About Croatia

Croatia, officially designated as the Republic of Croatia (Republika Hrvatska), is a parliamentary democracy, located in Southeast Europe. The country borders Hungary and Slovenia to the north, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina to the east and Montenegro to the south, with the Adriatic Sea forming a natural boundary to the west. With a population of around 1 million, Zagreb is the capital city of Croatia and the cushions the Croatian government, as well as the country’s leading economic and academic centre. Croatia’s other major sought out cities include Rijeka, Pula, Split and Dubrovnik.

Croatia was declared independent from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1991. Prior to that, Croatia shared the same federal education system as the other five republics within the former Yugoslavian nation.

The esteemed country’s population is estimated to be around 5 million and is comprised primarily of Croats. The remainder of the population is contributed by various minorities, including Serbians, Bosniak’s, Hungarians, Slovenes, Czechs, Roma and Italians. Croatia declared its intention to join the European Union in 2004. The membership treaty was signed on 22 February 2013 and Croatia is now a full member since July 2013.

The official language of Croatia is Croatian, a Slavic language with roots in the central dialect of Štokavian, which also forms the basis of Bosnian, Slovenian and Montenegrin. Croatian is written using the Latin alphabet. Italian is also spoken in some sections of Istria and the Dalmatian coast.

Climate

The climate in Croatia varies depending on where you are in the country. The coastal areas have a warm Mediterranean climate with mild winters, whilst inland; the temperature is more continental, with colder winters. The likelihood of rain and thunderstorms are higher in the north of the country than the south. Croatia has typically two climates, as you may well expect one along the coastline, and the other towards the interiors of the country. This coast has a typically Mediterranean climate consisting of hot, dry, sunny weather during summers, and relatively mild, with wet weather during the winters.

Like everywhere else around the globe, Croatia's climate is always determined by its geography which is a mixture of mountains, plains, forests and a long littoral. Croatia's coast and islands from Istria and Kvarner in the north through Dalmatia experiences a Mediterranean climate although it's several degrees cooler in the northern Adriatic than in the south. The Croatian interior which includes Zagreb and Slavonia is separated from the coast by the Dinaric Mountains and has a completely different climate. Winters normally get colder in these regions. The mountains in Croatia such as Velebit range and Medvednica are cooler and get more precipitation. Snow is quiet common in the higher elevations, also giving Croatia a ski season and a good spot for ice sports.