Location: Balkan State, Southeastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Map references: Africa, Ethnic Groups in Eastern Europe, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area: 56,538 sq km
land area: 56,410 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries: total 2,028 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km, Serbia and Montenegro 266 km (241 km with Serbia; 25 km with Montenego), Slovenia 501 km

Coastline: 5,790 km (mainland 1,778 km, islands 4,012 km)

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: Serbs have occupied UN protected areas in eastern Croatia and along the western Bosnia and Herzegovinian border; dispute with Slovenia over fishing rights in Adriatic

Climate: Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast

Terrain: geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coast, coastline, and islands

Natural resources: oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt

Land use:
arable land: 32%
permanent crops: 20%
meadows and pastures: 18%
forest and woodland: 15%
other: 15%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment:
current issues: air pollution from metallurgical plants is damaging the forests; coastal pollution from industrial and domestic waste; widespread casualties and destruction of infrastructure in border areas affected by civil strife
natural hazards: subject to frequent and destructive earthquakes
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change

Note: controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits

NOTE: The information regarding Croatia on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Croatia Geography 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Croatia Geography 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.