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Croatia: An Overview

Introduction

Despite its recent turbulent history, Croatia stands out as a success story among those countries that are part of the newly emerging market.

Those who are seeking relatively inexpensive properties are finding that Croatia can provide them with a great deal: the Adriatic on the doorstep, a lovely coastline, spectacular scenery, a lower cost of living than we are used to in much of the rest of Europe, good food and, above all, friendly people.

Croatians show real kindness towards foreigners, whether they have come for a short stay or intend buying a property in the country. And this seems not to be based on how much money the visitor intends spending. Rather, Croats are just simply kind.

Time
An hour ahead of GMT (two hours from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October)

Business hours
• Post offices: 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, Monday to Friday, and 8:00 am to 2:00/3:00 pm on Saturdays

• Banks: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday

• Shops: 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. Some shops close for two or three hours in the afternoon

• Shopping centres: department stores are open similar hours to smaller shops. Some also open on Sundays

Languages
Croatian (official). Also Serbian, Slovenian, Hungarian, Italian

Religions
Roman Catholic: 88 per cent
Eastern Orthodox: 4.5 per cent
Muslim: 1.5 per cent
Other/no religion: 6 per cent

Driving
Driving is on the right. The minimum age for drivers is 21, and tourists hiring a car must have a valid driving licence that has been held for at least one year. A passport or ID card is also required

Geography

Located in southeastern Europe and bordered by the Adriatic, Croatia has a coastline of 1,770km and is set between Bosnia, Herzegovina and Slovenia. Along the heavily indented coastline, there are around 1,200 islands. The best known of these are Krk (the largest in the Adriatic), Brac, Hvar (known particularly for its climate, especially the mild winters) and Korcula. The biggest peninsulas are Istria and Peljesac.

A system of national parks that protect the country’s flora and fauna has been established, including one on the island of Mljet and another at the Plitvice Lakes. The environment is very reminiscent of the Mediterranean, with lavender, vines, olive trees, peach trees, laurel and cypresses predominating.

Climate and weather

The climate is varied, a mix of Mediterranean and continental. Inland, summers are hot and winters cold, whereas the coast has much milder winters and dry summers.

Along the Adriatic coast, the warmest months are July and August, when the temperature is between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius. Rain at this time of year is unusual. In winter the average temperature is 12 degrees Celsius.

Inland, January temperatures are about 0 to 2 degrees Celsius, and July temperatures around 23 to 25 degrees Celsius.

With an average of 2,600 hours of sunshine annually, the Adriatic is one of the sunniest coastlines in Europe.

History

At one time, what is now Croatia was a Roman province that was settled by Croats, who came from present-day Poland. They defeated both Franks and Byzantine raiders, and set up an independent kingdom, which reached its peak in the 11th century.

In the 12th century, Croatia forged an alliance with Hungary that lasted until 1918, when it proclaimed its independence and joined Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (changed in 1929 to Yugoslavia).

In 1991, Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia, which resulted in intensive fighting against the Serb-dominated Yugoslavian army. In 1992, there was a UN ceasefire, but not until 1999, when President Tudjman died, did the government change to a centre-left coalition.

Croatia is now governed by a right-wing coalition that claims to be less nationalistic and far more moderate. In 2003, it submitted an application to join the EU.

More pages

Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Croatian culture
Page 3: Natural beauty
Page 4: National holidays

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