General information:

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 km , 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 Cres and Krk; 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.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Travel documents
A passport or some other identification document recognised by international agreement which testifies to the identity and citizenship of the bearer. Information: diplomatic missions of the Republic of Croatia abroad or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia. Tel: +385 1 4569 964; stranci@mvp.hr ; www.mvp.hr

Customs regulations
Customs regulations of the Republic of Croatia are harmonised with the standards of E.U. member states.Foreign currency may be freely taken in and out of the country; local currency up to an amount of 15 000 Kuna. More valuable professional and technical equipment must be declared at the border. Refund of tax when leaving the country is made to foreign nationals for individual goods purchased in Croatia for amounts in excess of 500 Kuna, on presentation of a “Tax-cheque” form. This form is provided on request by a sales assistant, when items are purchased. Pets (dogs, cats and animals of the marten family) which are either travelling through the Republic of Croatia in the company of their owners, or which are staying in the country on a temporary basis, must, prior to entering the country, be fitted with a microchip or be clearly and legibly marked with a number prior to being entered in the international certificate issued in accordance with legislation valid in the Republic of Croatia. After the first vaccination against rabies carried out at the age of three months, animals must be vaccinated at least six months and no more than one year prior to undertaking the journey, and in the case of subsequent vaccinations (boosters) the period between vaccination and the journey undertaken shall not be greater than one year. No import into, or temporary residence in, the Republic of Croatia shall be permitted in the case of possibly dangerous dogs of the terrier breed, of the bull terrier type, which have not been entered in the register of the International Kennel Club (FCI) (pit bull terriers) or their cross¬breeds.

Information : Customs Administration, Republic of Croatia. Tel: +385 1 6102 333; www.carina.hr

Credit cards
Hotels accept all major credit cards (Eurocard/Mastercard, American Express, Diners, Visa). Most restaurants and shops accept Eurocard/Mastercard, American Express, Diners, and Visa. Accessing cash from ATMs is possible in almost all towns, cities and tourist centres; almost all ATMs accept Eurocard/Mastercard, Diners, American Express, and Visa.

Health services
There are hospitals and clinics located in all the larger towns and cities, while smaller centres have dispensaries and chemist's. Foreign visitors are not obliged to pay for medical services if a convention on health services has been signed between Croatia and visitors' country of origin. Expenses incurred as a result of health services rendered to persons coming from countries with which no such convention has been signed are charged directly to the user, as per price list For patients in a life-threatening situation, emergency air transport (helicopter) and sea transport is available (speedboat).
There is a network of veterinary clinics and centres in Croatia.
Information: veterinarstvo@zg.t-com.hr www.veterinarstvo.hr

Public holidays
1 January - New Year's Day; 6 January - Epiphany; Easter Sunday & Easter Monday; 1 May -Labour Day; Corpus Christi; 22 June - Anti-Fascist Resistance Day; 25 June - Statehood Day; 5 August - Victory Day and National Thanksgiving Day; 15 August - Assumption Day; 8 October - Independence Day; 1 November - All Saints' Day; 25-26 December - Christmas Holidays.

Shops and public services working hours
Most shops are open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. on weekdays and until 2 or 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Some shops work a split-shift system: from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., and again from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Many shops stay open until 10 p.m., even on Sundays, especially in summer, while certain shops in the larger cities are open for business 24 hours a day. Public services and business offices work from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., Mondays to Fridays.

Post and telecommunications
Post offices are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, in smaller centres from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m.; some offices work a split shift. In most towns and tourist centres, on-duty post offices are open on Saturdays and Sundays until 9 p.m. Postage stamps may also be purchased from newspaper and tobacco kiosks Phone cards are used in all public telephones and may be purchased from post offices and from newspaper and tobacco kiosks. International calls may be made directly from public telephones

Power supply
220 V, 50 Hz

Environmental protection
Protection of biodiversity complies with valid E.U. regulations. As regards bathing, the sea at the Croatian Adriatic is of high quality, again according to E.U. criteria.
In case of an accident or pollution of the sea, please advise the National Centre for Search and Rescue at Sea on telephone number 9155 (toll-free), which is included in the network of international institutions of the same level. In the event of extraordinary pollution of the environment on the mainland, please inform the National Centre for Notification, telephone number 01 4814 911, or 3784 820. Additional information about the environment and health care: Tel: 01 6106 578, www.mzopu.hr

Fire prevention
Check that you have undertaken all the necessary measures to prevent fire! Do not throw burning objects or inflammable objects into the environment! If you notice a fire, please alert other persons in your surroundings; immediately inform the fire service on telephone number 93; attempt to extinguish the fire before the arrival of the fire brigade, but do not place yourself or others in danger! Observe the signs forbidding the lighting of fires! Take care that your parked vehicles do not obstruct fire-fighting approaches and access roads.

Important telephone numbers
International country code for Croatia: +385 Police: 92 Fire Brigade: 93 Ambulance: 94 Roadside vehicle assistance: 987 (when calling from abroad or by mobile phone, call +385 1 987) National Search and Rescue Centre: 9155. A single countrywide number for all emergency situations: 112 General information: 981 Information local and intercity numbers: 988 Information international numbers: 902 Weather forecast and road conditions: 060 520 520 Croatian Automobile Club (HAK): 01 46 40 800; internet: www.hak.hr ; info@hak.hr

CROATIAN ANGELS a single telephone number throughout Croatia from which tourist infor- mation can be obtained: 062 999 999. If calling from abroad, dial +385 62 999 999. This information service is available in Croatian, English, German and Italian, from 25 March to 15 October.

Radio news in foreign languages during the tourist season
Croatian Radio brodcasts on several frequencies programmes in foreign languages designed for tourists in Croatia. A daily programme is broadcast on channel one in English in a duration of 5 to 10 minutes. On channel two of Croatian Radio, along with regular news, HAK provides reports on road conditions in English, German and Italian and, several times each day, information for sailors. Also on channel two of Croatian Radio, every hour on the hour, news and reports on the condition of the roads are broadcast directly from the studios of: the Third Programme of Bavarian Radio, the Third Programme of Austrian Radio, RAI Uno and British Virgin Radio. Radio Prague broadcasts a news programme at 9 pm.

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