Croatia (croat.=Hrvatska, 4,494,749 inhabitants (last census:July 2006), is a republic in Europe. It has common borders with Slovenia and Hungary in the north, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the east and Montenegro in the extreme south. The border in the west and southwest is the natural border with the Adriatic sea.



Capital and seat of government is Zagreb with about one million inhabitants.It is also an important transport, economic and academic center of the state.

Croatia is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) and seeks an accession to the European Union.

Croatia is a popular holiday destination. The main attractions are the coast, the national parks and historical cities, especially popular are Dubrovnik http://www.dubrovnikmap.net , Split, Rijeka, the peninsula of Istria and Zagreb. More than ten million tourists are visiting Croatia every year and they.

The tourism generates about a fifth of gross domestic product and is thus one of the main economic sectors in Croatia.

The Adriatic coast is divided into following historical regions:

Istria - the peninsula in the northwest of the Croatian coast

Hrvatsko Primorje (Croatian coastal land) around Rijeka and Senj with the Kvarner islands

Dalmatia - the rugged Adriatic coast beginning around Zadar, including the offshore islands and the mountainous hinterland with historically significant cities like Dubrovnik (Ragusa) and Split.

Croatia posesses 1,185 islands and 47 of them are inhabited.

Hvar for example is one of the largest island in Croatia. Beautiful nature, a lot of culture and beautiful apartments

http://www.hvar-apartments-center.com.

Half (53.16%) of the land area is used as an agricultural area. These include primarily the fertile soils of the Sava-Drava area, which are used intensively. The main fruits which are growing are sugar beet, potatoes, wheat and maize. In climatically-favored layers are also some special crops grown, especially wine and fruit.

Southern Dalmatia achieves a high-yield crop with tobacco and citrus fruits.

One more important source of income is fishing.

Did you know?

The description of the garment "tie" hearkens back to the name of the people of the Croats.

The Croatian soldiers wore a similar piece of clothing around the neck in the 17th century.

The word "Cravat" was mentioned for the first time in the French encyclopedia in the 17th Century, when Croatian soldiers taried at the court of Louis XIV in Paris.

The French word for the Croats is Croate, which can be lightly suggested to the word Cravat, on germans "Krawatte", on croatian "kravata".

The Croatian Cultural- and Natural Heritage ordered according to the years of registration

1. 1979 Historical Complex of the city of Split with the Diocletian's Palace

2. 1979, 1994 Old Town of Dubrovnik

3. 1979, 2000 Plitvice Lakes National Park

4. 1997 Bishops' complex Euphrasios Basilica in the historic town of Porec

5. 1997 Historic City of Trogir

...

Why Croatia?

After the fourth place in 2004, Croatia reached one of the top positions in the category "most popular destinations in the world in 2005 by Lonely Planet.

The reason is the unique combination of culture, history, cuisine, accessibility and reasonable prices.

One year later the famous American magazine National Geographic Adventure made an oppinion poll with its journalists and editors and proclaimed Croatia to the most popular holiday destination for the year 2006.

ADAC made an investigation in 2006 and named Croatia as the cleanest part of the Mediterranean Sea.

When is the best time to visit Croatia?

The period from April to October is the best time for a vacation in Croatia. The air temperature in summer rises to 38 ? C, while the temperature of the sea achieves pleasant 26 ? C at this time.We recommend July and August for all who are looking for entertainment, variety and excitement. The diversity of Croatia offers also plenty peace for guests who want to be far away from disco clubs and want to relax and recuperate. The weather in spring is very mild, although there can be downpours(but very infrequent). The early autumn is ideally for those guests who want to spend a quiet holiday.

And outside the high season the beaches are no longer overcrowded and the prices of the accommodations are much lower, while the weather remains stable.

With approximately 2700 hours of sunshine per year you can visit the coast of Croatia throug during the whole year. The winter is a bit colder. Although the average temperature along the coast is 5 to 10 degrees Celsius in winter, the wind can be strong and unpleasant and it seems to be colder than it is.

Beaches in Croatia

Croatia has a 1777 km long well-indented coast with 1,185 islands, islets and reefs, 47 of them are inhabited. The Coast and the majority of the beaches are stony, gritty and sandy beaches with numerous coves and reefs. In the vegetation coniferous woods(pine, larch trees, cypresses ...)outweigh , while in Istria and Kvarner oaks also can be found.

Besides clean and crystal clear ocean, different types of beaches are the main property of the croatian coast. Everyone would find his favotite kind of beach and sea: shallow sandy and pebble beaches for families with children, romantic hidden coves, famous beaches with sports and entertainment, or rich nightlife, windy bays and channels for wind surfers, quiet coves and rocks for divers. ..

Cultural and historical monuments

Croatia is characterized by mixing of different cultures and historical events,that`s the reason why the country offers numerous cultural und historical monuments from different eras.

The croatian coast is characterized by the influence of Mediterranean cultures, many monuments from antiquity, from the Roman period and from the Middle Ages, Romanesque sacred heritage and numerous well-preserved Mediterranean cities.

The continental part of Croatia belongs to Central Europe and possesses numerous world-famous prehistorical old cities, walls and medieval castles from the Middle Ages and cultural monuments and buildings from the Baroque era.

DUBROVNIK http://www.dubrovnikmap.net ? is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the Mediterranean region.The city was mainly built from the 13th until the 16th Century.There are still completely preserved buildings like the fortification-walls with towers, the Prince's Palace, the Cathedral, the palace Sponza, the Franciscan Monastery, the tower Lovrijenac. The town belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

HVAR - preserved city center surrounded by Ramparts of the 15th Century, the oldest areal theater in Europe, built in 1612.

Marija Bistrica - the most important place of pilgrimage in Croatia with the Church of Sv. Marija.

PAG - preserved city center from the 15th century.

SPLIT - historical Center with: the Diocletian Palace, one of the most preserved monuments from the late Roman times, which is part of UNESCO World Heritage Site ; the cathedral Sv. Duje; the old Croatian church Sv. Trojstvo and other important sights.

ZAGREB - historical city center, comprehending the upper city (Gornji grad) and Kaptol from the Middle Ages. The Lower Town (Donji grad) was built as scheduled in the second half of the 19th century and has numerous parks which are formed like a horseshoe; the Cathedral.