Croatia became one of the Yugoslav republics ruled by the communist government until 1991 when Croatia declared its independence, prompting Serbian invasion. Almost all Croats rose to defend their country under the leadership of its first president and after five years the country was liberated. The country is now a parliamentary democracy.

The Croatian currency is the Kuna, which is divided into 100 lipas. The word Kuna means marten, a weasel like animal, whose fur Croats used for payment many centuries ago. The lipa is a lime tree, but we dont know the connection here. The Kuna is overvalued but is nevertheless a stable currency. The current exchange rate between the kuna and various world currencies can be found at the Croatian National Bank.

Many find that flying to Croatia can be quite expensive and coupled with limited availability during peak periods, making travel arrangements can be quite troublesome. Currently, only a few low cost airlines fly directly to Croatia from the UK.

As you can expect, there are various types of accommodation hotels, villas, private accommodation, hostels, campsites, even lighthouses.

The climate is Mediterranean along the Adriatic coast, meaning warm dry summers and mild winters, with 2,600 hours of sunlight on average yearly it is one of the sunniest coastlines in Europe. In the interior of the country, the climate is continental with hot summers and cold, snowy winters.

Croatian culture is based on a thirteen century long history during which the country has attained many monuments and cities, which gave birth to a number of historical figures. The country includes six World Heritage sites and eight national parks. Among a list of notable people that came from Croatia are three Nobel Prize winners, and numerous inventors. Some of the worlds first fountain pens came from Croatia.

It also has a place in the history of clothing as the origin of the necktie.The country has a long artistic, literary and musical tradition. Of particular interest is the diverse nature of Croatian cuisine.

Tourism is a notable source of income during the summer. With over 104 million foreign tourists each year generating revenue of over 7 billion euros, Croatia is ranked as eighteenth most popular tourist destination in the world.