Brief information
Every year more and more tourists come to Croatia. Most of the tourists who once visited Croatia come to rest in this country again and again. After all, one cannot remain indifferent to the medieval Croatian cities, which have practically not changed over the past few hundred years, one cannot forget the beautiful Croatian nature and amazing local beaches surrounded by coniferous forests.
Geography of Croatia
Croatia is located in southeastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Croatia borders on Hungary in the northeast, Serbia in the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina in the southeast, and Slovenia in the northwest. In the southwest, Croatia is washed by the waters of the Adriatic Sea. The total area of this Balkan country is 56,594 sq. km, and the total length of the state border is 3,320 km.
Croatia consists of about 1,000 islands in the Adriatic Sea. However, most of them are uninhabited.
The southeast of Croatia is dominated by low mountains, while the east is dominated by plains. The highest peak in Croatia is Mount Dinara (1831 m).
Several large rivers flow through Croatia – the Danube, Sava, Drava, Kupa, and Bosut.
Capital
According to itypejob.com, the capital of Croatia is Zagreb, which is now home to more than 800 thousand people. Historians believe that Zagreb was founded around the beginning of the 11th century.
Official language
The official language in Croatia is Croatian, which belongs to the Slavic group of Indo-European languages. Croatian currently has three dialects – Shtokavian, Chakavian and Kajkavian.
Religion
More than 90% of the population of Croatia are Catholics belonging to the Roman Catholic Church. About 4% of Croats consider themselves Orthodox Christians, and 1.5% – Muslims.
State structure of Croatia
According to computerminus.com, Croatia is a parliamentary republic with the President as head of state. The executive power belongs to the President and the Government.
Legislative power belongs to the unicameral Parliament (Sabor), the number of deputies in which ranges from 100 to 160 people.
The main political parties in Croatia are the Social Democratic Party of Croatia, the Croatian Democratic Union, and the Croatian People’s Party.
Climate and weather
There are two types of climate in Croatia – continental and Mediterranean. On the coast of Croatia and on the islands, the climate is Mediterranean. In summer, the average air temperature during the day is + 24-26C. However, in Istria the average air temperature in summer is slightly lower – +22C.
The climate in inner Croatia, including Zagreb and Slavonia, is continental; this part of Croatia is separated from the Adriatic coast by the Dinaric Mountains. In July, in inner Croatia, the average air temperature is +22 C, and in winter it ranges from -2 to -4C.
In winter, there is a lot of snow in the Croatian mountains, which guarantees a long ski season.
Sea in Croatia
In the southwest, Croatia is washed by the waters of the Adriatic Sea. The length of the Adriatic coast in Croatia is almost 1.8 thousand kilometers. Croatia consists of more than 1 thousand islands (although almost all of them are uninhabited). The largest Croatian islands are Krk and Cres.
Average sea temperature in Croatia:
- January – +11С
- February – +12С
- March – +15C
- April – +15С
- May – +19С
- June – +23C
- July – +26С
- August – +26C
- september – +24С
- October – +20С
- November – +17С
- December – +12
Rivers and lakes
Several large rivers flow through Croatia – Sava (562 km), Drava (305 km), Kupa (296 km), Bosut (143 km), and Danube (18 km across Croatia).
Croatia is famous for its lakes, the beauty of which surprises many tourists. So, Plitvice Lakes became a National Park in 1949, and in 1979 they were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Plitvice Lakes include 16 large lakes, many of which have beautiful waterfalls.
History of Croatia
In ancient times, the Illyrians lived on the territory of modern Croatia, and in the 4th century BC. Croatian lands were settled by Celtic tribes. Around 200 BC. The territory of modern Croatia was captured by Ancient Rome, which divided it into two provinces – Pannonia and Dalmatia.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire, Slavs settled in Croatia, mixed with the local population (this happened in the 7th century AD).
In 925 AD Tomislav united the Duchy of Pannonia and the Principality of Dalmatia, thus forming the Kingdom of Croatia. Tomislav himself became the first Croatian king.
In 1102, the Croats recognized the rulers of Hungary as their kings. Thus, Croatia became part of Hungary.
By 1526, a significant part of the territory of Croatia was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Turks were expelled from Croatia, which fell under the rule of Austria. By 1815, Austria was able to retake Dalmatia and Istria from France.
In 1918, the Croatian Parliament severed relations with the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Croatia had autonomy in this empire), and the country joined Serbia and Montenegro. Thus the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was formed.
In 1939, Croatia received autonomy within Yugoslavia, and after the outbreak of World War II, the country’s independence was proclaimed. However, after the end of World War II, Croatia again lost its independence, and became part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Croatian independence was restored in 1991, when the inhabitants of this country decided to secede from Yugoslavia. As a result of the war in the mid-1990s, Croatia was able to annex all of its ethnic lands.
Now Croatia is a candidate for joining the European Union and the NATO military bloc.
Culture
Croats have always been careful about their culture. That is why numerous historical monuments, as well as various Croatian folk traditions, have been preserved in this country to this day. The international folklore music festival in Zagreb is very popular in Croatia.
Croatian cuisine
On the coast of Croatia, the cuisine is very similar to Italian cuisine, and the cuisine of central and northern Croatia has taken a lot from Central European and Austro-Hungarian cuisine.
For tourists in Croatia, we definitely recommend trying smoked ham “prshut”, “burek” with cheese or meat, cold cuts with french fries “mesno meso”, meat “peka”, as well as various local buns and strudel.
Sights of Croatia
Perhaps Croatia is not among the top five countries with the most attractions, but tourists in this country will not be bored. The top ten attractions in Croatia, in our opinion, include the following:
- Euphrasian Basilica in Poreč
- Diocletian’s Palace in Split
- Ancient Roman amphitheater in Pula
- Mirogoj Cemetery in Zagreb
- Cathedral in Zagreb
- Veliki Tabor Castle in Zagreb
- St. Vitus Cathedral in Rijeka
- Sculpture “Well of Life” in Zagreb
- Pazin Castle in Istria
- Trakoščany Castle
Cities and resorts of Croatia
The largest cities in Croatia are Zagreb, Split, Osijek, and Rijeka.
Croatia is famous for its beach resorts, which attract millions of tourists every year. In South Dalmatia, the most famous beach resorts are Dubrovnik, Cavtat, Orebic, Mlini, Mljet island, Korcula island, Lokrum island; in Central Dalmatia – Split, Trogir, Brac island, Hvar island; on the Makarska Riviera – Makarska, Brela, Baska Voda, Podgora, and Tučepi.
Souvenirs/Shopping
We advise tourists from Croatia to bring handicrafts, lace, wine, hard cheese, jewelry, ties, etc.
Office Hours
Banks are open:
Mon-Fri: 07:00-19.00
Sat: 07:00-13:00
In big cities, some banks are open on Sundays.
Shop opening hours:
Mon-Fri: from 08:00 to 18.00
Sat: from 08:00 to 13:00 (or until 14:00).
Many shops are also open on Sundays.
Public institutions in Croatia are open Monday-Friday from 8:30 to 16:30.
Visa
Ukrainians need a visa to enter Croatia.
Currency of Croatia
Kuna is the official currency of Croatia (HRK). 1 kuna = 100 lipa. All major cards are accepted, including American Express, MasterCard/Cirrus, and Visa/Plus.
Customs restrictions
You can bring up to 15,000 HRK and foreign currency into Croatia without any restrictions. Tourists are allowed to bring 200 cigarettes, 1 liter of vodka or cognac, etc. into Croatia.
You can import weapons and ammunition only with a special permit from the Croatian police.
Art objects, historical and archaeological objects can be exported only with permission from the relevant authorities.
Useful phone numbers and addresses
The address of the Embassy of Croatia in Ukraine:
Index – 04053, Kiev, st. Artema, 51/50
T: (044) 486-21-22
F: (044) 484-69-43
Email. address: [email protected]
Address of the Embassy of Ukraine in Croatia:
10000, Croatia, Zagreb, Vocharskaya St., 52
T: (0) one – 461-62-96
F: (0) one –
463-37-26 address: [email protected]
Emergency numbers
92 – Police
93 – Fire brigade
94 – Ambulance
987 – Roadside assistance
988 – Information service (telephone directory)
Time
The difference with Ukrainian time is -1 hour. Those. if in Zagreb, for example, in the summer it is 9:00 am, then in Kyiv it is 10:00 am.
Tips
Tipping in restaurants in Croatia -10-15% of the bill. Locals, as a rule, do not leave tips. Croatian taxi drivers do not expect tips, but they will always be grateful for them.
The medicine
No special vaccinations are required to enter Croatia.
Security
The safety of tourists in Croatia is at a high level. This means that violent crimes against foreign tourists are quite rare in this country, although, of course, foreigners are not immune from pickpocketing.
We advise tourists in Croatia not to carry large amounts of money with them, and to have photocopies of documents. Keep valuables and documents in the hotel safe.
Outside the tourist areas in the countryside in Croatia, unexploded mines from the 1990s war are sometimes found. Therefore, it is better for tourists in Croatia not to go beyond the tourist areas.
