Croatia

Croatia ( /kroʊˈeɪʃə/ (help·info); Croatian: Hr̀vātskā pronounced [xř̩ʋaːtskaː]), officially the Republic of Croatia (Republika Hrvatska listen (help·info)), is a country in Southeastern Europe, at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital (and largest city) is Zagreb. Croatia borders Slovenia and Hungary to the north, Serbia to the northeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, and it has a sea border with Italy to the southwest.

The Croats arrived in the seventh century in what is Croatia today. They organized the state into two dukedoms. The first king, Tomislav I was crowned in AD 925 and Croatia was elevated into Kingdom. The Kingdom of Croatia retained its sovereignty for almost two centuries, reaching its peak during the rule of Kings Petar Krešimir IV and Zvonimir. Via "Pacta conventa", Croatia entered a personal union with Hungary in 1102. In 1526, the Croatian Parliament elected Ferdinand from the House of Habsburg to the Croatian throne. In 1918 Croatia declared independence from Austria-Hungary and joined the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as co-founder. During World War II, Nazis occupied Croatian territory and with the aid of Ustaše created the Independent State of Croatia. After the war Croatia became a founding member of Second Yugoslavia. On 25 June 1991 Croatia declared independence and became a sovereign state.

Croatia is a member of the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, NATO, the World Trade Organization, the Council of Europe, CEFTA, and is a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2008–09 term. The country is also a candidate for membership of the European Union. Additionally, Croatia is also a founding member of the Union for the Mediterranean upon its establishment in 2008.

• 1 History
  • 1.1 Early history
  • 1.2 Kingdom of Croatia
  • 1.3 Croatia in personal union with Hungary
  • 1.4 Republic of Dubrovnik
  • 1.5 Ottoman Wars
  • 1.6 National revival
  • 1.7 Austria-Hungary
  • 1.8 Kingdom of Yugoslavia
  • 1.9 World War II
  • 1.10 Socialist Yugoslavia
  • 1.11 Independent Croatia
• 2 Geography
  • 2.1 Counties
  • 2.2 World Heritage Sites
• 3 Government and politics
• 4 Law
• 5 Demographics
• 6 Economy
  • 6.1 Infrastructure
• 7 Education
• 8 Culture
  • 8.1 Sport
• 9 See also
• 10 References
• 11 Further reading
• 12 External links

Capital (and largest city)		Zagreb 45°48′N 16°0′E / 45.8°N 16°E / 45.8; 16
Official languages		Croatian1
Demonym		Croat/Croats Croatian/Croatians
Government		Parliamentary republic
-	President	Stjepan Mesić
-	Prime Minister	Jadranka Kosor
-	President of Parliament	Luka Bebić
Establishment
-	Founded	First half of 7th century
-	Medieval duchy	4 March 852
-	Recognized by the Pope	21 May 879
-	Elevated to kingdom	925
-	Union with Hungary	1102
-	Joined Habsburg Empire	1 January 1527
-	Independence from Austria-Hungary	29 October 1918
-	Joined Yugoslavia (co-founder)	1 December 1918
-	Declared independence	25 June 1991
Area
-	Total	56,542 km2 (126th) 21,831 sq mi
-	Water (%)	0.2
Population
-	2009 estimate	4,489,409[1] (122nd)
-	2001 census	4,437,460[2]
-	Density	81/km2 (115th) 208/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2008 estimate
-	Total	$82.272 billion[3]
-	Per capita	$18,545[3]
GDP (nominal)		2008 estimate
-	Total	$69.332 billion[3]
-	Per capita	$15,628[3]
Gini (2005)		29 (low)
HDI (2006)		▲ 0.862 (high) (45th)
Currency		kuna (HRK)
Time zone		CET (UTC+1)
-	Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Drives on the		right
Internet TLD		.hr
Calling code		385