Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia

Geographic coordinates:
45 10 N, 15 30 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 56,594 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 55,974 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 620 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 127

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries:
total: 2,237 km
border countries (5): Bosnia and Herzegovina 956 km, Hungary 348 km, Montenegro 19 km, Serbia 314 km, Slovenia 600 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km)
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

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 coastline and islands

Elevation:
mean elevation: 331 m
[see also: Mean Elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes: lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Dinara 1,831 m

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

Land use:
agricultural land: 23.7% arable land 16%; permanent crops 1.5%; permanent pasture 6.2%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 34.4%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 41.9% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
240 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population - distribution:
more of the population lives in the northern half of the country, with approximately a quarter of the populace residing in and around the capital of Zagreb; many of the islands are sparsely populated

Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes

Environment - current issues:
air pollution (from metallurgical plants) and resulting acid rain is damaging the forests; coastal pollution from industrial and domestic waste; landmine removal and reconstruction of infrastructure consequent to 1992-95 civil strife

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits; most Adriatic Sea islands lie off the coast of Croatia - some 1,200 islands, islets, ridges, and rocks