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Geography of Croatia

The Republic of Croatia is situated where the Balkans, Central Europe and the Mediterranean meet. It borders Adriatic Sea to the southwest and Italy just across, Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the east, Serbia to the northeast, plus Hungary and Slovenia to the north. The country is divided into twenty-one regions and its capital is the city of Zagreb. Croatia is expecting to become a NATO member in the spring of 2008 and has applied for a membership in the European Union.

The territory of the Republic of Croatia is split into two non-contiguous parts by the coastline of Bosnia and Herzegovina close to Neum. The territory of the country is diverse and includes densely wooded mountains, rocky coastline and many plains and lakes. Croatia features many islands of various size with the largest being Krk and Cres. It is also a stop on the way of the longest river in the European Union, the Danube, on its way to the Black Sea.

Croatia is famous for its many national parks, which are very pleasant for walks. The climate is an interesting combination of semi- and highland, continental and Mediterranean. Today Croatia is inhabited mostly by Croats, but there are almost twenty minorities as well, with the Serbs being the largest group. Life expectancy is approximately seventy-five years. The religion that dominates is Catholicism, with an Orthodox and Sunni Muslim minorities. The official language in the Republic of Croatia is Croatian, which is a Slavic language with uses the Latin alphabet.