Croatia
By Maddie Lombardi
Geography
Croatia is surrounded by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, Hungary, Montenegro, and the Adriatic Sea.; It lies between latitudes 42* and 47* N and longitudes 13* and 20* E. The Pannonian Basin, the Dinaric Alps, and the Adriatic Basin are all features of Croatia. Lowlands make up over half of the country, at heights less then 200 meters(660 feet) above sea level. The greatest elevation is 1831 meter(6007 feet) Mountain Dinara as well as many other mountains higher the 1500 feet. The coast is 1777.3 kilometers(1104.4 miles) long with over 1200 islands make up another 4058 kilometers of coast line.
Most of Croatia, over 60%, is surrounded by the Black Sea drainage basin. The area includes many rivers flowing into the country; the Danube, Sava, Drava, Mur, and Kupa. The rest belongs to the Adriatic Sea drainage basin, where the largest river is the Neretva.
Most of the country mainly has a warm and rainy climate. the mean temperatures range from 27*F to 64*F. In the Summer days are long, sunny, and pleasantly warm. The tempeture rairly goes over 85*F with low humidity. Summer in Northern Croatia, with the exception of high altitude areas, is blistering hot and dry, with temperatures peaking into the mid 80s into the 90s Fahrenheit.
In the winter It is wet and chilly. Temperatures are mild, rarely descending to freezing, although the weather can be icy. The outer islands, such as Hvar, Barck and Korcula remain dry and sunny, even during winter.
The interior of Croatia is very cold in the winter. With the mercury often registering below freezing with heavy snow likely.
The population of Croatia is about 4.25 million people in 2013. The density is 75.8 inhabitants per square kilometer. The overall life expectancy at birth is 78 years. In 2011 most of the population was in the Capital of Zangreb and the surrounding areas.
Zangreb also has an international airport. For $1,227 you can fly from DFW into Zangreb, through Frankfurt on Lufthansa airlines. The entire trip, including layover, will take you just under 15 hours.
http://www.climateandweather.com/weather-in-Croatia
Government and Foreign Policy
Croatia is a republic under a parliamentary system. They fought a war from 1991 to 1995 to earn their independence from Yugoslavia.
Zoran Milanović is the current prime minster. He took office in 2010 and was a past member of Parliament. The government has limited power and has to follow the laws. They are governed by a constitution and have a number of ministers responsible for different governmental activities.
Unlike the US, they have a parliament.
Border disputes and other issues between Slovenia and Croatia have existed since the countries gained independence in 1991.
Croatians have freedom of religion and pay an average of 40% annual income tax rate. Human rites seem similar to the US, for example homosexuality is legal.
They are a member of the United Nations. They have committed forces to a number of countries and receive military assistance from the US in the way of training and supplies.
Croatia still suffers from a negative relations with Yugoslovia from their previous breakup with that country. They also have a history of border disputes with Solvenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatian_Government
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_Croatia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia%E2%80%93Slovenia_border_disputes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/20/world/new-un-force-in-croatia-to-be-given-limited-power.html
Economy
Croatia uses Croatian Kuna for currency. The current exchange rate is 1 Kuna = $.14 USD.
Tourism is the main driver of the economy, making up around 20% of the GDP. The entire GDP is $57.2 billion in 2013. Ship building makes up another 10% of the exported goods
The per capital GDP is $13,401 in Croatia versus $53,142 in the US. Even in Europe they are among the lowest per capital countries with 27 countries above them on the list.
Croatia is not a wealthy country compared to America. Because of how low the converted value is. The GDP is less than 1/4th of that of the United States.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Croatia
http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Europe/Croatia/gdp-per-capita
Social and Ethnic Groups
Croatia is made up by over 90% Croats and includes Serbs, Bosnians, Hungarians, Italians, Albanians and more. 22 Minorities are listed explicitly.
There are two primary parties in the government, social democratic party and the Democratic Union.
Primary and secondary education is free and there is a lot of higher education that is made available by the government. A shortage of teachers does slightly hamper the overall education system and only 16% of the population has a higher education.
Children can be enrolled in kindergarten at the age of 1. Elementary education is 8 years long and children begin around 6 or 7. Their subject list is very similar to our own but includes religion and English. This primary education is compulsory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Democratic_Party_of_Croatia
Women's Rights
Women make up roughly half of the population and are largely equal to men.
98.1% of Croatia is literate.
It appears that civil rights in Croatia are equal and the education system works.
Religion and language
86.2% of Croatians are Catholics while 4.4% of the population is orthodox Christian.
1.43% are muslims and .34% are protestants. 3.81% are atheists.
Croatian is the official language of Croatia and one of 24 official languages of the European Union. Croatian replaced Latin as the primary language in the mid 1800's. 95.6% declare Croatian as their primary language. 78% of Croatians also know an additional language.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Croatia#Ethnic_groups
Croatian Flag
The colors on the flag red, white and blue represent the three original states that make up Croatia and the design in the middle is the Croatian coat of arms.
The flag was created in 1991 upon official separation with Yugoslavia.
Holidays
Some of the many holidays of Croatia are Epiphany, Statehood Day, Independence Day, and St. Stephen's day.
Epiphany- Epiphany is a Christian feast day that celebrates the God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ. "In Western Christianity, the feast commemorates principally (but not solely) the visit of the Magi to the Christ child, and thus Jesus' physical manifestation to the Gentiles." Eastern Christians celebrate the baptism of Jesus in the Jorden River.
The date is usually January 6th but since 1970 is sometimes held the Sunday after January 1st. Eastern churches following the Julian calendar hold the feast on January 19th because of the 13 day difference.
Statehood day- Statehood Day occurs every year on June 25 to celebrate the 1991 declaration of independence from Yugoslavia.
Independence day- Independence day is on October 8th and celebrates when Croatia decided to destroy the link with Yugoslavia.
St. Steven's Day- This day is the Christians day of feast to celebrate Saint Steven, the forst Christian martyr, which is celebrated on December 26.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Croatia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)
St. Steven's Day
Traditinal Outfits
Croatia Men Casual
Clothing
Croatian Pita
15 butter (dag, 5 oz)
2 tbsps sour cream (or milk, optional)
"DOUGH: Combine flour, baking powder, egg, sugar and butter to make a dough. If the dough is too dry, add up to 1 Tbsp milk. Do not overwork the dough. Wrap it and cool in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
FILLING: Peel and grate apples. Mix with sugar and cinnamon. Adjust the sweetness to your taste.
ASSEMBLE: Divide the dough in half. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a floured surface. Press one half of the dough into the bottom of the 9x13" baking pan and up the sides. Sprinkle with dry bread crumbs and spoon in apple filling. Cover with the top crust.
Bake at 170 C (340 F) for about 45 minutes or until the crust is pale golden. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cut into squares and serve."
http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Croatian-Pita-748171