About Croatia

Geographical position
Croatia extends from the foothills of the Julian Alps in the north-west and the Pannonian Plain in the east, over the Dinara mountain range in its central region, to the Adriatic coast in the south.

Area
56,542 km2, with an additional 31,067 km2 of territorial waters.

Population
4.400.000

Capital Zagreb (770.058 inhabitants - the administrative, cultural, academic and communication centre of the country).

Length of coast:
5,835 km - including 4,058 km of island, islet and reef coastline.

Number of islands, islets and reefs
1,185. The largest islands are those of Krk and Cres. There are 67 inhabited islands.

Climate
Northern Croatia has a continental climate; Central Croatia has a semi-highland and highland climate, while the Croatian coast has a Mediterranean climate. Winter temperatures range from -1 to 30°C in the continental region, -5 to 0°C in the mountain region and 5 to 10°C in the coastal region. Summer temperatures range from 22 to 26°C in the continental region, 15 to 20°C in the mountain region and 26 to 30°C in the coastal region.

Population
The majority of the population are Croats. National minorities include Serbs, Moslems, Slovenes, Italians, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, and others.

Official language and alphabet
Croatian language and Latin alphabet.

Religions
The majority of the population are Roman Catholics, and in addition there are a number of those of Orthodox faith, as well as Muslims, and Christians of other denominations.

Usefull information

Currency:
Kuna (1 Kuna = 100 Lipa). There are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 Lipa coins, 1, 2, 5 and 25 Kuna coins and 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 Kuna banknotes.

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:
220V, 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:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia
Web: www.mvp.hr/mvprh-www-eng/index.html

Customs:
There are no Customs charges for personal belongings. Foreign currency can be imported and exported freely. Domestic currency up to the value of 2,000 Kuna can be exported. Professional and technical equipment of significant value should be reported when entering the country. Pets must have valid international veterinary certificates.
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:
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. There are hospitals and clinics in all the major towns, and health centers, as well as pharmacies, in all the smaller places. 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:
1 January - New Year's Day; 6. January - Epiphany; Easter, including Easter Monday; 1 May - Labour Day; 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.

Environment protection:
Protection of biodiversity is in accordance with the valid EU regulations. As regards bathing the sea at the Croatian Adriatic is of high quality acording to the EU criteria. In case of an accident or pollution of the sea, please advise the National Centre for Search and Rescue at Sea to the telephone 9155 (toll free telephone), which is included in network of international institutions of the same level.
Inn case of an extraordinary pollution of the environment on the mainland, please inform the National Centre for Notification, the telephone number 985 or the Police the tlephone number 92.
Additional information about environment and health care:
Tel: 0800 200 037, Web: www.mzopu.hr

Meteorological Data

Climate

The climate at the Adriatic is typically a Mediterranean one, with mild rainy winters, and hot and dry summers. The air temperature changes depending on the area. Thus, summer temperatures in July will be about 34°C in the northern part, while in the southern part they will rise even to 38°C. In the winter, the coldest temperatures are noticed in the northern Adriatic (up to -16°C), while they will not have exceeded 6°C in the southern part.

Winds

At the Adriatic Sea, the bora, sirocco and north-western wind blow most often.

Bora
Bora (Cro.: bura) is a dry, cold downward wind blowing in bursts from the north-northeast to the east-northeast direction. The direction in which the wind blows is mostly influenced by the configuration of the shore. The strength of bora is explained by the existence of warm air over the surface of the sea, and a cold layer of air above mountain ranges in the littoral, which cause a strong streaming due to equating of the pressure. Cold air tends to fill the void which occurs due to the rising of the warm (lighter) air from the sea surface. Bora blows mostly in the winter. In the summer, it usually lasts for a day or several hours, while, in the winter, it can blow as long as 14 days.

Sirocco
Sirocco (Cro.: jugo, siroko or silok) is a warm and moist wind which blows from the direction east-southeast to south-southwest. Its consequences are high waves and rain. Sirocco is a characteristic wind for the southern Adriatic, where it blows longer and stronger than in the northern part. In the summer, it usually blows as long as 3 days, and in the winter even as long as 3 weeks. The signs of the oncoming sirocco are the calm at the sea, weak changeable winds, dimness of the horizon, the increase of the temperature and moisture, and the gradual decrease of the pressure. Waves from the direction of the southeast become bigger.

Landward Breeze
The landward breeze (Cro.: maestral, maestral, smorac) is a daily, thermic wind blowing from the direction of the northwest, and it occurs as the consequence of the difference in the speed of warming up of the land and the sea. It is present from the spring to the autumn, and, during the day, it often changes the direction of blowing. The landward breeze is more present in the southern Adriatic than in the northern Adriatic, and it starts to blow earlier there.

Stiff Breeze
The stiff breeze (Cro.: burin) is a wind blowing contrary to the landward breeze. It blows during the night from the direction of the north, north-east in the northern Adriatic, and in the southern Adriatic, from the east or south-east. It is the strongest before the dawn, and after that it stops soon.

Data About Weather

Weather forecasts are made by the State Hydrometeorological Institute, and they can be heard on VHF frequencies of coastal radio stations and harbor master's offices. They are also broadcast on FM stations or at the end of the news or within broadcasts for seamen. Harbor master's offices constantly send weather reports and warnings on their VHF operating channels, in four languages. It is possible to get forecasts with the presentation of the synoptical situation in all the marinas and harbor offices.

Nautical Radio Service and Communications Service

The whole of the Croatian coast is covered by radio communications rather well. The radio service for protection of human lives and safety of navigation is provided by Plovput from Split, through radio stations Split and Dubrovnik, which cover the southern Adriatic, and Rijeka, which covers the northern part of our sea.
According to the standards of the GMDSS system (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System), the channel for automated receipt of digitalized distress calls is the channel 70, after which the communication is transferred to the operating channel of the coastal station, i.e. a harbor master's office (16 or 10). GMDSS system has been in use since 1 st February 1999, and on the present VHF channel for distress calls, the channel 16, constant listening will be possible still for some more time.
For a direct call to a harbor master's office, the channel 10 is used.

In Croatia, there are three commercial systems of wireless telephony: mobile phone 099, Cronet 098 and VipNet 091.