Municipalities of Serbia Quiz

Overview of Croatia's History, Geography, Economy, and Politics

Croatia is a country located in Southeast Europe, with a coast on the Adriatic Sea and borders with Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Italy.
The Croats arrived in the late 6th century and organized the territory into two duchies, with Croatia recognized as independent in 879 and elevated to a kingdom by 925.
Croatia entered a personal union with Hungary in 1102 and eventually became part of the Habsburg Monarchy in 1527 to protect it against Ottoman conquests.
Following World War I, Croatia joined the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, which was invaded by the Axis powers during World War II, leading to the creation of the Independent State of Croatia.
After the war, Croatia became a founding member of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, but declared independence in 1991 and fought a successful War of Independence over the next four years.
Today, Croatia is a parliamentary liberal democracy and a member of the European Union, NATO, and the United Nations, among other international organizations.
Its economy is dominated by service, industrial, and agricultural sectors, with tourism being a significant source of revenue and investment in infrastructure, especially transport routes and facilities, being a priority.
Croatia is a regional energy leader with a floating liquefied natural gas import terminal off Krk island, LNG Hrvatska.
The country provides social security, universal health care, and tuition-free primary and secondary education, while supporting culture through public institutions and corporate investments in media and publishing.
The name "Croatia" derives from the Latin Croātia, which possibly comes from the 3rd-century Scytho-Sarmatian form attested in the Tanais Tablets as Χοροάθος (Khoroáthos), meaning "guardian, protector."
The area known as Croatia today was inhabited throughout the prehistoric period, with Neanderthal fossils dating to the middle Palaeolithic period and remnants of Neolithic and Chalcolithic cultures found in all regions.
During the Roman Empire, the territory of today's Croatia became part of the empire in 9 AD, with Emperor Diocletian native to the region and having a large palace built in Split.
The Middle Ages saw the rise of influential nobility, personal union with Hungary in 1102, and ultimately numerous Bans from the Frankopan and Šubić families, as well as Ottoman conquests and demographic changes. The Kingdom of Croatia was ruled by the Sabor (parliament) and a Ban (viceroy) appointed by the king for four centuries.A Brief History and Geography of Croatia
Croatia was part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes formed in 1918, but Croatian autonomy was abolished in 1921.
The assassination of Stjepan Radić in 1928 led to King Alexander I establishing a dictatorship, which ended in 1931 with a more unitary constitution.
During World War II, Croatia was occupied by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, resulting in the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) led by the ultranationalist Ustaše.
The NDH regime launched a genocide campaign against Serbs, Jews, and Roma, and the Yugoslav Partisan movement led by Josip Broz Tito emerged as a communist, multi-ethnic anti-fascist resistance group.
After the war, Croatia became a socialist federal unit of the SFR Yugoslavia, but a national movement seeking greater civil rights and redistribution of the Yugoslav economy culminated in the Croatian Spring of 1971.
Following Tito's death in 1980, nationalist tensions rose, and the first multi-party elections were held in Croatia in 1990, leading to the declaration of independence on 25 June 1991.
The Serbian-controlled Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and various Serb paramilitary groups attacked Croatia, resulting in a high-intensity conflict that reduced Croatia's control to about two-thirds of its territory.
The war ended in August 1995 with a decisive victory by Croatia, but about 200,000 Serbs from the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina fled the region.
Croatia faced challenges of post-war reconstruction, the return of refugees, establishing democracy, protecting human rights, and general social and economic development.
Croatia joined the Partnership for Peace in 2000, became a member of the World Trade Organization in the same year, and joined NATO in 2009.
Croatia signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union in 2001, became a candidate country in 2004, and joined the EU on 1 July 2013.
Croatia is situated in Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and shares borders with Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Slovenia.
The territory covers 56,594 square kilometres, consisting of 56,414 square kilometres of land and 128 square kilometres of water, and is the world's 127th largest country. The climate ranges from moderately warm and rainy continental to Mediterranean.Overview of Croatia
Croatia has a diverse range of habitats, including karst geology, forests, wetlands, and coastal and marine habitats.
The country hosts 37,000 known plant and animal species, with over a thousand being endemic.
Croatia has 444 protected areas, including eight national parks and two strict reserves, managed by the central government.
The country is a unitary, parliamentary constitutional state, with the president as the head of state and the prime minister as the head of government.
Croatia has a civil law legal system, with written statutes as the primary source of law.
The country is divided into 20 counties and the capital city of Zagreb, with each county subdividing into cities and municipalities.
Croatia's economy is high-income, with a GDP per capita of $17,398 in 2021.
The service sector dominates the economy, accounting for 70.1% of GDP.
Tourism is a significant industry, making up to 20% of GDP and attracting over 11 million visitors annually.
Croatia has established diplomatic relations with 194 countries and is a member of the European Union and NATO.
The Croatian Armed Forces consist of the Air Force, Army, and Navy branches, with the president as the commander-in-chief.
The country faces challenges such as corruption, an inefficient public administration, and a backlogged judiciary system.Overview of Croatia: Tourism, Infrastructure, Demographics, Language, Education, and Healthcare
Croatia is a popular tourist destination with resorts along the coast and islands, offering services for mass tourism and various niche markets such as nautical and cultural tourism.
The country has a well-developed motorway network with over 1,300 kilometers of motorways and a widespread network of state roads. It also has an extensive rail network and international airports in several cities.
Croatia is known for its unpolluted marine areas with nature reserves and 116 Blue Flag beaches. It ranks as the 23rd-most popular tourist destination in the world, with over one million naturist visitors per year.
The population of Croatia is estimated to be 4.13 million in 2019, with a low fertility rate and one of the world's oldest populations.
Croatian is the official language, and minority languages are recognized and used in local government units where more than a third of the population consists of national minorities.
Education in Croatia is compulsory and free until 18 years of age, with primary education starting at six or seven years old and consisting of eight grades. There are also numerous secondary education options, including gymnasiums and vocational schools.
Croatia has eight public universities and two private universities, with over 157 thousand students attending. There are also 205 institutions pursuing scientific research and development of technology.
Healthcare in Croatia is provided through a universal healthcare system, with basic health insurance provided by statute and optional insurance. The country has hundreds of healthcare institutions, including 75 hospitals and 13 clinics, caring for more than 700 thousand patients per year.
The busiest cargo seaport in Croatia is the Port of Rijeka, while the busiest passenger ports are Split and Zadar. The country also has a significant role in regional energy security, with a natural gas transportation system and a floating liquefied natural gas import terminal.
Croatia has no official religion, with freedom of religion protected as a constitutional right. Christianity is the largest religion, with Catholics accounting for 86.28% of the population, followed by Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism, and other Christians. Islam is the largest non-Christian religion, accounting for 1.47% of the population.
The country has a negative natural growth rate due to a low fertility rate and emigration. The majority of the population are Croats, with Serbs, Bosniaks, and other minority groups also present.
Croatia is known for its linguistic purism, with Croats rejecting loanwords in favor of Croatian counterparts. A majority of the population claims knowledge of at least one foreign language, with English being the most commonly spoken second language.
Croatia has a high literacy rate of 99.2% and offers primary and secondary education in languages of recognized minorities. Leaving exams are a prerequisite for university education, and there are numerous institutions of higher education in the country.