About Croatia

Croatia extends from the foothills of the Julian Alps in the north-west and the Pannonian Plain in the east, over the Dinara mountain range in its central region, to the Adriatic coast in the south.

Area: 56,542 km2, with an additional 31,067 km2 of territorial waters.

Population: 4.437.460

Capital: Zagreb (779.145 inhabitants - the administrative, cultural, academic and communication centre of the country).

Length of coast: 5,835 km - including 4,058 km of island, islet and reef coastline.

Number of islands, islets and reefs: 1,185. The largest islands are those of Krk and Cres. There are 67 inhabited islands.

Climate: Northern Croatia has a continental climate; Central Croatia has a semi-highland and highland climate, while the Croatian coast has a Mediterranean climate. Winter temperatures range from -1 to 30°C in the continental region, -5 to 0°C in the mountain region and 5 to 10°C in the coastal region. Summer temperatures range from 22 to 26°C in the continental region, 15 to 20°C in the mountain region and 26 to 30°C in the coastal region.

Population: The majority of the population are Croats. National minorities include Serbs, Moslems, Slovenes, Italians, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, and others.

Official language and alphabet: Croatian language and Latin alphabet.

Religions: The majority of the population are Roman Catholics, and in addition there are a number of those of Orthodox faith, as well as Muslims, and Christians of other denominations.

Usefull information

Currency: Kuna (1 Kuna = 100 Lipa). There are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 Lipa coins, 1, 2, 5 and 25 Kuna coins and 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 Kuna banknotes.

Foreign currencies: can be exchanged at banks, exchange offices, post offices and at most tourist agencies, hotels and camping grounds. Banking hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday to Friday. On Saturdays banks are open until 1 p.m. In the larger cities some banks are also open on Sundays.

Credit cards: Most hotels, restaurants and shops accept credit cards (American Express, Diners Club, Eurocard/Mastercard, Visa, Sport Card International). Cash dispensing machines are ubiquitous.

Electricity: Voltage of city power grid 220V, frequency 50HZ

Water: Tap water is potable throughout Croatia.

Telephone: The telephone code for Croatia is +385.

Time zone: GMT plus one hour in winter and GMT plus two in summer.

Travel documentation: Passport or some other internationally recognised identification document. Tourists may remain in Croatia for up to three months.