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Background:
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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.
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Location:
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Southeastern
Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and
Herzegovina and Slovenia |
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Map references:
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Europe |
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Area:
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total:
56,542 sq km
water: 128 sq km
land: 56,414 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller
than West Virginia |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
2,197 km
border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km,
Hungary 329 km, Serbia and Montenegro (north) 241 km, Serbia
and Montenegro (south) 25 km, Slovenia 670 km |
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Coastline:
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5,835 km
(mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km) |
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Climate:
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Mediterranean and
continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers
and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast |
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Terrain:
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geographically
diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and
highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Dinara 1,830 m |
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Natural resources:
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oil, some coal,
bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt,
silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land:
23.55%
permanent crops: 2.24%
other: 74.21% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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30 sq km (1998
est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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destructive
earthquakes |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
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
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent
Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
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Geography - note:
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controls most
land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish
Straits |
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Population:
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4,496,869 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
16.6% (male 383,729; female 364,287)
15-64 years: 67% (male 1,497,525; female 1,515,956)
65 years and over: 16.4% (male 277,616; female 457,756)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
39.7 years
male: 37.7 years
female: 41.5 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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-0.02% (2004
est.) |
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Birth rate:
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9.51 births/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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11.3 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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1.58 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
6.96 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 7.03 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 74.14 years
male: 70.21 years
female: 78.29 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.39 children
born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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less than 0.1%
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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200 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 10
(2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Croat(s), Croatian(s)
adjective: Croatian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Croat 89.6%, Serb
4.5%, Bosniak 0.5%, Hungarian 0.4%, Slovene 0.3%, Czech 0.2%,
Roma 0.2%, Albanian 0.1%, Montenegrin 0.1%, others 4.1% (2001) |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic
87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, Muslim 1.3%, Protestant 0.3%, others and
unknown 6.2% (2001) |
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Languages:
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Croatian 96%,
other 4% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and
German) |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.5%
male: 99.4%
female: 97.8% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Republic of Croatia
conventional short form: Croatia
local short form: Hrvatska
local long form: Republika Hrvatska |
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Government type:
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presidential/parliamentary
democracy |
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Capital:
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Zagreb |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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25 June 1991
(from Yugoslavia) |
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National holiday:
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Statehood Day, 25
June (1991) |
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Constitution:
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adopted on 22
December 1990 |
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Legal system:
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based on civil
law system |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age;
universal (16 years of age, if employed) |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President Stjepan (Stipe) MESIC (since 18 February
2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Ivo SANADER (since 9
December 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers Jadranka KOSOR (since
23 December 2003) and Andrija HEBRANG (since 23 December 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime
minister and approved by the House of Representatives
elections: president elected by popular vote for a
five-year term; election last held 7 February 2000 (next to be
held NA 2005); prime minister nominated by the president in
line with the balance of power in the Assembly
note: minority government coalition - HDZ, DC, HSLS
election results: Stjepan MESIC elected president;
percent of vote - Stjepan MESIC (HNS) 56%, Drazen BUDISA (HSLS)
44% |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
Assembly or Sabor (152 seats; note - one seat was added in the
November 2003 parliamentary elections; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - House of
Counties was abolished in March 2001
election results: Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; number of seats by party - HDZ 66, SDP 34, HSS 10, HNS
10, HSP 8, IDS 4, Libra 3, HSU 3, SDSS 3, other 11
elections: Assembly - last held 23 November 2003 (next
to be held in 2007) |
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Judicial branch:
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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 |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Croatian Bloc or
HB [Ivic PASALIC]; Croatian Christian Democratic Union or HKDU
[Anto KOVACEVIC]; Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ [Ivo
SANADER]; Croatian Party of Rights or HSP [Anto DJAPIC];
Croatian Peasant Party or HSS [Zlatko TOMCIC]; Croatian
Pensioner Party or HSU [Vladimir JORDAN]; Croatian People's
Party or HNS [Vesna PUSIC]; Croatian Social Liberal Party or
HSLS [Drazen BUDISA]; Croatian True Revival Party or HIP [Miroslav
TUDJMAN]; Democratic Centre or DC [Mate GRANIC]; Independent
Democratic Serb Party or SDSS [Vojislav STRANIMIROVIC];
Istrian Democratic Assembly or IDS [Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Liberal
Party or LS [Ivo BANAC]; Party of Liberal Democrats or Libra [Jozo
RADOS]; Social Democratic Party of Croatia or SDP [Ivica RACAN] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Ivan GRDESIC
chancery: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20008
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
FAX: [1] (202) 588-8936
telephone: [1] (202) 588-5899 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Ralph FRANK
embassy: Thomasa Jeffersona 2, 10010 Zagreb
mailing address: use street address
telephone: [385] (1) 661-2200
FAX: [385] (1) 661-2373 |
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Economy - overview:
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Before the
dissolution of Yugoslavia, the Republic of Croatia, after
Slovenia, was the most prosperous and industrialized area,
with a per capita output perhaps one-third above the Yugoslav
average. The economy emerged from its mild recession in 2000
with tourism the main factor, but massive structural
unemployment remains a key negative element. The government's
failure to press the economic reforms needed to spur growth is
largely the result of coalition politics and public
resistance, particularly from the trade unions. Opponents fear
reforms would cut jobs, wages, and social benefits. The
government has a heavy back log of civil cases, many involving
tenure land. The country is likely to experience only moderate
growth without disciplined fiscal and structural reform. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $47.14 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4.5% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $10,700 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
8.4%
industry: 29.8%
services: 61.8% (2002 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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29 (1998) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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1.5% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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1.79 million
(2003) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture
13.2%, industry 25.4%, services 46.4% (2002) |
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Unemployment rate:
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18.9% (2003) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$8.6 billion
expenditures: $9 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
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Industries:
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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 |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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5.6% (2003 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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12.12 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
33.6%
hydro: 66%
other: 0.4% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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14.27 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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386 million kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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3.386 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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29,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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89,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - production:
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1.76 billion cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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2.84 billion cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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wheat, corn,
sugar beets, sunflower seed, barley, alfalfa, clover, olives,
citrus, grapes, soybeans, potatoes; livestock, dairy products |
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Exports:
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$6.355 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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transport
equipment, textiles, chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels |
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Exports - partners:
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Italy 22.4%,
Bosnia and Herzegovina 14.4%, Germany 12.6%, Slovenia 8%,
Austria 7.3% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$12.86 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery,
transport and electrical equipment, chemicals, fuels and
lubricants, foodstuffs |
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Imports - partners:
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Italy 16.8%,
Germany 16.4%, Slovenia 7.8%, Russia 6.8%, Austria 6.7%,
France 5.2% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$19 billion
(yearend 2003 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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ODA $66 million
(2000) |
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Currency:
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kuna (HRK) |
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Currency code:
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HRK |
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Exchange rates:
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kuna per US
dollar - 6.7 (2003), 7.87 (2002), 8.34 (2001), 8.28 (2000),
7.11 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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1.825 million
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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2.34 million
(2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: NA
domestic: 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
international: 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 two 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 (2000) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 16, FM 98,
shortwave 5 (1999) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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36 (plus 321
repeaters) (September 1995) |
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Internet country code:
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.hr |
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Internet hosts:
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29,644 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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789,000 (2002) |
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Railways:
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total:
2,296 km
standard gauge: 2,296 km 1.435-m gauge (983 km
electrified) (2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
28,123 km
paved: 23,792 km (including 410 km of expressways)
unpaved: 4,331 km (2000) |
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Waterways:
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785 km
note: (perennially navigable; large sections of Sava
blocked by downed bridges, silt, and debris) |
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Pipelines:
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gas 1,374 km; oil
583 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Dubrovnik, Dugi
Rat, Omisalj, Ploce, Pula, Rijeka, Sibenik, Split, Vukovar
(inland waterway port on Danube), Zadar |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 51
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 750,579 GRT/1,178,786 DWT
foreign-owned: Hong Kong 3, Russia 1
registered in other countries: 44 (2003 est.)
by type: bulk 16, cargo 14, chemical tanker 4,
combination bulk 5, multi-functional large load carrier 1,
passenger 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll
on/roll off 4, short-sea/passenger 3 |
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Airports:
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68 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 23
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 9 (2003 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 45
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 37 (2003 est.) |
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Heliports:
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1 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Ground Forces (Hrvatska
Vojska, HKoV), Naval Forces (Hrvatska Ratna Mornarica, HRM),
Air and Air Defense Forces (Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo i
Protuzrakoplovna Obrana, HRZiPZO) |
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Military manpower - military age:
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19 years of age
(2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age
15-49: 1,100,132 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age
15-49: 873,994 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males:
30,639 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$520 million
(2002 est.) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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2.39% (2002 est.) |
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Disputes - international:
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discussions
continue with Bosnia and Herzegovina over disputed territory
around Kostajnica on the Una River and villages at the base of
Mount Pljesevica; 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 controversial, has not been ratified, and has
been complicated by Croatia's declaration of an
ecological-fisheries zone in the Adriatic Sea |
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Illicit drugs:
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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 |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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