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Croatia – General information

Geographical position

Croatia occupies the largest part of the eastern coast of the Adriatic sea which, as a part of the Mediterranean sea, penetrates deepest into European soil. Croatia's shoreline and numerous islands enjoy the majority of the Adriatic coastline. The narrow Dinara mountain range separates the country's Mediterranean region from its central European continental part, which spans from the easterly edges of the Alps in the north-west to the shores of the Danube in the East, encompassing the southern part of the fertile Pannonian lowlands.

Surface

The mainland covers an area of 56,594 km2.
Territorial waters cover a surface area of 31,067 km2.

Population

Croatia has 4,429,078 inhabitants.

Composition of population:
The majority of the population are Croats, with the largest minorities being Serbs, Bosnians, Slovenes, Hungarians, Czechs, Italians and Albanians.

System of government

Croatia is a multi-party parliamentary republic.

Capital:
With 779,145 inhabitants, Zagreb is the economic, transport, cultural and academic centre of the country.

Length of the coastline

6,278 km, of which 4,398 km is made up of island coastlines, solitary rocks and reefs.

Number of islands, solitary rocks and reefs

1,244. The largest islands are Krk and Cres. There are 50 inhabited islands.

Highest peak

Dinara, 1,831 m above sea level.

Climate

interior is moderately warm and rainy, while Croatia's highest peaks have a mountain climate which includes snowfall. The areas along the Adriatic coast have a pleasantly mild Mediterranean climate with a large number of sunny days, summers are hot and dry and winters are mild and wet. 
Average temperatures in the continental interior are: January -2 to 0 oC, with somewhat lower temperatures at the highest altitudes; August approximately 20 oC, with around 12 oC at the highest altitudes. Average temperatures in the Littoral (Adriatic Coast) are: January -5 to 9 oC, August 22 to 25 oC. The sea temperature in winter is 12 oC and approximately 25 oC in summer.

Currency

The official currency in Croatia is the kuna (1 kuna = 100 lipa). Foreign currency can be exchanged in banks, exchange offices, post offices and in the majority of tourist information offices, hotels and campsites.

Credit cards (Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Diners) are accepted in almost all hotels, marinas, restaurants, shops and cash machines.

Power supply

220 V, frequency: 50 Hz

Tap water is safe to drink in all of Croatia.

Source: HTZ