Croatia is a Central European and Mediterranean country, bordering Slovenia in the west, Hungary in the north, Serbia in the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina in the south, and has a long maritime border with Italy in the Adriatic Sea. These borders are 2,028 km long altogether. Croatia has a strange shape (similar to a croissant), like no other country in the world, which comes as a result of five centuries of expansion by the Ottoman (Turkish) empire towards Central Europe (although Croatia was never conquered by the Turks).

Croatia covers a land area of 56,691 square kilometres with a population of about 4.4 million people (2001 census). Over 90% of the population is Croat (the majority of whom are Roman Catholics), but there are also Serbian, Bosnian, Hungarian and Italian minorities. The main population centres are Zagreb, the capital (with a population of just under 800,000), Osijek in the northwest, and the ports of Rijeka, and Split in the south. The official language is Croatian, which is written in the Latin script.

Croatia has an amazing 5,835km of coastline, 4,057km of which belongs to islands, cliffs and reefs. There are 1,185 islands in the Adriatic, but only about 50 are populated. The largest island is Krk (near Rijeka) which has a land area of 462 square km.

The climate is Mediterranean along the Adriatic coast, meaning warm dry summers and mild winters, with 2,600 hours of sunlight on average yearly - it is one of the sunniest coastlines in Europe! In the interior of the country, the climate is continental with hot summers and cold, snowy winters.

Slavic Croatian tribes settled in the area in the early 7^th century (arriving from present day Poland), accepting Christianity in around 800 A.D., and soon establishing their own state ruled by princes or dukes. In 925, Croatia became a kingdom under the rule of King Tomislav. In 1102 the country formed a union with Hungary which lasted until 1918. After the end of the First World War, Croatia joined Serbia, and Yugoslavia (the land of South Slavs) was formed, until its demise in 1991. The first Yugoslavia (1918-1941) was ruled by the Serbian royal family, Karadjordjevic, which naturally favoured the Serbs and caused enormous resentment in Croatia. The country was invaded by Nazi Germany in April 1941, which gave Croatia independence under the fascist dictator Ante Pavelic. This regime was known for its harsh rule and for committing numerous atrocities, and therefore many Croats (over 200,000) actively joined the resistance movement under Tito which liberated the country in May 1945. (Winston Churchill was so impressed with the Croatian resistance that in 1944 he sent his son Randolph and the writer Evelyn Waugh to Croatia as his personal emissaries.) Croatia became one of the Yugoslav republics ruled by the communist government until 1991 when Croatia declared its independence, prompting Serbian invasion. Almost all Croats rose to defend their country under the leadership of its first president, the late Franjo Tudjman (who died in December 1999), and after five years the country was liberated.

The country is now a parliamentary democracy. 

Entering Croatia
Most visitors to Croatia come by car and are usually from the neighbouring countries of Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Germany and so on. From northern Europe, the easiest way to get to Croatia would be by driving to Munich and then entering Austria, down to Graz, crossing into Slovenia, and then heading for Croatia which is signposted as soon as you leave Maribor.

For those coming by plane, the main airports are Zagreb, Pula, Split, Dubrovnik and Rijeka Airport (which is in fact on the nearby island of Krk). Foreign visitors do not normally require visas to enter Croatia - to check if you require a visa, visit the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' webpage which lists the countries whose citizens do require entry visas. If you do need one, please contact the Croatian Embassy in your country for more information on how to obtain a visa.

Money
The Croatian currency is the Kuna, which is divided into 100 lipas. (The word "Kuna" means marten, a weasel-like animal, whose fur Croats used for payment many centuries ago. The lipa is a lime tree.)

The Kuna is overvalued but is nevertheless a stable currency. The current exchange rate between the kuna and various world currencies can be found at the Croatian National Bank.

We've recently received quite a lot of questions with regards to the best foreign currency to take to Croatia. Our first piece of advice would be to take a bank card/cash card instead - this avoids the need to travel with large-ish amounts of cash, and ATMs are readily available in all resorts, towns and cities in Croatia, in banks, supermarkets, airports and elsewhere. As a foreign card is inserted into the machine, you will most likely be presented you with a choice of languages - no need to navigate through Croatian-language menus! The exchange rate you'll receive is good, and there may only be a small service charge (which depends on your bank back home).

Otherwise, taking whatever currency is most suitable/easy for you is fine - i.e. if you're arriving from the U.S., just bring along your US Dollars! Likewise, take your UK Pounds if coming from the UK - no need to change your Pounds into US Dollars (or vice versa) to change into Kunas when in Croatia.

UK Pounds, US Dollars and Euros are easily changeable in Croatia, although other currencies can be changed too. Changing your money in a bank or in one of numerous Bureaux de Change dotted around towns.

Health
The health service is of a good standard. You have to pay for seeing a doctor or being treated in a hospital. Certain countries, such as Britain, have reciprocal medical arrangements whereby, in principal, you should not have to pay for any emergency treatment. It is therefore useful to wave your passport first and mention this!

Safety
It is quite safe to travel all over Croatia and mugging and thefts are not a problem. You can safely walk in any town at night, but use your common sense, as always. In some coastal resorts, as is common all over the Mediterranean, single women may be approached or wolf-whistled at. Say no firmly and you will not be bothered. In case of any problems, approach a policeman or even a soldier, who will assist you. Both the Croatian police and the army are well disciplined. If you have a language problem, approach a younger person (teenagers/students) as they all speak some English and will be eager to help.

Food & Drink
You get the standard fare as in many other central European or Mediterranean countries (pizza, pasta, meat dishes, fish). All food is safe to eat as restaurants are regularly inspected, and there is no problem with drinking water. Seafood is a speciality along the Croatian coastline, unsurprisingly!

Croatian beers are of a high quality. Try Zagreb's Ozujsko pivo or Karlovacko pivo or Tuborg, brewed under license in Croatia. In Dalmatia, some red wines such as Faros or Dingac are exquisite. You should also try Croatia's favourite brandy sljivovica, made from plums, or travarica, a herbal brandy.

Other info
Electricity is 220V, 50Hz. Croatia uses the standard European 2 point plugs.

The system is metric.

The telephone code for Croatia is 385.

ADRIATIC CRUISING d.o.o.  22000 Šibenik, ul. Matije Gupca 27, Tel.: +385-91-202-1105, Fax.:+385-22-351-826, e-mail: info@adriatic-cruising.com