Croatia Country & Tourist Information

Location
Southeastern Europe.

Area
56,542 sq km (21,831 sq miles).

Population
4.4 million (official estimate 2006).

Population Density
77.8 per sq km.

Capital
Zagreb.
Population: 779,145 (official estimate 2006).

Government
Republic. Independence from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia proclaimed in 1991.

Language
Croatian, Serbian, Italian, Slovene, Slovak and German.

Religion
Roman Catholic Croats (87.8% of the total population) and Eastern Orthodox Serbs (4.4%), as well as small communities of Protestants, Jews and Muslims.

Time
GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz.

Head of Government
Prime Minister Ivo Sanader since 2003.

Head of State
President Stjepan Mesic since 2000.

Telephone
Country code: 385. Telephone booths are operated by phonecards available at post offices, news stands and in some tourist shops.

Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good.

Internet
Internet cafes can be found in Zagreb and other main towns.

Media
Croatia’s media operate in a climate of relative freedom following the restrictions of President Tudjman’s era. The constitution bans censorship and guarantees press freedom. Croatian Radio-Television, HRT, is a national state-owned public broadcaster and is financed by a mixture of advertising and license-fee revenues. The frequencies of HRT’s third national TV network were allocated to a private bidder in 2003. Public TV is the main source of news and information. National commercial networks and dozens of private local TV stations compete for viewers.

Post
Stamps are available in post offices and from news stands.

Post offices hours: Mon-Fri 0700-1900 and Sat 0700-1300. Some may be open until 2200 in larger cities.

Press
• There are no English-language newspapers at present.
• The main daily local newspapers are Novi List (Rijeka), Slobodna Dalmacija (Split) and Vecernji List (Zagreb).
• The weekly press includes Feral Tribune and Nacional.

Radio
• Croatian Radio is public and operates three national networks.
• Radio 101, Otvoreni Radio and Narodni Radio are commercial stations.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2007-December 2008 period.

2007
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
6 Jan Epiphany.
6-9 Apr Easter.
1 May Labor Day.
7 Jun Corpus Christi.
22 Jun Anti-Fascist Resistance Day.
25 Jun Croatian National Day.
5 Aug Victory Day and National Thanksgiving Day.
8 Oct Independence Day.
1 Nov All Saint’s Day.
25-26 Dec Christmas.

2008
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
6 Jan Epiphany.
21-24 Mar Easter.
1 May Labor Day.
22 May Corpus Christi.
22 Jun Anti-Fascist Resistance Day.
25 Jun Croatian National Day.
5 Aug Victory Day and National Thanksgiving Day.
8 Oct Independence Day.
1 Nov All Saint’s Day.
25-26 Dec Christmas.

Contact Information:

Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in the UK
21 Conway Street, London W1T 6BN, UK
Tel: (020) 7387 2022 or 1144 (consular section).
Website: http://uk.mvp.hr
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700; Mon-Thurs 1100-1400, Fri 1000-1200 (visa section).

Croatian National Tourist Office in the UK
2 The Lanchesters, 162-164 Fulham Palace Road, London W6 9ER, UK
Tel: (020) 8563 7979.
Website: www.croatia.hr

Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in the USA
2343 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 588 5899.
Website: www.croatiaemb.org

Croatian National Tourist Office in the USA
350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 4003, New York, NY 10118, USA
Tel: (212) 279 8672 or 1 800 829 4416.
Website: www.croatia.hr


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