CROATIA

LOCATION

• Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia is a

country in Southeast Europe.
• It borders Slovenia to the northwest,
Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro to
the southeast, sharing a sea border with
Italy.
• Croatia has an area of 56,594 square
kilometers and a population of 4.28 million,
most of whom are Roman Catholics.
OFFICIAL • Croatian is the standardized variety of the
Serbo-Croatian language used by Croats.
LANGUAGE
CAPITAL CITY

• Its capital, Zagreb, forms one of the country's

primary subdivisions, along with twenty counties.
• Zagreb is the largest city of Croatia.
• It is located in the northwest of the country, along
the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the
Medvednica mountain.
• Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately 122 m
(400 ft) above sea level.
• The estimated population of the city in 2018 was
820,678.
• The population of the Zagreb urban agglomeration
is 1,086,528, approximately a quarter of the total
population of Croatia.
• Zagreb is the seat of the central government,
administrative bodies, and almost all government
ministries.
• Almost all of the largest Croatian companies, media,
and scientific institutions have their headquarters in
the city.
• Zagreb is the most important transport hub in
Croatia where Central Europe, the Mediterranean and
Southeast Europe meet, making the Zagreb area the
centre of the road, rail and air networks of Croatia.
• It is a city known for its diverse economy, high
quality of living, museums, sporting, and
entertainment events.
OTHER BIG Rank City City-governed population

CITIES
1 Zagreb 1,228,941

2 Split 178,102

3 Rijeka 128,624

4 Osijek 108,048
SPLIT
5 Zadar 75,082

6 Pula 57,460

7 Slavonski Brod 59,143

8 Karlovac 55,705

RIJEK 9 Varaždin 46,946

A
10 Šibenik 46,332
NATIONAL FLAG

• The national flag of Croatia or The

Tricolour is one of the state
symbols of Croatia.
• It consists of three equal size,
horizontal stripes in colours red,
white and blue.
• In the middle is the coat of arms of
Croatia.
NATIOANAL
ANTHEM
• "Lijepa naša domovino” is the national
anthem of Croatia.
• The original lyrics were written by Antun
Mihanović and first published under the
title "Horvatska domovina“.
• In 1846, the Austrian composer Josip
Runjanin composed the music for
"Horvatska domovina".
HISTORY
• Croatia first appeared as two duchies in the 7th century, the Duchy of Croatia and the
Duchy of Pannonian Croatia, which were united and elevated into the Kingdom of
Croatia which lasted from 925 until 1918.
• From the 12th century the Kingdom of Croatia entered a Personal Union with the
Kingdom of Hungary, it remained a distinct state with its ruler (Ban) and Sabor, but it
elected Royal dynasties from neighboring powers, primarily Hungary, Naples and the
Habsburg Monarchy.
• The period from the 15th to the 17th centuries was marked by bitter struggles with
the Ottoman Empire.
• After being incorporated in Yugoslavia for most of the 20th century, Croatia regained
independence in 1991.
CLIMATE
Croatia has two climates – one along
the coastline, and one for the interior
of the country
Climate & Weather in Croatia –
Coast The coast has a typically
Mediterranean climate consisting of
hot, dry, sunny weather during
summer, and relatively mild – though
sometimes wet weather in winter.
Winters are obviously cooler, although
temperatures never really get below
about 5°C.
 CLIMATE
Climate & Weather in Croatia – Interior
A continental climate exists in the interior
of Croatia which means that winters can be
pretty cold, with temperatures often falling
below 0°C.
Snow is very likely and can be pretty heavy
during the winter.
Summers, on the other hand, can very
often be sweltering with temperatures
often reaching the mid to high 30s °C
FAMOUS SIGHTS

Dubrovnik Old Town Walls -

Dubrovnik, Croatia's most glamorous
tourist destination and a UNESCO
World Heritage site, centers on the
magnificent Old Town area,
contained within sturdy medieval
defensive walls.
Diocletian's Palace in Split - Split,
Croatia's second biggest city after
Zagreb, was established within the
ancient Roman walls of the huge
Diocletian's Palace.
Situated overlooking the Adriatic
Sea, it was built by Roman Emperor
Diocletian, who retired here in AD
305.
Plitvice Lakes National Park -
Croatia's most visited inland
attraction, Plitvice Lakes National
Park encompasses steep forested
hillsides surrounding 16 emerald-
blue lakes connected by a
succession of thundering waterfalls.
Golden Horn - Croatia's most
photographed beach has to be the
remarkable Golden Horn, or Golden
Cape. Located in Bol on the south
coast of Brač.
 FAMOUS CROATS
In Art - Ivan Meštrović
Meštrović is one of Croatia’s best-known sculptors.
Born in 1883 in a present-day Slavonian village, he moved to Split to work as an
apprentice in a stone cutter’s workshop.
He then went on to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna at the age of 18.
Moving on to Paris, his work started to attract attention from others in the art world
at the time. Having moved back to Croatia in the 1920s, he was imprisoned for three
months during World War II by the then fascist government
Meštrović moved to the United States after World War II to teach at Syrcacuse
University.
After gaining American citizenship in 1954, Meštrović stayed in the U.S. for the
remainder of his life.
He died there in 1962.
In Science – Nikola Tesla
Inventor and electrical engineer Tesla’s work in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries did much for the technological development of electricity and
wireless devices and communication amongst many other achievements.
Ruđer Bošković
An 18th century astronomer, physicist, philosopher and mathematician from
Raguša (present day Dubrovnik), Bošković’s works and studies are most
prevalent in the field of astronomy.
His name is used for the Ruđer Bošković Institute, a science research centre,
in Zagreb.
In Music – 2Cellos
Cello duo 2Cellos have risen sharply to international fame in the last few
years, with some fantastic covers of famous modern songs.
In Literature - Ivo Andrić
He was born in Bosnia to a Bosnian Croat family.
He was a civil servant and diplomat as well as an author, holding various
high-profile posts including Ambassador to Germany.
His most famous work is The Bridge on the Drina, which was published in
1945.
In Film
Goran Višnjić
One of the most famous Croats in TV and film currently is actor Goran Višnjić,
who is best known for his role as Dr Luka Kovač in the TV series ER which he
played from 1999 to 2008.
Rade Šerbedžija
A well-known actor in Yugoslavia in the 1970s and 1980s, Serbedzija began
his career whilst studying at the Academy of Dramatic Arts at the University
of Zagreb. He started appearing in Hollywood films in the late 1990s, and has
built up quite a career.
SPORTS

• Sport in Croatia has significant role in Croatian culture, and many local
sports clubs as well as the Croatian national squads enjoy strong followings
in the country.
• The most enduring sport by far in Croatia is football and is played on
amateur and professional levels amongst all age groups across the entire
country.
• Several other major team sports are handball, basketball and water polo,
with clubs in all parts of Croatia.
• Ice hockey is another popular team sport, namely in the Croatian interior.
• The most popular individual sports in Croatia are tennis, alpine skiing, and
swimming, and to some extent table tennis and chess.
• Various amateur sport games are popular in Croatia, notably picigin.
FOOD AND
DRINKS
• Croatian food is as complex and varied as
the many cultures that have influenced its
evolution. Easily recognizable Italian,
Middle Eastern and Ottoman influences
intermingle with Croatia’s Balkan staples.
• The county’s long coastline gives it access
to a wide range of seafood, making fish
and shellfish very popular ingredients.
Fresh seasonal and local vegetables and
dishes of meat, including pork, lamb, and
beef are all popular on Croatian menus.
• As an Eastern European country, it may come as no surprise to learn that
beer is pretty popular in Croatia.
• There are numerous beers in Croatia for you to try whilst on your holiday –
perhaps the best known are Karlovačko, Ožujsko and Pan.
• You may also encounter Osječko (the oldest beer in Croatia); the dark beer
Tomislav and the Slovenian produced Laško.
• In Croatia, national drink rakija is shared with other Balkan countries, but
the Croatian way is to drink a herbal rakija (travarica)