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Croatia Facts

Croatia Facts – The Basics

  • The currency of Croatia is Croatian kuna (hrvatska kuna – HRK).
  • Zagreb is the capital city of Croatia.
  • The official language in Croatia is Croatian (hrvatski jezik).
  • The calling code for Croatia is +385
  • National anthem of Croatia is called Lijepa Naša Domovino (Our Beautiful Homeland).
  • Croatia is inhabited mostly by Croats (89,9%) but there are alo Serbs, Bosnians, Italians, Slovenes and other national minorities.
  • In Croatia, the Latin alphabet is in use.
  • The Croatian alphabet is as follows: A a, B b, C c, Č č, Ć ć, D d, Dž dž, Đ đ, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, Lj lj, M m, N n, Nj nj, O o, P p, R r, S s, Š š, T t, U u, V v, Z z, Ž ž..
  • Croatia uses the metric system and the Celsius temperature scale.
  • 1 kuna is 100 lipa.
  • The drinking age in Croatia is 18.
  • Croatian people use the 24-hour timekeeping system.
  • All male citizens of Croatia from 18 to 27 years of age are required to serve 6 months of mandatory military service. Conscientious objectors have a right to do civilian service instead, which lasts 8 months. College students can serve after graduation as long as they apply before they turn 28.
  • Croatia is the homeland of a necktie.
  • Slavoljub Eduard Penkala, the inventor of the first mechanical pencil and first solid-ink fountain pen, was a naturalized Croat.
  • Croatia does not practice capital punishment.
  • There are 6 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Croatia: the Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basilica in the Historic Center of Poreč (inscribed in 1997), the Historic City of Trogir (inscribed in 1997), the Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian (inscribed in 1979), the Old City of Dubrovnik (inscribed in 1979), the Cathedral of St James in Šibenik (inscribed in 2000) and the Plitvice Lakes National Park (inscribed in 1979).

Facts – Geography

  • Croatia is situated in Southeastern Europe.
  • Croatia covers 89,742 km2 (34,649 mile2) of the European territory.
  • Croatia is divided into 21 counties and the capital Zagreb’s city district.
  • Croatia has 8 national parks – Mljet, Kornati, Brijuni, Krka, Plitvička jezera, Paklenica, Sjeverni Velebit and Risnjak.
  • Croatia has a mixture of climates – continental, Mediterranean and highland climate.
  • Croatia is situated between Italy on the west, Slovenia and Hungary on the north, Bosnia and Herzegovina on the south and east, Serbia on the east and Montenegro on the south.

Cuisine and Eating Styles

  • Croatian cuisine is known as “the cuisine of regions” which means that every region has its own food specialties but they are most notable among the regions situated inland and the ones along the coastline.
  • Vegetarianism and veganism are becoming more and more popular, especially in big cities.
  • Most people prefer cooking at home rather than eating out.
  • The island of Pag is famous for its delicious cheese.
  • Croatia offers some great wines, beers and a hard liquor drink called rakija.
  • Maraschino is a famous Dalmatian drink made from marasca cherries that grow nearby the city of Zadar.

City Life

  • The public transportation system is well developed in the big cities such as Zagreb, Split or Rijeka; however, most people prefer cars to any other means of transport.
  • Most stores close at 8 or 9pm.
  • Most Croatian cities have a lot of parks, trees and other greenery.
  • The standard private vehicle license plate in Croatia consist of a city code (for example, “ZG” for Zagreb, “ST” for Split) followed by the Coat of Arms of Croatia, followed by 3 or 4 numbers and 1 or 2 letters. The letters and numbers are separated by a hyphen.
  • Although the laws on smoking in public places are not well enforced yet, the country is making such steps towards becoming more smoke-free as, for example, imposing a requirement on restaurants and cafés to provide non-smoking areas for their customers.
  • Insuring your car is obligatory in Croatia.
  • A lot of Croatian women are good drivers.
  • Driving with any blood alcohol concentration above zero is illegal in Croatia.
  • Custom license plates are available for a fee and usually either look like the standard plate but with the letters and numbers selected by the owner, or have a custom word with or without numbers.

Croatia Facts – Souvenirs

  • Rijeka is famous for a traditional jewelry decoration called morčić. It is a figure of a black head wearing a turban that appears on various jewelry items that were originally worn by women to commemorate the victory over Turks in the 16th century. It was also believed to have protective powers.
  • The island of Pag is famous for its unique lacework.
  • Since Croatia is the homeland of a necktie, silk handmade ties are a popular Croatian souvenir.
  • The Penkala pens are a famous Croatian souvenir that honors the inventor of the first solid-ink fountain pen, Slavoljub Eduard Penkala. Each Penkala pen is unique and comes with a certificate and serial number.

Facts – Sports

  • The Croatian Football Team won 3rd place at the World Cup in 1998 in France.
  • Goran Ivanišević won the men’s singles title at Wimbledon in 2001.
  • Football/soccer is the most popular sport in Croatia.
  • Croats consider their nation one of the best in sports because Croatian teams have achieved the greatest results in sports that are popular in Croatia.
  • In Croatia football/soccer is referred to as nogomet.
  • There is a game played on Croatian beaches that was invented in Croatia and is typical for this country only �“ it’s called picigin.
  • Most people in Croatia don’t know anything about baseball.
  • The male Water Polo team of Croatia won the Water Polo World Championship in Melbourne, Australia in 2007.
  • Croatia is the host of the 21st World Men’s Handball Championship which will take place in 2009.
  • The Croatian national basketball team won silver at the 1992 Summer Olympics and bronze at the 1994 Basketball World Championship.

Facts – Traditions and Holidays

  • October 8th is the Independence Day of Croatia.
  • On June 22nd Croatian people celebrate the Day of Antifascist Struggle (Dan Antifašističke Borbe) which commemorates the creation of the first Croatian antifascist partisan unit in 1941.
  • June 25th is Statehood Day (Dan Državnosti) in Croatia, a holiday that commemorates Croatia’s declaration of independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.
  • On August 5th Croatia celebrates Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day (Dan Pobjede i Domovinske Zahvalnosti) to honor the day during the War of Independence when Croatian military forces liberated the city of Knin.

Facts – Education System

  • Schooling in Croatia begins with elementary school which lasts 8 years.
  • Kids start going to school at the age of 6 or 7.
  • The school year starts in September.
  • After 8 years of elementary school, kids go to a high school of their own choice.
  • Usually high school lasts 4 years but some high schools only last 3.
  • Depending on their own choice, after high school some young people start working while others go to Universities.
  • There are 5 Universities in Croatia, located in Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek and Zadar.
  • Higher education usually lasts 4 years; however, this period may vary for different colleges.
  • At graduation college students receive a degree in their major.
  • Students are admitted into college on account of their school grades and an entrance exam that all applicants are required to take.
  • High school students may take part in competitions held in different subjects. The national competition winners are admitted into college with no entrance exam to a faculty majoring in the subject they won the competition in.
  • Elementary school provides basic music training; however, complete music education can be received only in specialized music schools.