Croatia General Info

If you are planning to visit Croatia, but you don’t know much about the country, this is a good starting point. Our general info covers everything from basic information about the country, information on traveling to and around Croatia, and other useful information to help you plan your trip.

Croatia is a small European country with a population of just over 4 million people. Croatia has the longest land border with Bosnia and the longest sea border with Italy. Other neighboring countries include Serbia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia to the west, and Montenegro to the south. Croatia is located on the crossroads between Mediterranean, Southeast, and Central Europe.

In July 2013, Croatia has joined the European Union, and became its 28th member. However, Croatia is still not a part of the Schengen Agreement. Thus there is still a border crossing between Slovenia and Croatia.

The majority of people living in Croatia are Croatians (over 90%). And the majority of them are Roman Catholics. Other minorities living in Croatia include Serbians, Italians, Hungarians, Slovenians, German, and Czechs.

Croatia has a surface of 56.594 square kilometers. It has over 1.000 islands, cliffs, and reefs. Its stunning coastline is over 5.800 km long, 1.800 of which belongs to the mainland, while over 4.000 km belongs to islands, cliffs, and riffs. Just over 60 islands are inhabited. The most popular islands are Krk (it’s connected to the mainland by bridge), Cres, Losinj, Pag, Brac, Hvar, Korcula, and Mljet.

The Croatian capital is Zagreb, and it is the largest town in Croatia with just over 800.000 inhabitants (as per 2011). The second largest town in Croatia is Split to the south (almost 180.000 inhabitants), Rijeka to the west (almost 130.000 inhabitants), and Osijek to the east (almost 110.00 inhabitants). Other towns include Pula, Zadar, Dubrovnik, Porec, Rovinj, Sibenik, and Opatija.

The official language in Croatia is Croatian. It belongs to the Slavic group of languages. However, foreign languages, especially English, German, and Italian, are widely spoken.

Coastal Croatia has a Mediterranean climate, while the rest of the country has a continental climate.

Croatia has 8 national parks, and 7 Unesco listed world heritage sites.