General about Croatia

The state of Croatia is located in the transition zone between central and south-eastern Europe. The majority of the population are Croats with the Croatian language and Latin script. The population of Croatia is predominantly Roman Catholic and most cities in Croatia have their patron saints celebrated on their anniversaries. 
Croatia is known as the land of a thousand islands, but it’s not just the islands that attract nearly 20 million tourists a year. It’s the cities, the people, the national and nature parks, the UNESCO World Heritage sites and last but not least the beaches and the crystal clear sea.

General information at a glance: 

Official language: Croatian
Capital: Zagreb
Population: 3,888,529 (as of 2021 according to DZS)
Area: 56,594 km² National
currency: Kuna (HRK)
Counties: 21
cities: 128
Islands: 1244, of which 48 are inhabited (as of 2001)
Largest inhabited islands: Cres and Krk

Croatia has a total of 8 national parks and another 11 protected areas (nature parks). 4,464.25 km ²  of the area of ​​Croatia are under nature protection.

National parks in Croatia:

– Plitvice Lakes (Lika-Senj)
– Paklenica (Zadar)
– Risnjak (Primorje-Gorski kotar)
– Mljet (Dubrovnik-Neretva)
– Kornati Islands (Šibenik-Knin)
– Krka (Šibenik-Knin)
– Northern Velebit (Lika-Senj)
– Brijuni (Istria)

Nature parks in Croatia:

– Biokovo (Split-Dalmatia)
– Kopački rit (Osijek-Baranja)
– Lonjsko polje (Sisak-Moslavina & Brod-Posavina)
– Medvednica (Krapina-Zagorje)
– Papuk (Virovitica-Podravina, Bjelovar-Bilogora & Požega-Slavonia)
– Telašćica (Šibenik-Knin)
– Velebit (Lika-Senj)
– Vransko jezero (Zadar & Šibenik-Knin)
– Učka (Istria)
– Žumberak – Samoborsko gorje (Zagreb & Karlovac)
– Lastovsko otočje (Dubrovnik-Neretva)

Croatia has 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, of which 8 are World Heritage Sites and two are World Natural Heritage Sites.

 List of 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

1. Old Town of Dubrovnik
2. Historical complex of Split with Diocletian’s Palace
3. Plitvice Lakes National Park
4. Episcopal complex of the Euphrasian Basilica in the old town of Poreč
5. Old town of Trogir
6. Cathedral of St. James in Sibenik
7. Plain of Stari Grad
8. Stećci – medieval tombstones
9. Ancient beech forests and primeval beech forests of the Carpathians and other regions of Europe
10. Venetian defense system of the 15th to 17th centuries

15 sites in Croatia are currently on the tentative list.

Holidays in Croatia:

– January 1 – New Year 
– January 6 – Epiphany
– Easter and Easter Monday 
– Corpus Christi
– May 1 – Labor Day 
– May 30  –  National
Day – June 22 – Day of Anti-Fascist Struggle 
– August 5 – National Day
– August 15 – Assumption Day
– November 1 – All Saints’ Day 
– November 18 – Memorial Day for the Victims of the Homeland War and Memorial Day for the Victims of Vukovar and Škabrnja – December 25 – Christmas  – December 26 – St. Stephen’s Day