Croatia (; ), officially the
Republic of Croatia (Croatian:
Republika Hrvatska ), is a country in
central Europe and
southeast Europe, at the crossroads of the
Pannonian Plain, the
Balkans, and the
Mediterranean Sea. Its capital (and largest city) is
Zagreb. Croatia borders
Italy to the West,
Slovenia and
Hungary to the north,
Bosnia and Herzegovina to the southeast,
Serbia to the east and to
Montenegro in the utmost south.
The
Croats arrived in the early seventh century in what is Croatia today. They organized the state into two dukedoms. The first king, King
Tomislav was crowned in AD 925 and Croatia was elevated into the status of a kingdom. The
Kingdom of Croatia retained its sovereignty for almost two centuries, reaching its peak during the rule of
Kings Peter Krešimir IV and
Demetrius Zvonimir. Croatia entered a union with
Hungary in 1102. In 1526, the
Croatian Parliament elected
Ferdinand from the
House of Habsburg to the Croatian throne. In 1918, Croatia declared independence from
Austria–Hungary and co-founded the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia. After
World War II, Croatia became a founding member of the
Second Yugoslavia. On 25 June 1991, Croatia declared
independence and became a sovereign state.
Croatia is a
high-income country as well as member of the
United Nations, the
Council of Europe, the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe,
NATO, the
World Trade Organization,
CEFTA, and is an
elected member of the
UN Security Council for the 2008–09 term. The country is also a
candidate for membership of the
European Union, and a founding member of the
Union for the Mediterranean upon its establishment in 2008.
History
Early history
thumb|left|[[Oton Iveković,
The arrival of the Croats at the shores of Adriatic]]
The area known as Croatia today was inhabited throughout the
prehistoric period. Fossils of
Neanderthals dating to the middle
Paleolithic have been unearthed in the area of
Krapina and
Vindija. More recent (late
Mousterian) Neanderthal remains have been discovered in Mujina pećina near the coast.
In the early
Neolithic period, the
Starčevo,
Vučedol and
Hvar cultures were scattered around the region. The
Iron Age left traces of the
Hallstatt culture (early
Illyrians) and the
La Tène culture (
Celts).
Much later the region was settled by
Liburnians and Illyrians, and Greek colonies were established on the islands of
Vis (by
Dionysius I of Syracuse) and
Hvar. In 9 AD the territory of today's Croatia became part of the
Roman Empire. Emperor
Diocletian built a
massive palace in
Split where he retired from politics in AD 305. During the 5th century the last Roman Emperor
Julius Nepos ruled his small empire from Diocletian's Palace before he was killed in AD 480. The early history of Croatia ends with the
Avar invasion in the first half of the 7th century and the destruction of almost all Roman towns. Roman survivors retreated to strategically better defended points on the coast, islands and mountains. The modern city of
Dubrovnik was founded by those survivors.
Kingdom of Croatia
thumb|left|220px|glagolitic script/" class="wiki">Baška tablet, oldest evidence of the
glagolitic scriptThe Croats arrived in what is today Croatia probably in the early 7th century. They organized into two
dukedoms;
the duchy of Pannonia in the north and
the duchy of Littoral Croatia in the south. Emperor
Constantine Porphyrogenitus wrote that
Porga, duke of the Dalmatian Croats, who had been invited into Dalmatia by
Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, sent to Heraclius for
Christian teachers. According to Constantine, at the request of Heraclius,
Pope John IV (640-642) sent Christian teachers and
missionaries to the Croatian Provinces. These missionaries converted Porga, and also a great many of the clan that was under his immediate authority, to the Christian faith in 640. The
Christianization of the Croats was mostly complete by the 9th century. Both duchies became
Frankish vassals in late 8th century, and eventually became independent in the following century.
The first native Croatian ruler recognized by the
Pope was duke
Branimir, whom
Pope John VIII called
dux Croatorum ("duke of Croats") in 879.
[Stjepan Antoljak, Pregled hrvatske povijesti, Split 1993., str. 43.] Duke
Tomislav of Littoral Croatia was one of the most prominent members of the
House of Trpimirović. He united the Croats of Dalmatia and Pannonia into a single Kingdom in 925. Traditionally it's stated that Tomislav's state extended from the Adriatic Sea to the
Drava river, and from the
Raša river to the
Drina river, but the precise borders are unknown. Under his rule, Croatia became one of the most powerful kingdoms in
Medieval Europe. Tomislav defeated the invasions of the
Arpads in battle and forced them across the Drava. He also annexed a part of Pannonia. This included the area between the rivers Drava,
Sava and
Kupa, so his Duchy bordered with
Bulgaria for a period of time. This was the first time that the two Croatian Realms were united, and all Croats were in one state. The union was later recognised by Byzantium, which gave the royal crown to
Stjepan Držislav and papal crown to king
Zvonimir. The medieval Croatian kingdom reached its peak during the reign of Kings
Petar Krešimir IV (1058–1074) and
Zvonimir (1075–1089).
Union with Hungary
thumb|left|150px|Architecture of Medieval Croatia, ZadarFollowing the
extinction of the Croatian ruling dynasty in 1091,
Ladislaus I of Hungary, the brother of
Jelena Lijepa, the last Croatian queen, became the king of Croatia. Croatian nobility of the Littoral opposed this crowning, which led to 10 years of war and the recognition of the Hungarian ruler
Coloman as the king of Croatia and Hungary in the treaty of 1102 (often referred to as the
Pacta conventa). In return, Coloman promised to maintain Croatia as a separate kingdom, not to settle Croatia with Hungarians, to guarantee Croatia's self-governance under a
Ban, and to respect all the rights, laws and privileges of the Croatian Kingdom. During this union, the Kingdom of Croatia never lost the right to elect its own king, had the ruling dynasty become extinct. In
1293 and
1403 Croatia chose its own king, but in both cases the Kingdom of Hungary declared war and the union was reestablished.
For the next four centuries, the Kingdom of Croatia was ruled by the
Sabor and Bans appointed by the Hungarian king. The Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia remained a legally distinct constitutional entity, but the advent of a Hungarian king brought about other consequences such as: the introduction of
feudalism and the rise of native noble families such as the
Frankopans and the
Šubićs. The 1273
Congregatio Regni tocius Sclavonie Generalis, the oldest surviving document written by the Croatian parliament, dates from this period.
Subsequent kings sought to restore some of their previously lost influence by granting certain privileges to towns.
thumb|In the late 15th century the Ottomans conquered MakarskaThe first period of personal union between Croatia and Hungary ended in 1526 with the
Battle of Mohács and the defeat of Hungarian forces by the
Ottomans. After the death of King
Louis II, Croatian nobles at the
Cetingrad assembly chose the
Habsburgs as new rulers of the Kingdom of Croatia, under the condition that they provide the troops and finances required to protect Croatia against the Ottoman Empire.
Republic of Dubrovnik
thumb|left|200px|Walls of DubrovnikThe city of
Dubrovnik was founded in 7th century
[Andrew Archibald Paton (1861). Researches on the Danube and the Adriatic; Or Contributions to the Modern History of Hungary and Translvania, Dalmatia and Croatia, Servia and Bulgaria, Brockhaus] after
Avar and
Slavic raiders destroyed the Roman city of
Epidaurum. The surviving Roman population escaped to a small island near the coast where they founded a new settlement. During the
Fourth Crusade the city fell under control of the
Republic of Venice until the 1358
Zadar treaty when Venice, defeated by the Croato-Hungarian kingdom, lost control of Dalmatia and the
Republic of Dubrovnik became a vassal of that kingdom. Through the next 450 years the Republic of Dubrovnik would be a vassal of the Ottomans first and then of the Habsburgs. During this time the republic became rich through trade.
The republic became the most important publisher of
Croatian literature during the
Renaissance and
Baroque periods. Aside from poets and writers like
Marin Držić and
Ivan Gundulić, whose works were important for Croat literature development, the most famous person from the Republic of Dubrovnik was the scientist
Ruđer Josip Bošković, who was a member of the
Royal Society and the
Russian Academy of Sciences. The republic would survive until 1808 when it was annexed by
Napoleon. Today the city of Dubrovnik features on the
UNESCO World Heritage Site list and is a famous tourist destination.
Ottoman wars
thumb|right|150 px|Ottomans/" class="wiki">Nikola Šubić Zrinski, a great Croatian hero in the wars against
OttomansShortly after the
Battle of Mohács, the
Habsburgs unsuccessfully sought to stabilise the borders between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Croatia by creating a captaincy in
Bihać. However, in 1529, the
Ottoman army swept through the area and captured
Buda and
besieged Vienna; an event which brought violence and turmoil to the Croatian border areas (see
Ottoman wars in Europe). After the failure of the first military operations, the Kingdom of Croatia was split into civilian and military units in 1553. The latter became
Croatian Krajina and
Slavonian Krajina and both eventually became parts of the
Croatian Military Frontier which was directly under the control of Vienna. Ottoman raids on Croatian territory continued until the
Battle of Sisak in 1593, after which the borders stabilised for some time. The kingdom of that time became known as the
Reliquiae reliquiarum olim inclyti Regni Croatiae ("The remains of the remains of the once famous Kingdom of Croatia"). An important battle during this time was the
Battle of Szigetvár, when 2,300 soldiers under the leadership of
ban Nikola Šubić Zrinski held back for two months 100,000 Ottoman soldiers led by
Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, fighting to the last man.
Cardinal Richelieu was reported to have called the event "the battle that saved civilization."
During the
Great Turkish War,
Slavonia was regained but hilly western Bosnia, which had been a part of Croatia until the Ottoman conquest, remained outside Croatian control and the current border, which resembles a crescent or a horseshoe, is a remnant of this historical outcome.
The southern part of the 'horseshoe' was created by the
Venetian conquest following the
Siege of Zara and was defined by the 17-18th century wars with the Ottomans. De jure reason for Venetian expansion was the decision of the king of Croatia,
Ladislas of Naples, to sell his rights on
Dalmatia to Venice in 1409.
During more than two centuries of Ottoman Wars, Croatia underwent great demographic changes. The Croats left the riverland areas of
Gacka,
Lika and
Krbava,
Moslavina in
Slavonia and an area in present day north-western
Bosnia to move towards Austria where they remained and the present day
Burgenland Croats are direct descendants of these settlers. To replace the fleeing Croats, the Habsburgs called on the Ortodox populations of Bosnia and Serbia to provide military service in Croatian and Slavonian Krajina. Serbian populations had slowly started to arrive during the 16th century, with a peak during the
Great Serb Migrations of 1690 and 1737-39. The rights and obligations of new populace of the Military frontier were decided with the Statuta Valachorum in 1630.
National revival
National revival in Croatia started in 1813 when the bishop of Zagreb
Maksimilijan Vrhovac issued a plea for the collection of "national treasures". At the beginning of the 1830s, a group of young Croatian writers gathered in
Zagreb and established the
Illyrian movement for national renewal and unity of all South Slavs within the Habsburg Monarchy. The most important focus of the Illyrians was the establishment of a standard language as a counter-weight to
Hungarian, and the promotion of Croatian literature and official culture. Important members of this movement were Count
Janko Drašković, who initiated the movement by writing a pamphlet in 1832,
Ljudevit Gaj who received permission from the royal government of Habsburg for printing the first newspaper in the Croatian language,
Antun Mihanović, who wrote the lyrics for the
Croatian national anthem,
Vatroslav Lisinski, composer of the first Croatian language opera, "Ljubav i zloba" ("Love and Malice", 1846), and many others.
Fearful first of Hungarian and then Habsburg pressure of assimilation, the Kingdom of Croatia had always refused to change the status of Latin as its official language until the middle of the 19th century. Only on 2 May 1843 the Croatian language was first spoken in parliament, finally gaining official status in 1847 due to the popularity of the Illyrian movement.
Even with a large Slavic (Croatian) majority,
Dalmatia retained large Italian communities in the coast (in the cities and the islands, largest concentration in
Istria). According to the 1816 Austro-Hungarian census, 22% of the Dalmatian population was Italian-speaking. Starting in the 19th century, most
Dalmatian Italians gradually assimilated to the prevailing Croatian culture and language.
Austria–Hungary
thumb|right|100 px|Revolution of 1848/" class="wiki">Josip Jelačić, ban of Croatia during
Revolution of 1848The Croatian answer to the
Hungarian revolution of 1848 was declaration of war. Austrian, Croatian and Russian forces together defeated the Hungarian army in 1849 and the following 17 years were remembered in Croatia and Hungary as
Germanization. The eventual failure of this policy resulted in the
Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 and the creation of a
monarchic union between the crowns of the
Austrian Empire and the
Kingdom of Hungary. The treaty left unanswered the question of the status of Croatia. The following year the Croatian and Hungarian parliaments created a constitution for union of the
Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia and the
Kingdom of Hungary.
After the Ottoman Empire lost military control over
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria-Hungary abolished
Croatian Krajina and
Slavonian Krajina, restoring the territories to Croatia in 1881. During the second half of the 19th century pro-Hungarian political parties played Croats against Serbs with the aim of controlling the parliament. This policy failed in 1906 when a Croat-Serb coalition won the elections. The newly created political situation remained unchanged until the advent of World War I.
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
On 29 October 1918, the Croatian
Sabor (parliament) declared independence, creating the new
State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. Pressured by the Italian army, which was entering its territory from south and west, the National Council (Narodno vijeće) started expedient negotiations with the
Kingdom of Serbia and on November 23 1918, a delegation was sent to Belgrade with the aim of a proclamation of union. The National Council delegation delivered 11 points which needed to be fulfilled for the creation of a future state. The most important of these points was the first, which referred to the need of a constitution for the new state, a proposal that was passed with a two thirds majority. Eventually, a constitution for a centralized state was passed with a majority of 50% + 1 vote and caused the end of state autonomy. On 1 December 1918, the new
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, colloquially known as Kingdom of Yugoslavia, was created. This decision created public outcry among Croats, which started a political upheaval for the restoration of state autonomy by the leadership of the
Croatian Peasant Party.
thumb|160px|[[Brela in
Makarska riviera. Organized tourism began here in 1937 when the first hotels were built]]
The unhealthy political situation in Yugoslavia became much worse after
Stjepan Radić, the president of CPP, was killed in the Yugoslav parliament building in 1928 by Serbian ultra-nationalist
Puniša Račić.
The ensuing chaotic period ended the next year when
King Alexander abolished the Constitution, prorogued the Parliament and introduced a personal
dictatorship. The next 4 years of the Yugoslav regime were described by
Albert Einstein as a "horrible brutality which is being practised upon the Croatian People".
[, New York Times. May 6, 1931. ] During the dictatorship,
Vladko Maček, leader of the Croatian Peasant Party, was imprisoned, only becoming free after king Alexander was killed in a plot organized by the
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization. Upon Maček's release, the political situation was restored to that before the murder of Stjepan Radić, continuing Croatian demands for autonomy. The Croatian question was solved only on August 26, 1939 by the
Cvetković-Maček Agreement, when Croatia received autonomy and an extension of its borders and Maček became Yugoslav vice-prime minister. The ensuing peace was short lived, and only lasted until the
German invasion of 1941.
World War II
The
German invasion of 6 April 1941 achieved victory over the
Royal Yugoslav Army in little more than ten days, ending with the unconditional surrender of the Royal Yugoslav Army on April 17. The territory of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region of
Syrmia in Vojvodina became a
puppet state of Nazi Germany called the
Independent State of Croatia.
Istria, the port city of
Rijeka, and a portion of
Dalmatia up to Split were occupied by Italy. Baranja and Medjumurje were occupied by Hungary. Although the recently returned exiled
Ustashe was in charge of the new regime, the Axis occupiers initially offered the state leadership to
Vladko Maček, the leader of the Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS), but he refused. Only one day after entering Zagreb, on April 17, 1941, Ante Pavelić proclaimed that all people who offended, or tried to offend against the Croatian nation were guilty of treason — a crime punishable by death.
The Ustashe regime introduced anti-Semitic Nuremberg-style laws, and also conducted
massacres of mostly Serbs and other non-Croats, as well as running concentration camps such as the one at
Jasenovac and Stara Gradiska where opponents of the Ustashe regime and other 'undesirables' were held. Catholic priests who were involved in the Ustashe movement, particularly the notorious Father
Miroslav Filipović were defrocked. However, others such as the Archbishop of Zagreb
Alojzije Stepinac not only condemned Ustashe crimes in his sermons but also offered refuge and protection to persecuted Serbs and Jews. The Jewish Virtual Library estimates that between and
Croatian Serbs were killed at Jasenovac and that between and Serbs were victims of the entire genocide campaign.
The remnants of the Royal Yugoslav Army, later reorganized into the predominantly Serbian Chetniks, offered resistance to the Nazi occupation and their Ustashe collaborators, but the Yugoslav Royalist Chetniks soon started collaborating with Nazis and Fascist Italy. The
civil war broke out, with every faction fighting the other. Later, in response to Hitler's surprise "Operation Barbarossa" attack on the Soviet Union, a massive uprising began on June 22 1941 with the creation of
1st Sisak Partisan Detachment. The leadership of the Yugoslav partisan movement was in the hands of Croat
Josip Broz Tito, whose policy of
brotherhood and unity would in the end defeat not only the Axis occupiers, but also their various collaborators in the armed forces of the Independent State of Croatia and other quislings (which could be found in every Yugoslav social and national group). The victory of Tito's partisans against the Nazi occupiers and their allies resulted in the
massacres of those Croatian Domobran (Home Guard) and Ustashe who were repatriated from Austria by the British 8th Army. In the decade after World War II, up to 350,000 ethnic
Italians left Yugoslavia.
The number of
World War II victims in Yugoslavia remains a source of much controversy amongst Serb and Croat nationalist academics and historians on the one side, and independent researchers, mostly notably
Vladimir Žerjavić (a Croat) and
Bogoljub Kočović (a Serb), on the other.
Socialist Yugoslavia
Modern Croatia was founded on
AVNOJ anti-fascist partisans' principles during
the second world war, and it became a constitutional federal republic of the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. A Communist dictatorship was established but, because of the
Tito-Stalin split, economic and personal freedom were better than in the
Eastern Bloc. From the 1950s, the
Socialist Republic of Croatia enjoyed an autonomy under the rule of the local Communist elite, but in 1967 group of influential Croatian poets and linguists published a
Declaration on the Status and Name of the Croatian Standard Language. After 1968 the patriotic goals of that document morphed into a generic Croatian movement for more rights for Croatia, greater civil rights and demands for the decentralization of the economy. In the end the Yugoslav leadership interpreted the
Croatian Spring as a restoration of Croatian
nationalism, dismissed the movement as
chauvinistic and arrested most important leaders. In 1974, a new Yugoslav federal constitution was ratified that gave more autonomy to the individual republics, thereby basically fulfilling the main goals of the Croatian Spring.
Independent Croatia
Nationalistic sentiment, which would bring an end to the Yugoslav federation, had been widespread among various ethnicities for some years. Albanian demands in 1981 for
Kosovo to be removed from Serbia and transformed to a constituent republic within Yugoslavia led to riots, and similar attitudes surfaced among other nations with the Serbian
SANU Memorandum in 1986; Croatia and Slovenia also responded negatively in 1989 after Serbia's leader Slobodan Milošević organized coups in
Vojvodina, Kosovo and
Montenegro to install authorities who would be loyal to his cause.
Under the influence of
Slobodan Milošević's propaganda, the importance of who won the first Croatian multi-party elections in 50 years was diminished. Allegedly, Serbs had influenced both Croatian nationalist leader
Franjo Tuđman and communist leader
Ivica Račan. The electoral win of Franjo Tuđman further inflamed the situation. Croatian Serbs left the Croatian parliament and created the
Association of the Municipalities of Northern Dalmatia and Lika in
Knin. This was later to become the
Republika Srpska Krajina. On the events of 1990-92,
Milan Babić, president of Republika Srpska Krajina, was later to declare that he had been "strongly influenced and misled by Serbian propaganda". These events culminated in the full scale Croatian War of Independence between 1991 and 1995. The conflict ended with
Operation Storm (known in Croatian as
Oluja) in the summer of 1995. The events of August 1995 remain the subject of several cases before the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, regarding the conduct of the victorious
Croatian Army and the exodus of ethnic Serbs.
Croatia was internationally recognized on 15 January 1992 by the
European Union and the
United Nations. During that time, Croatia controlled less than two thirds of its legal territory. The first country to recognize Croatia was
Iceland on 19 December 1991.
Geography
thumb|right|300px|An old map of CroatiaCroatia is located between
South-Central Europe and
Middle Europe. Its shape resembles that of a crescent or a horseshoe, which flanks its neighbours
Serbia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina and
Montenegro. To the north lie
Slovenia and
Hungary; Italy lies across the
Adriatic Sea. Its mainland territory is split in two non-contiguous parts by the short coastline of Bosnia and Herzegovina around
Neum.
Its terrain is diverse, including:
- plains, lakes and rolling hills in the continental north and northeast (Central Croatia and Slavonia, part of the Pannonian Basin);
Phytogeographically, Croatia belongs to the
Boreal Kingdom and is shared between the Central European and Illyrian provinces of the
Circumboreal Region and the Adriatic province of the
Mediterranean Region. According to the
WWF, the territory of Croatia can be subdivided into three
ecoregions: the
Pannonian mixed forests,
Dinaric Mountains mixed forests and
Illyrian deciduous forests.
The country is famous for its many
national parks.
Croatia has a mixture of
climates. In the north and east it is
continental,
Mediterranean along the coast and a semi-highland and
highland climate in the south-central region. Istra has a
temperate climate, while the
Palagruža archipelago is home to a
subtropical climate.
thumb|right|Island of Mljetthumb|right|Lučice Bay near [[Milna,
Brač]]
thumb|right|The [[Plitvice Lakes, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.]]
thumb|right|Trakošćan Castle
thumb|right|Dubrovnik's Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and major tourist attraction
Insular Croatia consists of over one thousand islands varying in size. The largest islands in Croatia are
Cres and
Krk which are located in the Adriatic Sea. The
Danube, Europe's second longest river, runs through the city of
Vukovar.
Dinara, the eponym of the
Dinaric Alps, is the highest peak of Croatia at 1,831 metres above sea level.
There are 49
caves deeper than 250 m in Croatia, 14 of them are deeper than 500 m and three deeper than 1000 m (the Lukina jama-Trojama, Slovacka jama and Velebita cave systems). The deepest Croatian pits are mostly found in two regions - Mt. Velebit and Mt. Biokovo.
Counties
Croatia is divided into 20 counties (
županija) and the capital city of Zagreb:
World Heritage Sites
- Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian (1979)
- Historic City of Trogir (1997)
Government and politics
thumb|bans from 1809 until 1918/" class="wiki">Banski dvori - 2-story baroque building which was the residence of Croatian
bans from 1809 until 1918
Since the adoption of the 1990
Constitution, Croatia has been a
democracy. Between 1990 and 2000 it had a
semi-presidential system, and since 2000 it has a
parliamentary system.
The
President of the Republic (
Predsjednik) is the
head of state, directly elected to a five-year term and is limited by the Constitution to a maximum of two terms. In addition to being the
commander in chief of the armed forces, the president has the procedural duty of appointing the Prime minister with the consent of the Parliament, and has some influence on foreign policy. His
official residence is
Predsjednički dvori. Apart from that he has summer residences on the islands of Vanga (
Brijuni islands) and the island of
Hvar.
The
Croatian Parliament (
Sabor) is a
unicameral legislative body (a second chamber, the "House of Counties", which was set up by the Constitution of 1990, was abolished in 2001). The number of the Sabor's members can vary from 100 to 160; they are all elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. The plenary sessions of the Sabor take place from January 15 to July 15, and from September 15 to December 15.
The
Croatian Government (
Vlada) is headed by the
Prime minister who has two deputy prime ministers and fourteen ministers in charge of particular sectors of activity. The
executive branch is responsible for proposing legislation and a budget, executing the laws, and guiding the foreign and internal policies of the republic.
Government's
official residence is at
Banski dvori.
Law
Croatia has a three-tiered judicial system, consisting of the
Supreme Court,
County courts, and Municipal courts. The
Constitutional Court rules on matters regarding the
Constitution. Law enforcement in Croatia is the responsibility of the Croatian police force, which is under the control of the
Ministry of the Interior.
[ retrieved May 19, 2007][ retrieved May 19, 2007] In recent years, the force has been undergoing a reform with assistance from international agencies, including the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe since its mission to Croatia began on 18 April 1996.
Demographics
Croatia is inhabited mostly by
Croats (89.6%), while minority groups include
Serbs (4.5%),
Bosniaks,
Hungarians,
Italians,
Slovenes,
Germans,
Czechs,
Romani people and others (5.9%).
For the most of the 20th century the population of Croatia has been rising from 3,430,270 in 1931 to 4,784,265 in 1991. The natural growth rate of the population is currently negative
with the
demographic transition completed in the 1970s. Average
life expectancy is 75.1 years,
and the literacy rate is 98.1 percent.
During recent years Croatian government is pressured each year to add 40% to work permit quotas for foreign workers and in accordance with its immigration policy it is trying to entice emigrants to return . The main religions of Croatia are Roman Catholic 88%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2%.
During the last decade of the 20th century the population of Croatia has been stagnating because of
Croatian War of Independence. During the war, large sections of the population were displaced and emigration increased. In 1991, in predominantly Serb areas, more than 80,000 Croats were either removed out of their homes by the Croatian Serb forces or fled the violence. During the final days of the war in 1995, more than 120,000 Serbs, and perhaps as many as 200,000 fled before the victory by Croatian forces. Only a small fraction of Serbs have returned to their homes since 1995, according to the
Human Rights Watch. Croatia's remaining Serbs do not live in the highlands and inland of Dalmatia but in the Croatian heartland and major cities. Serbs have been re-settled by the Croatian Government in the regions they previously inhabited.
Economy
thumb|left|Croatian National BankPrivatization and the drive toward a
market economy had barely begun under the new Croatian Government when war broke out in 1991. As a result of the war, the economic infrastructure sustained massive damage, particularly the revenue-rich tourism industry.
[ From 1989 to 1993, GDP fell 40.5%.][ However, corruption, cronyism, and a general lack of transparency stymied meaningful economic reform, as well as much-needed foreign investment.]
Croatia's economy turned the corner in 2000 as tourism rebounded.[ The economy expanded in 2002, stimulated by a credit boom led by newly privatized and foreign-capitalized banks, some capital investment, most importantly road construction, further growth in tourism, and gains by small and medium-sized private enterprises.]
Croatia has a high-income market economy. International Monetary Fund data shows that Croatian nominal GDP stood at $58.585 billion, or $13,205 per capita, in 2007.[ The IMF forecast for 2008 is $69.357 billion, or $15,633 per capita.][ In purchasing power parity terms, total GDP was $78.824 billion in 2007, equivalent to $17,767 per capita.][ For 2008, it is forecast to be $82.407 billion, or $18,575 per capita.]
According to Eurostat data, Croatian PPS GDP per capita stood at 63 per cent of the EU average in 2008. Real GDP growth in 2007 was 6.0 per cent. The average gross salary of a Croat during the first nine months of 2008 was 7,161 kuna (US$ 1,530) per month
In 2007, 7.2 percent of economic output was accounted for by agriculture, 32.8 percent by industry and 60.7 percent by the service sector.
The industrial sector is dominated by shipbuilding, food processing and the chemical industry. Tourism is a notable source of income during the summer, with over 11 million foreign tourists in 2008 generating a revenue of €8 billion.[ In 2006 Croatia exported goods to the value of $10.4 billion (FOB) ($19.7 billion including service exports).]
The Croatian state still controls a significant part of the economy, with government spending accounting for as much as 40% of GDP.[ Some large, state-owned industries, such as the country's shipyards, continue to rely on government subsidies, crowding out investment in education and technology needed to ensure the economy's long-term competitiveness.]
Of particular concern is the backlogged judiciary system, combined with inefficient public administration, especially issues of land ownership and corruption. Another main problem includes the large and growing national debt which has reached over 34 billion euro or 89.1 per cent of the nations gross domestic product. Because of these problems, studies show that the population of Croatia generally has negative expectations of the country's economic future.
Croatia has so far weathered the global financial crisis reasonably well, but faces significant challenges in 2009 largely due to an expected downturn in Croatia's top export commodity, tourism.[ Croatia's external imbalances and high foreign debt present risks as well, as continued access to foreign credit in 2009 may be severely limited.]
The country has been preparing for membership in the European Union, its most important trading partner. In February 2005, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU officially came into force. Infrastructure
thumb|left|150px|[[A1 (Croatia)|A1 highway connecting Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik]]
thumb|Skradin Bridge
The highlight of Croatia's recent infrastructure developments is its rapidly growing highway network, of which plans were drawn and work commenced in the 1970s, but was realised only after independence because of the (then) Yugoslav Government plans of road projects of 'national' importance.
Croatia has now over 1,200 km of highways connecting Zagreb to most other regions. The best known highways are A1, connecting Zagreb to Split and A3, passing east-west through northwest Croatia and Slavonia. Most highways are tolled, except the Zagreb bypass and sections of A3, A7, B8 and B9. There is also a smaller and more obscure network of expressways connecting to the highways. One of the most used is the B28 expressway, connecting A4 near Zagreb to Bjelovar, but also serving as the main shunpiking alternative to the A3. The Croatian highway network is considered one of very good overall quality and excellent security, winning several EUROTAP awards.
thumb|Croatia Airlines is the Croatian national airline
Croatia has an extensive rail network, although because of historical circumstances, some regions (notably Istria and even more so Dubrovnik) are not accessible by train without passing through neighbouring countries. Serious investment is needed in the rail network over the coming decades to bring it up to European standards in both speed and operational efficiency. All rail services are operated by Croatian Railways (). The inter-city bus network (operated by private operators) is extensively developed, with higher levels of coverage and timetables than the railways.
Croatia has three major international airports, located in Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik. Other important airports include Zadar, Rijeka (on the island of Krk), Osijek, Bol, Lošinj and Pula. Croatia Airlines is the national airline and flag carrier. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has assessed the Government of Croatia’s Civil Aviation Authority as not being in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards for oversight of Croatia’s air carrier operations. An extensive system of ferries, operated by Jadrolinija, serves Croatia's many islands and links coastal cities. Ferry services to Italy are also available. Education
thumb|left|150px|University of Zagreb
Primary education in Croatia starts at the age of six or seven and consists of eight grades. In 2007 a law was passed to increase free but not compulsory education until eighteen years of age. Compulsory education consists of eight grades ( Elementary School )
Secondary education is provided by gymnasiums and vocational schools.
Croatia has eight universities, the University of Zagreb, University of Split, University of Rijeka, University of Osijek, University of Zadar, University of Dubrovnik the University of Pula and Dubrovnik International University.
The University of Zadar, the first University in Croatia, was founded in 1396 and remained active until 1807, when other institutions of higher education took over until the foundation of the renewed University of Zadar in 2002. The University of Zagreb, founded in 1669, is the oldest continuously operating University in Southeastern Europe. There are also polytechnic and higher education institutions. Culture
thumb|Mediterranian Cuisine in Dalmatiathumb|White [[Truffle (fungi)|Truffles from Istria]]
Croatian culture is the result of a fourteen century-long history which has seen the development of many cities and monuments. The country includes seven World Heritage sites and eight national parks. Croatia is also the birthplace of a number of historical figures. Included among the notable people are three Nobel prize winners and numerous inventors.
Some of the world's first fountain pens came from Croatia. Croatia also has a place in the history of clothing as the origin of the necktie (kravata). The country has a long artistic, literary and musical tradition. Also of interest is the diverse nature of Croatian cuisine and the famous Croatian Traditional gift Licitar. Sport
Croatia has a reputation of producing gifted athletes in a diverse range of sports. The most popular sports in Croatia are football, handball, basketball, water polo, tennis, and skiing.
The Croatian national football team won a bronze medal in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Davor Šuker won the Golden Boot as the top goal scorer. The national football team has also played in the quarter-finals of the 1996 European Championships and the 2008 European Championships. The team is currently ranked 9th in the FIFA World Rankings (as of September 2009). The most popular football players are Luka Modrić, Darijo Srna, Ivica Olić and Eduardo.
The Croatia national handball team is a two-time Olympic Champion (1996 and 2004). The team also won a gold medal at the 2003 World Men's Handball Championship, and silver medals in the 1995, 2003 and 2009 World Championships. Croatia won bronze medal in 1994 European Championships and silver in 2008. RK Zagreb was a 1992 and 1993 European champion and 4 times a runner-up (1995, 1997, 1998 and 1999). Croatian players Ivano Balić, Igor Vori and Domagoj Duvnjak are currently among the best handball players in the world.
The Croatian national basketball team won a silver medal at the 1992 Olympic basketball tournament, bronze medal at the 1994 FIBA World Championship and bronze medals at EuroBasket 1993 and EuroBasket 1995. Croatian basketball clubs were Euroleague champions 5 times: KK Split three times (in 1989, 1990 and 1991) and KK Cibona in 1985 and 1986. Croatian basketball players such as Dražen Petrović, Krešimir Ćosić and Toni Kukoč were amongst the first foreign players to succeed in the NBA in the United States.
The Croatia national water polo team won a gold medal at the 2007 FINA World Championships and bronze medal in 2009. The team also won a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic water polo tournament and silver medals in the 1999 and 2003 European Championships. Croatian water polo clubs were 13 times LEN Euroleague champions. HAVK Mladost from Zagreb was a seven time European Champion (in 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1990, 1991 and 1996) and was awarded the title Best Club of the 20th Century by the LEN. VK Jug from Dubrovnik and VK Jadran from Split were both three time European champions.
The Croatian Davis Cup team (Ivan Ljubičić, Mario Ančić and Ivo Karlović with coach Nikola Pilić) won the 2005 Davis Cup tournament and reached semifinals in 2009 tournament (Marin Čilić and Ivo Karlović with coach Goran Prpić). The tennis player Goran Ivanišević is one of the country's most popular sportsmen. Ivanišević won the 2001 Wimbledon Men's singles title and reached number 2 spot in ATP Rankings in July 1994. Ivan Ljubičić reached number 3 spot in ATP Rankings in May 2006. Iva Majoli won the 1997 Roland Garros Women's Singles title. Currently the best Croatian tennis player is Marin Čilić ranked 15th as of September 15, 2009.
Janica Kostelić is the most successful female alpine ski racer in the history of the Winter Olympic Games. She is the only woman to win four gold medals in alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics Alpine skiing events (in 2002 and 2006), and the only woman to win three alpine skiing gold medals in one Olympics (2002). She also won two slilver medals in 2006. Janica was the World Cup overall champion in 2001, 2003, and 2006. On February 5, 2006 Janica became the second female skier to win all five disciplines in one season. She also holds the record for the highest number of points in one World Cup season. In 2006 she won Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year. Her elder brother Ivica Kostelić is 2003 slalom World Champion and 2006 Olympic silver medalist in combined.
Blanka Vlašić is the best-known Croatian track and field athlete who specialises in the high jump. She is 2007 and 2009 World Champion. Blanka is also 2008 World Indoor Champion and 2008 Olympic silver medalist. Her personal best is 2.08 m (which is only 1 cm less than the world record) set in Zagreb at August 31 2009.
Croatia women's national volleyball team won silver medals three times at European Volleyball Championship in 1995, 1997 and 1999.
Other Croatian well-known athletes are Duje Draganja, Gordan Kožulj, Sanja Jovanović and Đurđica Bjedov in swimming, Zoran Primorac, Dragutin Šurbek, Antun Stipančić and Tamara Boroš in table tennis, Filip Ude in gymnastics, Siniša and Nikša Skelin in rowing, Martina Zubčić and Sandra Šarić in taekwondo, Snježana Pejčić in shooting, Matija Ljubek in canoeing, Željko Mavrović and Mate Parlov in boxing, Branko Cikatić and Mirko Filipović "Cro Cop" in kickboxing and UFC fighter Goran Reljic. See also
