Croatia Country & Tourist Information

Location
Southeastern Europe.

Area
56,542 sq km (21,831 sq miles).

Population
4.5 million (official estimate 2008).

Population Density
79.4 per sq km.

Capital
Zagreb.
Population: 784,900 (official estimate 2007).

Government
Republic. Independence from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia proclaimed in 1991.

Language
The official language is Croatian (Hrvatski). Ethnic minorities living in Croatia also speak Serbian, Slovenian, Hungarian and Italian. People working in tourism generally speak excellent English, plus some Italian and German.

Religion
Roman Catholic Croats (87.8% of the total population) and Eastern Orthodox Serbs (4.4%), as well as small communities of Protestants, Jews and Muslims.

Time
GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz.

Head of Government
Prime Minister Ivo Sanader since 2003.

Head of State
President Stjepan Mesic since 2000.

Recent History
On 25 June 1991 Croatia declared itself independent from Yugoslavia, a move that resulted in the Homeland War (1991-1995), which saw Croatia pitted against the might of the Yugoslav army and Serb irregular forces. In December 1991 the German government recognized Croatian independence, with the rest of the world quickly following suit.

The death of the country's first democratically elected president, Franjo Tudjman, in December 1999 heralded a new era of Croatian politics; Stjepan Mesić stepped into the fold and Croatia adopted a more conciliatory approach at home and abroad. Steady progress has been made in improving relations with Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro and the country's economy is growing.

Croatia's accession to the EU, which began in February 2003, stalled in the face of the government's reluctance to hand military figures over to the Hague. However, Croatia is now on track to be a full member by 2010.

Telephone
Country code: 385. Telephone booths are operated by phonecards available at post offices, news stands and in some tourist shops.

Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good.

Internet
Internet cafes can be found in Zagreb and other main towns.

Media
Croatia's media operate in a climate of relative freedom following the restrictions of President Tudjman's era. The constitution bans censorship and guarantees press freedom. Croatian Radio-Television, HRT, is a national state-owned public broadcaster and is financed by a mixture of advertising and license-fee revenues. The frequencies of HRT's third national TV network were allocated to a private bidder in 2003. Public TV is the main source of news and information. National commercial networks and dozens of private local TV stations compete for viewers.

Post
Stamps are available in post offices and from news stands.

Post offices hours: Mon-Fri 0700-1900 and Sat 0700-1300. Some may be open until 2200 in larger cities.

Press
• The main daily local newspapers are Novi List (Rijeka), Slobodna Dalmacija (Split) and Vecernji List (Zagreb).
• The weekly press includes Globus and Nacional.
• There are no English-language newspapers at present.


Radio
• Croatian Radio is public and operates three national networks.
• Radio 101, Otvoreni Radio and Narodni Radio are commercial stations.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2009-December 2010 period.

2009
1 Jan New Year's Day.
6 Jan Epiphany.
10-13 Apr Easter.
1 May Labor Day.
11 Jun Corpus Christi.
22 Jun Anti-Fascist Resistance Day.
25 Jun Croatian National Day.
5 Aug Victory Day and National Thanksgiving Day.
8 Oct Independence Day.
1 Nov All Saint's Day.
25-26 Dec Christmas.

2010
1 Jan New Year's Day.
6 Jan Epiphany.
2-5 Apr Easter.
1 May Labor Day.
3 Jun Corpus Christi.
22 Jun Anti-Fascist Resistance Day.
25 Jun Croatian National Day.
5 Aug Victory Day and National Thanksgiving Day.
8 Oct Independence Day.
1 Nov All Saint's Day.
25-26 Dec Christmas.

Contact Information:

Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in the UK
21 Conway Street, London W1T 6BN, UK
Tel: (020) 7387 2022 or 1144 (consular section).
Website: http://uk.mvp.hr
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700; Mon-Thurs 1100-1400, Fri 1000-1200 (visa section).

Croatian National Tourist Office in the UK
2 The Lanchesters, 162-164 Fulham Palace Road, London W6 9ER, UK
Tel: (020) 8563 7979.
Website: www.croatia.hr

Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in the USA
2343 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 588 5899.
Website: www.croatiaemb.org

Croatian National Tourist Office in the USA
350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 4003, New York, NY 10118, USA
Tel: (212) 279 8672.
Website: www.croatia.hr


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