Croatia General Info

Geographical position

Croatia extends from the furthest eastern edges of the Alps in the north-west to the Pannonian lowlands and the banks of the Danube in the east; its central region is covered by the Dinara mountain range, and its southern parts extend to the coast of the Adriatic Sea

Surface

the mainland covers 56,542 km², and the surface of the territorial sea is 31,067 km².

Population

4,437,460 inhabitants; composition of population: the majority of the population are Croats; national minorities are Serbs, Slovenes, Hungarians, Bosnians, Italians, Czechs and others.

System of government

multi-party parliamentary republic.

Capital

Zagreb (779,145 inhabitants), the economic, traffic, cultural and academic centre of the country.

Coastline

5,835 km of which 4,058 km comprise a coastline of islands, solitary rocks and reefs. Number of islands, solitary rocks and reefs: 1,185; the largest islands are Krk and Cres; there are 50 inhabited islands.

Highest peak

Dinara: 1,831 m above sea level.

Climate

There are two climate zones; a temperate continental climate, locally also a mountainous climate, prevails in the interior, whereas a pleasant Mediterranean climate prevails along the Adriatic coast, with an overwhelming number of sunny days, dry and hot summers, mild and humid winters; average temperature in the inland: January 0 to 2°C, August 19 to 23°C; average temperature at the seaside: January 6 to 11°C, August 21 to 27 °C; the temperature is about 12°C in winter, and 25°C in summer.

Currency

kuna (1 kuna = 100 lipa). Foreign currency can be exchanged in banks, exchange offices, post offices, travel agencies, hotels, camps, marinas; cheques can be cashed in banks.

Foreign currencies

Can be exchanged at banks, exchange offices, post offices and at most tourist agencies, hotels and camping grounds. Banking hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday to Friday. On Saturdays banks are open until 1 p.m. In the larger cities some banks are also open on Sundays. Credit cards: Most hotels, restaurants and shops accept credit cards (American Express, Diners Club, Eurocard/Mastercard, Visa, Sport Card International). Cash dispensing machines are ubiquitous.

Electricity

Voltage of city power grid – 220V, frequency 50Hz

Water

Tap water is potable throughout Croatia

The telephone

code for Croatia is +385.

Time zone

GMT plus one hour in winter and GMT plus two in summer.

Travel documentation

Passport or some other internationally recognised identification document. Tourists may remain in Croatia for up to three months.

For more information

Diplomatic consulates of the Republic of Croatia abroad or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia. Tel. 01 4569 964 Web: www.mvp.hr/mvprh-www-eng/index.html

Customs regulations

Customs regulations of the Republic of Croatia are in line with the standards of European Union countries. Foreign currency is freely brought in and taken out of the country (up to a value of 3.000 euros); up to a value of 15.000 kn for domestic currency. More expensive professional and technical equipment should be registered at the border. Dogs and cats, accompanied by their owner, need to have an International certificate from a registered veterinarian stating that at least 15 days and not more than six months have passed since their vaccination against rabies. Tax refund for goods purchased in Croatia over 500 kuna in value with a validated "Tax cheque" at departure from the country. Information: Republic of Croatia Customs Administration (tel 01 6102 333); Web: www.carina.hr

Purchase tax reimbursement for foreign citizens

Tourists making purchases in Croatia(apart from petroleum derivatives) which exceed 500 Kuna per receipt may reclaim VAT ("PDV"). At point of purchase the sales person will provide on request a form PDV-P, which should be filled out and stamped, on the spot. On leaving Croatia the receipt must be verified by the Croatian Customs service. A PDV refund in Kuna can be obtained within six months, either at the same shop where the goods were purchased (in which case the tax is refunded immediately), or by posting the verified receipt back to the shop, together with the account number into which the refund should be paid. In this case the refund is dealt with within 15 days of receipt of the claim.

Medical service

There are hospitals and clinics in all larger cities and first aid clinics and pharmacies in all places. Foreign tourists do not pay for medical services if the Health Care Convention was signed between Croatia and the country they come from. Expenses of health services provided to persons coming from the countries with which the Health Care Convention was not signed are charged directly to users according to the price list. For patients whose lives are in danger, there is emergency transport by air(helicopter) or sea (speadboat).

There is a

network of veterinary clinics

and centres in Croatia
Information: www.veterinarstvo.hr,
e-mail: veterinarstvo@zg.tel.hr

National holidays 2007.

1 January - New Year's Day; 6 January - Epiphany; 16 and 17 april - Easter, including Easter Monday; 1 May - Labour Day; 15 June - Corpus Christi (Movable feast); 22 June - Anti-Fascist Resistance Day; 25 June - Statehood Day; 5 August - Victory Day and National Thanksgiving Day; 15 August - Assumption; 8 October - Independence Day; 1 November - All Saints' Day; 25 and 26 December - Christmas Holidays.

Working hours

Shops and department stores are open between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., or to 3 p.m. A smaller number of stores close between noon and 4 p.m. Many stores are also open on Sundays, especially in the summer, and a smaller number in the larger cities are open 24 hours a day. Public services and companies usually work from 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. from Monday to Friday.

Post and Telecommunications

Post Offices are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Saturdays until 1 p.m. There are Post Offices in the larger cities which are open until 10 p.m. in the summer. Postage stamps are sold in Post Offices and at newsstands.
Public telephones can be used only with phone cards, which can be purchased in Post Offices and at newsstands, in hotels and tourist complexes.

Environmental protection

Protection of the biological diversity is in conjunction with the EU regulations currently in force. The water quality of the Croatia 's Adriatic Sea is of high quality for swimming and in conjunction to the EU criteria. In case of an accident or contamination of the sea, please contact the National Centre for Sea Search and Rescue on the number 9155 (free telephone), which is a part of international institutions of the same rank. In case of accidental environmental contamination on land, report it to the National Information Centre on the number 01/4814 911 For additional information about the environment: tel: 01/6106 111
Tel: 0800 200 037, Web: www.mzopu.hr

Fire prevention

Ensure that you have done everything to prevent a fire! Do not throw lit or flammable objects into the environment! If you see a fire, please inform others in your proximity; report it immediately on the telephone number - 93; try to extinguish the fire till the fire-fighters arrive and in such a manner so as not to endanger yourself or others! Take notice of signs forbidding the lighting of fires! Take care that your parked vehicle does not obstruct accesses to the fire or roads!

Important telephone numbers

International dialling prefix for Croatia: 385 Ambulance 94
Fire-service 93
Police 92
Assistance on the roads 987; 987@hak.hr
(If you are calling from outside of Croatia or using a mobile phone dial +3851 987) General information 981
Information about local and district telephone numbers 988
Information about International telephone numbers 902

Weather forecast and road conditions 060 520 520
Croatia's auto club (HAK) 01 4640 800; Internet: www.hak.hr;
e-mail: info@hak.hr

Croatian angels

Unified number of tourist information for all of Croatia 062 999 999 International callers, dial: +385 62 999 999 This service is available in Croatian, English, German and Italian from the 23.03.-15.10.

Radio news in foreign languages during the tourist season

On Program 2 of Croatian radio, along with the regular news in Croatian, the Croatian Auto Club (HAK) will give traffic reports in English, German and Italian along with nautical news a number of times throughout the day.
Other than on Program 2 of Croatian radio, alternating news and traffic reports will be emitted every full hour from the following studios: Program 3 of Bavarian radio, Program 3 of Austrian radio, RAI Uno, British Virgin radio and Chezch radio. Throughout the day nautical news will be emitted in English and Croatian.

Adriatic sea

The Adriatic sea got its name from an ancient port of the same name. The Adriatic spans from the Balkan to the Apennine peninsula.
The part belonging to the Republic of Croatia is the east coast which extends all the way from Prevlaka in the south to cape Savudrija in the west, including all islands, islets and cliffs along the coast, and the archipelago of Palagruza (the number of islands, islets and cliffs is more than 1700). This is a unique area in Europe for cruising with motor boats, speedboats, or sailboats, but also for enjoying the underwater world.

The islands:

Croatia is truly a land of islands because it has more than a thousand of them and each one is different. Many of them are inhabited but each and every one is exceptional, with its own story and destiny. To have a weak spot is human and the connoisseurs of Croatian islands have thousands of them. To be more precise 1185 of them. That's how many islands, islets and cliffs are located in front of 1777 kilometers of the Adriatic coast. The first trip to the Adriatic coast and its islands is a journey into the unknown. Every other trip will be a journey to the already familiar beauty of this country, always different but equally breathtaking.

The Adriatic eco-destination

The quality of the water in the Adriatic is very well preserved. The results reached through the constant measuring of the quality of water on more than 800 beaches are in accordance with the strictest criteria. Except for the cleanliness of the sea, another important quality of the coastal area is its biological and geographical particular quality, which can be seen in the number of species of plants and animals, and in the high number of endemic species (for example human fish).
In order to protect and preserve such natural wealth, a list of rare and endangered species, the so called Red Book, has been made.

Sea Temperature

The Adriatic Sea has a very marked annual change of the surface temperature. The average annual temperature is 11°C. During the winter, the sea is the coldest and the surface temperature is about 7°C; very seldom, it can drop below that too. In the spring, the sea becomes warmer, and the surface temperature rises to 18°C. In the summer the surface of the sea reaches a very high temperature, of up to 22 to 25°C, and in the southern Adriatic and Istria up to 27°C

Tides

In the Adriatic , the high and low tides have relatively small amplitudes. In the southern part, the difference is rarely above some forty centimetres, while in the northern part it is somewhat bigger, so that it comes to 1 metre in Istria and the Gulf of Trieste . In some narrow channels and bays, the high tide can grow considerably during a strong sirocco. That phenomenon is characteristic for big and deep bays of the southern Adriatic . The tides are of a mixed type, which means that their rhythm is semidiurnal during the new and full moon, and of a daily type during the first and the last quarter. Their amplitudes are very irregular.

Source:

Croatian National Tourist Board