Croatia, general information
| Note that some of the information (gas prices!) can be outdated since we made this page after visiting the country for the last time! | |
| Official name | Republika Hrvatska (= Republic of Croatia) |
| Area | 56,542 square km. (1.4x the Netherlands) |
| Number of inhabitants | 4.4 million (July 2002) |
| Population density | 77 per square kilometer |
| Capital | Zagreb |
| Monetary unit | Kuna (HRK), divided into 100 lipa. 1 HRK is about € 0,13 (June 2003); 1 € = about HRK 7.4. (1 € = $ 1.24; 1 Dollar = € 0.7; Rate in Jan. 2009) |
| Fuel prices | Gas: € 0.90 to € 1.00; Diesel: € 0.75; LPG: € 0.45 |
| License plate of cars | HR |
| Telephone country prefix | 385 |
| Internet country code | .hr |
| Time difference | GMT+1; the same as in Holland |
| Road network | Rapidly, new (toll) highways are being opened throughout the country. On the through traffic roads along the coast and through the mountains to the south and southeast there is still a lot of truck traffic, so one mostly makes 40 to 80 kilometers an hour. Small roads near the Bosnian border can be quite bad with potholes. |
| Prices in general | Prices are considerably lower than in West-European countries, but they are rising, especially in the touristic areas along the Adriatic coast. For a cup of coffee and a large pint of beer we paid around € 2,50. For a night at a luxuruous campsite (tent, car, 2 people) we paid € 22. |
| The best in Republika Hrvatska (= Republic of Croatia) | We liked what we have seen: the mountains and the coastal road to the souteast of the country is fantastic. We haven't been to the northeast of the country. Impressive (and terrifying) are the traces of the war (1991-1994) which can still be seen in rural areas. |
Croatia is situated in southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia.
More information at insidecountryinfo.com.
At a referendum in 1991, 12% of the population was Serb, but their number rapidly declined because of the war. Most emigrated to Serbia. Look at insidecountryinfo.com to find mora data about the population.
The Croatian language belongs to the Slavian language group. Before the war, when Yugoslavia still existed, Serbo-Croatian was one of the official languages. Serbian and Croatian are very closely related, but, because of the war, they are considered now as two separate languages. Have a look at 1upinfo.com to get to know more about the language (about all the languages of former Yugoslavia).
For almost 2 centuries, Croatia was part of the kingdom and later Republic of Yugoslavia. It is dependant since 1991.
We have decided not to write a detailed history anymore, since we would have to cite other sources that are often on the internet already. Instead a few links with more information about Croatian history:
We have decided not to write a detailed history anymore, since we would have to cite other sources that are often on the internet already. Instead a few links with more information about Croatian history:
The climate of Croatia varies from a Mediterranean climate along the Adriatic coast to a land climate in the interior of the country. In the summer it can be very hot and dry, the winters are often cold. The number of sun-hours is very high, about 2500 per year.
More information can be found at southtravels.com.
Information about Croatioan fauna can be found at public.srce.hr; click here for more on Croatian fauna.
Zagreb
Rijeka
Split
Dubrovnik
© Teije and Elisabeth 2000 - 2012
Travel through Europe and Africa
with Elisabeth and Teije