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General Info
About CroatiaAbout Croatia
Category: General Info
| Adriatica.net - your travel experts for Croatia | |||
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Officially the Republic of Croatia (Republika Hrvatska), is a country in Europe, at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, Central Europe and the Balkans. Its capital is Zagreb. In recent history, it achieved independence in 1991. It is a candidate for membership in the European Union and NATO.
Official
Name
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The
flag of the Republic of Croatia consists of three colors: red,
white and blue, with the historical Croatian coat of arms in the
center. The length is twice the width. Its colors, in the
order red, white and blue are laid horizontally, each one third
the width of the flag. The coat of arms is placed in the center
of the flag so that the upper part of the coat of arms (the crown)
overlaps the red field of the flag, and the bottom part overlaps
the flag's blue field. The center of the coat of arms is placed
at the point where the diagonals of the flag meet. 
The
coat of arms of the Republic of Croatia is a historical Croatian
coat of arms in the shape of a shield. The checkered pattern has
twenty five alternating red and white (argent) fields, so that
the left upper corner of the shield is red. Above the shield is
a crown with five peaks, which touches the sinister and the dexter
chief (left and right upper ends) of the shield, bending in a
slight arch. The crown is divided into five small shields with
historical Croatian coat of arms, in the following order, from
left to right: the oldest known Croatian coat of arms, then the
coat of arms of the Dubrovnik Republic, Dalmatia, Istria and Slavonia.| President:
Stjepan Mesic see: www.predsjednik.hr |
| Prime
Minister: PhD Ivo Sanader see: www.vlada.hr |
| Chairman
of the Parliament: Vladimir Seks see: www.sabor.hr |
Area & Population
| Total Area: | 56.538 sq km |
| Length of Coastline (mainline) | 1778 km |
| Area of Coastline (islands) | 4012 km |
| Number of Islands and Isles | 1185 (66 inhabitated) |
The Following Are A Few Of
The Many Larger Croatian Islands:
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| Population (1991. census) | 4.784.265 |
| Population Density: | 84,6% |
| Ethnic composition (1991. census): |
78,10% Croats 12,16% Serbs 2,22% Yugoslavs 0,91% Muslims 0,47% Hungarians 0,47% Slovenes 0,45% Italians 5,22% others |
Population of Croatia's major cities
(according to 1991. census)
| Zagreb | 953.607 | Sibenik | 85.002 |
| Vinkovci | 98.445 | Zadar | 136.572 |
| Split | 207.147 | Sisak | 84.348 |
| Varazdin | 94.373 | Cakovec | 119.866 |
| Rijeka | 206.229 | Vukovar | 84.189 |
| Pula | 85.326 | Slavonski Brod | 114.249 |
| Osijek | 165.253 | Karlovac | 81.319 |
Vital statistics
| Year | Live Births | Marriages | Deaths | Growth Rate per 1,000 |
| 1990 | 55,651 | 28,938 | 52,569 | 0.7 |
| 1991 | 51,829 | 21,583 | 54,832 | -0.63 |
| 1992 | 46,970 | 22,169 | 51,800 | -1.01 |
The Croatian language
The Croatian language and the Latin script are
in official use in the Republic of Croatia. The oldest written
monument is "The Plaque of Baka" from the 11 th century. The first
used scripts were the Glagolitic and Cyrillic script but the Latin
script prevailed since the 14th century. The issue of language
has always been a political issue of the greatest importance in
Croatia. The Croatian language has always been juxtaposed to German,
Hungarian, Italian and Latin, but preserved its identity. Serbs
take as their standpoint the thesis that the language of Croats
and that of Serbs is unitary ("Serbo-Croatian"). Croatian attempts
to achieve linguistic emancipation along with independence and
national freedom go back to the middle of the 19th century but
the name and the use of the Croatian language was first guaranteed
in the Constitution of 1990.
Alphabet
Roman
Religion
| Roman Catholic: | 76, 5% |
| Orthodox: | 11,1% |
| Islam: | 1, 2% |
| Protestant: | 1, 4% |
| Atheists: | 3, 9% |
| Others of unknown: | 6, 9% |
Public holidays
| NATIONAL HOLIDAYS |
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| January 1- New Year's
Day January 6 - Epiphany Easter and Easter Monday May 1- Labour Day May 30 - Statehood Day June 22 - Day of Antifascist Victory August 5 - Homeland Thanksgiving Day August 15 - Assumption of Mary November 1 - All Saints Day December 25, 26 - Christmas Holidays
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| Non-working days | |
| - for the members of the Jewish community | Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kipur |
| - for the members of the Muslim community | Kurbam Bayram |
Monetary Unit
Croatian Kuna (HRK 1 = 100 Lipa) is the official Croatian currency. Paper money comes in the following denominations; HRK 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000, and 50 Lipa. Exchange rates offered in the exchange offices are adjusted to the world exchange rates and domestic offer. Exchange rates are also published in the daily press and by financial institutions that display them in visible places. Foreign and local currencies can be exchanged in banks and exchange offices. Travel agencies and banks have their branch offices at border-crossings. The exchange rate fluctuation is around 1 %.
Who Is On The Kuna Bill
- 5 kn - Ban (Viceroy) Peter Zrinski and Knez (Duke) Fran Krsto Frankopan
- 10 kn - Juraj Dobrila
- 20 kn - Ban (Viceroy) Josip Jelacic
- 50 kn - Ivan Gundulic
- 100 kn - Ivan Mazuranic
- 200 kn - Stjepan Radic
- 500 kn - Marko Marulic
- 1,000 kn - Ante Starcevic
CREDIT CARDS
Credit cards are normally used in Croatia. Accepted are the
following cards: EUROCARD/MASTERCARD, VISA, DINERS and AMERICAN
EXPRESS, as well as other credit cards issued by domestic
credit institutions (Zagrebacka banka, Splitska banka and several
other banks). Tourist companies accept them as payment instrument.
Climate
| City | January
Temperature |
July Temperature |
Annual
Rainfall |
| Dubrovnik | 9.2 C | 24.7 C | 1,006 mm |
| Split | 7.2 C | 23.5 C | 688 mm |
| Rijeka | 6.2 C | 23 C | 1,251 mm |
| Zagreb | 0 C | 23.5 C | 652 mm |
| Osijek | 0.6 C | 20.8 C | 541 mm |
Formalities
Entrance of Croatia is allowed against a valid
passport or any other personal identification document recognized
by a bilateral agreement. The border police issues, against a
certain duty, document allowing passing the border, valid for
a period of three months. A visa, if required, can be obtained
at each border-crossing. However, the applicants are advised to
contact the nearest Croatian diplomatic mission. Owners of vehicles
are obliged to show the international motor vehicle insurance
card.
Customs
Foreign visitors are allowed to tax-free import of personal luggage, including 200 cigarettes of 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco and a bottle of spirits. Customs duties, approximated to a half of the price of the purchased goods, are charged for larger quantities. A customs declaration has to be filled in when importing music instruments, camping or diving equipment (including oxygen bottles), radio equipment, etc., according to which the same items can be taken out of Croatia. Pets (dogs, cats) must have a valid vaccination certificate. Export of works of art, antique objects, sculptures, paintings and other objects of cultural heritage as well as gold and silver is possible only against a valid permit.
Health service
The Republic of Croatia has concluded special agreements a number of European countries regulating health service in terms of providing the same benefits (free medical chech-upis) enjoyed by the local population; foreign visitors should have health insurance certificate with them. No vaccination is required for entering Croatia. All larger places offer public medical service, and there are also hospitals in major centres and tourist resorts.
Roads
In 1993 there were 21,736 km of roads (including
302 km of motorways). Traffic regulations are the same as in the
most European countries: driving on the right side, roadway marking
and the same traffic regulations apply in Croatia as in the majority
of the traffic signs are international, notes are in Latin script.
USA of safety belts is obligatory. Prescribed equipment in the
car: spare set of bulbs, a warning triangle, pull rope, snow chains
in winter. Non-professional drivers are allowed to have the blood
alcohol level up to 0,5%o.
The speed limits are posted along the roads. If not posted the
speed limit is as follows: dual carriageway motorways 130 km/h,
other highways90 km/h, roads in residential areas 60 km/h. The
maximum allowed speed for passenger cars with trailers is 80 km/h.
Main roads are international roads (MC), MC12: Hungarian border
- Zagreb - Rijeka; MC11: Slovenian border - Krapina - Zagreb -
Bihac (Bosnia and Herzegovina); MC1: Slovenian border - Zagreb
- Yugoslav border; MC2: the Adriatic main road, etc. There is
a highway from Zagreb to Oprisavci near Slavonski Brod, a highway
from Zagreb to Karlovac and from Rijeka (trunk road) to Delnice.
Tolls are charged on highways.
BREAKDOWN SERVICE
The Croatian Motoring Club (HAK), providing break-down service,
has a unique phone number - 987; telephone booths are found along
the highways. In case of car crash with substantial damage, the
police should be notified, the crash site marked with a warning
triangle, personal data are to be exchanged and the motor insurance
card is to be shown.
Railways
In 1993 there were 2,699 km of 1,435 mm gauge
(983 km electrified). In 1993 railways carried 18.5 million passengers
and 11.6 million tones of freight.
Passenger railroad traffic on Croatian railways is adjusted to
transportation of workers and students (commuters). The Croatian
Railways play an important role in international railroad traffic
(EC Mimara: Zagreb - Munchen - Berlin).
Airports
Croatia has ten international airports: Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka, Pula, Zadar, Osijek, Vrsar, Ploce, Cunski on the island of Lošinj, and Brac on the island of Brac. The airports in Dubrovnik, Zagreb and Split are of great importance for tourism. The domestic airline company Croatia Airlines maintains air connections with all important centres in Europe. Additional flights, if necessary, are provided by foreign airlines.
Ship connections
Ferry and ship connections, apart from local communications, operate on regular international routes: Venice - Split - Dubrovnik; Trieste - Rijeka - Split - Durres (Albania); Zadar - Ancona; Split - Pescara; Dubrovnik - Bari. The Croatian passenger marine includes fast hydrofoil boats. Croatian ports accommodate many foreign tourist ships and yachts during the tourist season.
Oil and Gas
1.73 million tones of crude oil was produced
in 1993, and 1,835 cubic meters of natural gas in 1991.
PETROL STATIONS
Fuel supply is very good. Every large place has petrol stations
open generally from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Petrol stations in
big towns and cities as well as on important roads are open non-stop.
Type of fuel at the petrol stations is marked (SUPER, EWUROSUPER
95, D1, D2). Motor oil, standard spare parts, car cosmetics, etc.
can also be bought there. Radio stations provide information about
traffic. In the summer months news and traffic information are
broadcast in several foreign languages (English, German, Italian)
five times a day (at 8:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m.
and at midnight).
Telecommunications
Telephone network is administered by the Post.
There are telephone booths in many places in every town; telephone
sets operate by means of magnetic cards. Automatic telephone lines
exist with other states (country and area codes are given in Table
on p.579). International access code is 00, after which the country
code is to be dialed.
INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONE PREFIX FOR CROATIA: 385
099 - MOBITEL cellular phone network covers 91
% of the territory of the Republic of Croatia, and almost 99 %
of inhabited areas.
098 - GSM - CRONET cellular phone network covers over 40 % of
the total territory and about 75 % of inhabited areas in Croatia,
whereby the coverage of tourist resorts, major roads, towns and
cities is provided. HT (Croatian Telecommunications) have concluded
roaming agreements with 64 GSM operators from 36 countries in
the world, having provided the GSM users with today most modern
way of communications.
Also, VIPNET (091 -GSM) has concluded roaming agreements with
46 GSM operators from 30 countries in the world, having provided
the GSM users with today most modern way of communications.
Post offices
Post offices have the same office hours as shops. Post offices in bigger places are open on Sundays. Most of the offices offer cable and fax services. Post savings banks offer all banking transactions. Foreign visitors can draw certain amounts of money from the savings books of their post offices. Letter and postcards are delivered to addressees in Europe within three to five days; post stamps are sold at post offices, stationary shops and at the tobacconists.
Banking
The National Bank is the bank of issue. Total saving deposits on Dec. 31, 1994 were 8,915 million Kuna.
Finances
There are stock exchanges in Zagreb and in Varazdin.
Working hours
Office hours are usually from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00
p.m. Banks, post offices, travel agencies and exchange offices
have various office hours. Working hours (in larger towns) are
from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
or, in smaller places, two-shift working hours apply, from 8:00
a.m. to 12 noon and from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturdays to
12 noon.
Some shops are open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; also some shops
apply two-shift working hours; there are some shops (in more important
tourist centres) working round the clock. Market places in larger
centres open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. On Sundays
some shops, florists and stands are open in the morning as well
as museums and larger galleries. On Mondays most museums and galleries
are closed.
There are some catering objects open already at 6:00 a.m.; alcoholic drinks are served from 7:00 a.m. Almost all bars close at 12:00 p.m. (with the exception of discotheques, clubs, night clubs, some catering establishments on special locations). most of the bars and restaurants are open of Sundays, some of them on holidays.
Working hours in tourist resorts, on border-crossings and important traffic points are adjusted to the season; the same applies to travel agencies, restaurants and shops.
Prices
The prices in shops include taxes. Foreign visitors can require VAT tax refund for the goods purchased in Croatia if the goods are carried out of the country. Every single invoice must exceed HRK 500.00 (not applicable for petroleum products). Shops have to issue a bill for all paid merchandise. Duty-free sale is offered at the airports, and the customs regulations apply to all purchased goods.
Emergency Telephones
Police 92, Fire Brigade 93, Ambulance 94, Automobile Club Road Assistance Service 987.
Electricity
Electrical voltage: 220V, 50 Hz
Output was 9,437 million kwh in 1993.
Start-Amadeus Code
KZT
Tap Water
Is safe for drinking throughout the country.
Souvenirs
Regarding the souvenirs, some of the regions have their specific offer, often of a high-quality craftsmanship (Šestine umbrellas, “penkala” pens, protected models and casts of works of art) or artistic level (lacework - Pag, Hvar, Lepoglava). Supreme quality wines can also be bought.
TV and Radio
In Croatia there are 3 national TV networks, and lot of local networks. The broadcast is in Croatian language. Every morning on HTV 3 there is a live picture from panoramic cameras located in almost all tourist centers (Opatija, Sukosan, Sibenik, Split, Hvar, Dubrovnik, Bjelolasica). In almost all hotels and lot of private pensions there is Satellite TV. TV broadcast standard is European PAL.
During the tourist season national and local radio stations have news on foreign languages almost every hour.
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