The 2008 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

      Geography - note:

      controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits; most Adriatic Sea islands lie off the coast of Croatia - some 1,200 islands, islets, ridges, and rocks

      People

       Croatia

      Population:

      4,491,543 (July 2008 est.)

      Age structure:

      0–14 years: 15.8% (male 363,551/female 345,132) 15–64 years: 67.2% (male 1,501,949/female 1,517,962) 65 years and over: 17% (male 295,229/female 467,720) (2008 est.)

      Median age:

      total: 40.8 years male: 38.9 years female: 42.6 years (2008 est.)

      Population growth rate:

      −0.043% (2008 est.)

      Birth rate:

      9.64 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

      Death rate:

      11.66 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

      Net migration rate:

      1.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

      Sex ratio:

      at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15–64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

      Infant mortality rate:

      total: 6.49 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

      Life expectancy at birth:

      total population: 75.13 years male: 71.49 years female: 78.97 years (2008 est.)

      Total fertility rate:

      1.41 children born/woman (2008 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

      less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

      200 (2001 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - deaths:

      fewer than 10 (2001 est.)

      Major infectious diseases:

      degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

      Nationality:

      noun: Croat(s), Croatian(s) adjective: Croatian

      Ethnic groups:

      Croat 89.6%, Serb 4.5%, other 5.9% (including Bosniak, Hungarian,

       Slovene, Czech, and Roma) (2001 census)

      Religions:

      Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2% (2001 census)

      Languages:

      Croatian 96.1%, Serbian 1%, other and undesignated 2.9% (including

       Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German) (2001 census)

      Literacy:

      definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.1% male: 99.3% female: 97.1% (2001 census)

      School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

      total: 14 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2006)

      Education expenditures:

      4.5% of GDP (2004)

      Government

       Croatia

      Country name:

      conventional long form: Republic of Croatia conventional short form: Croatia local long form: Republika Hrvatska local short form: Hrvatska former: People's Republic of Croatia, Socialist Republic of Croatia

      Government type:

      presidential/parliamentary democracy

      Capital:

      name: Zagreb geographic coordinates: 45 48 N, 16 00 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

      Administrative divisions:

      20 counties (zupanije, zupanija - singular) and 1 city* (grad -

       singular); Bjelovarsko-Bilogorska, Brodsko-Posavska,

       Dubrovacko-Neretvanska (Dubrovnik-Neretva), Istarska (Istria),

       Karlovacka, Koprivnicko-Krizevacka, Krapinsko-Zagorska,

       Licko-Senjska (Lika-Senj), Medimurska, Osjecko-Baranjska,

       Pozesko-Slavonska (Pozega-Slavonia), Primorsko-Goranska,

       Sibensko-Kninska, Sisacko-Moslavacka, Splitsko-Dalmatinska

       (Split-Dalmatia), Varazdinska, Viroviticko-Podravska,

       Vukovarsko-Srijemska, Zadarska, Zagreb*, Zagrebacka

      Independence:

      25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

      National holiday:

      Independence Day, 8 October (1991); note - 25 June 1991 was the day the Croatian Parliament voted for independence; following a three-month moratorium to allow the European Community to solve the Yugoslav crisis peacefully, Parliament adopted a decision on 8 October 1991 to sever constitutional relations with Yugoslavia

      Constitution:

      adopted on 22 December 1990; revised 2000, 2001

      Legal system:

      based on Austro-Hungarian law system with Communist law influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

      Suffrage:

      18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)

      Executive branch:

      chief of state: President Stjepan (Stipe) MESIC (since 18 February 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Ivo SANADER (since 9 December 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers Jadranka KOSOR (since 23 December 2003) and Damir POLANCEC (since 15 February 2005), Djurdja ADLESIC (since 12 January 2008), Slobodan UZELAC (since 12 January 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and approved by the parliamentary Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 16 January 2005 (next to be held in January 2010); the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president and then approved by the Assembly election results: Stjepan MESIC reelected president; percent of vote - Stjepan MESIC 66%, Jadranka KOSOR 34% in the second round

      Legislative branch:

      unicameral Assembly or Sabor (153 seats; members elected from party lists by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 25 November 2007 (next to be held in November 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; number of seats by party - HDZ 66, SDP 56, HNS 7, HSS 6, HDSSB 3, IDS 3, SDSS 3, other 9

      Judicial branch:

      Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; judges for both courts appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the Republic, which is elected