| 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: 56,542 sq km
land: 56,414 sq km water: 128 sq km |
| Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than West Virginia |
| Land boundaries: | total: 2,197 km border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km, Serbia 241 km, Montenegro 25 km, Slovenia 670 km |
| Coastline: | 5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km) |
| 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 extremes: | lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Dinara 1,830 m |
| Natural resources: | oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower |
| Land use: | arable land: 25.82% permanent crops: 2.19% other: 71.99% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 110 sq km (2003) |
| 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-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic |
| Geography - note: | controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits; the vast majority of Adriatic Sea islands lie off the coast of Croatia - some 1,200 islands, islets, ridges, and rocks |
postcard Croatia
Postcard of Croatia