 Italy 15.9%, Germany 14.9%, Russia 9.1%, Slovenia 6.8%, Austria 5.8%, China 4.7%, France 4.2% (2005) _[ $11.07 billion (2006 est.) _9 $33.09 billion (30 June 2006 est.) _: ODA, $166.5 million (2002) _; kuna (HRK) _< kuna per US dollar - 5.8625 (2006), 5.9473 (2005), 6.0358 (2004), 6.7035 (2003), 7.8687 (2002) _= calendar year 
]& _> 1.89 million (2005) _? 2.984 million (2005) _@ `G NA `H reconstruction plan calls for replacement of all analog circuits with digital and enlarging the network; a backup will be included in the plan for the main trunk `I country code - 385; digital international service is provided through the main switch in Zagreb; Croatia participates in the Trans-Asia-Europe (TEL) fiber-optic project, which consists of 2 fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optic trunk line from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik; Croatia is also investing in ADRIA 1, a joint fiber-optic project with Germany, Albania, and Greece _A AM 16, FM 98, shortwave 5 (1999) _B 36 (plus 321 repeaters) (September 1995) _C .hr _D 18,825 (2006) _E 1.451 million (2005) 
]' _F 68 (2006) _G `! 23 `a 2 `J 6 `b 2 `c 4 `W 9 (2006) _R `! 45 `b 1 `c 7 `W 37 (2006) _] 2 (2006) _^ gas 1,340 km; oil 583 km (2006) _e `! 2,726 km `m 2,726 km 1.435-m gauge (1,199 km electrified) (2005) _H `! 28,344 km `K 24,186 km (includes 742 km of expressways) `L 4,158 km (2004) _b 785 km (2006) _S `! 72 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,079,286 GRT/1,724,698 DWT by type: bulk carrier 22, cargo 11, chemical tanker 3, passenger/cargo 27, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3 `d 36 (Belize 1, Cyprus 2, Liberia 7, Malta 10, Marshall Islands 2, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 9) (2006) _I Omisalj, Ploce, Rijeka, Sibenik, Vukovar (on Danube) 
]( _J Ground Forces (Hrvatska Kopnena Vojska, HKoV), Naval Forces (Hrvatska Ratna Mornarica, HRM), Air and Air Defense Forces (Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo i Protuzrakoplovna Obrana, HRZiPZO), Joint Education and Training Command, Logistics Command; Military Police Force supports each of the three Croatian military forces (2006) _T 18 years of age for compulsory military service, with 6-month service obligation; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary service (December 2004) _K males age 18-49: 1,005,058 females age 18-49: 1,008,511 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 725,914 females age 18-49: 823,611 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 29,020 females age 18-49: 27,897 (2005 est.) _U 2.39% (2005 est.) 
]) _N dispute remains with Bosnia and Herzegovina over several small disputed sections of the boundary related to maritime access that hinders ratification of the 1999 border agreement; the Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime boundary agreement, which would have ceded most of Pirin Bay and maritime access to Slovenia and several villages to Croatia, remains un-ratified and in dispute; Slovenia also protests Croatia's 2003 claim to an exclusive economic zone in the Adriatic; as a European Union peripheral state, neighboring Slovenia must conform to the strict Schengen border rules to curb illegal migration and commerce through southeastern Europe while encouraging close cross-border ties with Croatia _c `k 4,200-7,000 (Croats and Serbs displaced in 1992-95 war) (2006) _O transit point along the Balkan route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe; has been used as a transit point for maritime shipments of South American cocaine bound for Western Europe 