At a Glance

Official Name: Republic of Croatia

Continent: Europe

Area: 21,780 square miles (56,410 sq km)

Population: 4,334,142

Capital City: Zagreb

Largest City: Zagreb (708,770)

Unit of Money: Croatian kuna

Major Language: Serbo-Croation

Literacy: 97%

Land Use: 21% arable, 2% crops, 20% meadow, 38% forest, 19% other

Natural Resources: Oil, coal, bauxite, iron ore

Government: Presidential/parliamentary democracy

Defense: 1.8 billion

The Place

Croatia is in southern Europe. It has a 1,104-mile-(1,778-km-) long southern coastline that extends along the Adriatic Sea. In the south, a 12-mile-(20-km-) wide part of Bosnia-Herzegovina separates a small strip of Croatian coastline from the rest of the country.

There are two physical regions in Croatia. The Dalmacia is the coastal region between Bosnia-Herzegovina and the sea. It consists mostly of rocky cliffs. The Dalmacia has mild winters and hot summers. The Pannonian Plains are in the northeast, near the border with Hungary. They are mostly fertile farming areas. The plains have bitter winters and dry summers.

The Dinaric Alps extend down Croatia's eastern border with Bosnia-Herzegovina. Here the 6,007-foot (1,831-m) Dinara is the country's highest point. A smaller coastal range has created more than 1,000 offshore islands, as well as gulfs, bays, and inlets.

The People

There is a wide financial disparity in Croatia. A small portion of the population is very wealthy, while the vast majority of the country suffers from poverty. The average monthly wages in the country are about 149. Many families have a hard time buying basic necessities.

The main reason for this poverty is the lack of jobs—about 17% of workers are unemployed. About 30% of the work force is employed by industry, 19% by government, and 4% by agriculture.

About half of the population lives in cities. The most populated cities are Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, and Osijek. In the cities, people usually live in old stone buildings. On the outskirts of town, high-rise apartments are common. Rural families often live in one-or two-story wooden houses.

Family closeness is very important in Croatia. Although the father is the traditional head of the household, women's roles are more modern in Croatia than in most other countries in the region. Life expectancy is 74 years.