Religion in Croatia
In modern Croatia, Catholics predominate among believers (over 75%). In connection with the eviction of a significant part of the Serbs from the country, the share of the Orthodox population has decreased and is less than 10%, the number of Muslims is approx. 1%, Protestants – less than 1%. There are communities of Ashkenazi Jews in Zagreb and Osijek, and Sephardic Jews in Split and Dubrovnik.
Transport in Croatia
In Croatia, there are the following types of transport: urban public transport, taxi, rail and sea transport.
The most common form of transport is a bus, and in Zagreb and Osijek also a tram. Tickets are sold in the salon or at newsstands.
Intercity buses run between cities and rail links are developed.
Boats and ferries run to the islands.
Taxis are metered only. Taxi fare is USD 2.4 plus USD 0.96 per kilometer plus USD 0.16 per piece of luggage.
To rent a car in Croatia you must have a driver’s license, standard insurance is paid along with the rent. The largest car rental companies in Croatia – Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz have branches in Rijeka, Split, Zagreb. Many rental agencies require the renter to be at least 18 years old (“Hertz”) or 21 years old (other agencies) as a prerequisite for obtaining a car. Even when paying by credit card, a deposit of at least $200-300 in cash is often required. Some companies offer a 10% discount on full cash payments. A day’s rental costs $20, plus $0.2 for each kilometer (minimum 100 km) or $300-350 per week, regardless of mileage. 30% car insurance is included in the rental price.
Plant and Animal World in Croatia
Croatia is a kind of northern exotic oasis of the Mediterranean Sea with numerous rare species of plants and animals. About 4300 species of plants grow on its territory.
The country’s vegetation is extremely diverse: in the south of Dalmatia and in many areas of the Adriatic coast and on the islands – subtropical (in the foothills and mountains, broad-leaved forests of oak, hornbeam, maple, interspersed with shibleak thickets). In the central mountainous regions – oak-hornbeam, beech, and in the upper mountain belt – beech-fir and spruce forests. On the plains of Slavonia and Baranya, the natural vegetation is steppe and forest-steppe with significant areas of broad-leaved forests of oak, linden, hornbeam, and maple. Poplar, willow, oak, shrubs grow along the valleys of large rivers, and meadows are common. Large areas are occupied by arable land. In total, the flora of Croatia has 4300 species. The flora on the islands is especially rich.
764 species of red, brown and green algae are distributed in the Adriatic Sea.
The fauna is characterized by less species diversity. In the mountain forests there are brown bear, forest cat, pine and stone martens, hares, foxes, wolves, deer, chamois, roe deer, badger. Lizards and snakes are characteristic of the treeless, well-heated slopes of the Dinaric Highlands, and turtles are common in coastal areas. Diverse avifauna. Many nesting species. The most notable species are the eagle, kite, falcon, capercaillie, partridge, stork, gulls and a number of waterfowl. There are many species of woodpeckers in the forests, including three-toed, black (zhelna), gray-haired, white-backed, large motley, lesser motley, and verticey. Cres Island is one of the few places on Earth where the Bald Vulture Eagle lives.
The concentration of birds is especially high within the swampy landscapes at the confluence of the Drava and the Danube. There are many commercial fish species in the Adriatic Sea. Of the aquatic mammals, the monk seal is characteristic. The richness of the flora and fauna of a small country is demonstrated by seven national parks, three of which are located in the mountainous region (Rysnjak, Paklenica and Plitvice Lakes), and four on the coast (Kornati, Mljet, Brijuni and Krka).
Minerals in Croatia
The most valuable large bauxite deposits are found in Dalmatia, on the islands and in Istria. Croatia is also rich in deposits of marl, the main raw material for the cement industry. The reserves of hard and brown coal, oil and natural gas are small.
Banks in Croatia
Croatian banks are open daily from 8 am to 5 pm, on Saturday until 1 pm, the day off is Sunday.
Money in Croatia
The national currency of Croatia is the kuna (HRK). One kuna is equal to 100 lipa.
In circulation there are banknotes of 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 kunas, as well as coins of 1, 2, 5 kunas and 10, 20, 50 lipas. Coins are made of various metals and alloys, differ in weight, diameter and thickness, the edge of the coin can be smooth (on lindens) and notched (on kunas).
Everywhere the calculation is carried out only in kunas.
Currency can be changed at exchange offices, hotels, post offices, travel agencies. Some banks make currency exchange without a commission, but usually the commission is 1 – 1.5%, in some exchangers – 3%. In exchange offices, money is changed according to the passport. It is worth exchanging only the amount that you can certainly spend, since no one will give guarantees of a reverse exchange. Reverse currency exchange is possible only in banks. In this case, bank receipts must be presented.
Traveler’s checks are accepted at most major banks in the country (it is preferable to use checks in euros).
Import and export of local currency is limited to 2000 kunas.
MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and Visa credit cards are accepted everywhere.
Course: 10 Croatian Kuna (HRK) = 1.4 USD
Political State in Croatia
According to politicsezine, Croatia is a parliamentary republic with a presidential form of government. The highest legislative body in the country is the Sabor of the Republic of Croatia (bicameral parliament), consisting of the House of Representatives and the House of Commons with a term of office of 4 years. Deputies are elected on the basis of universal and equal suffrage, which is vested in all citizens who have reached the age of 18, and working – 16 years, in free elections by secret ballot. The competence of the House of Representatives includes the adoption of the constitution and amendments to it, the approval of the state budget, the adoption of laws, the appointment of referendums, and control over the work of the government.
The chamber of counties (communities) consists of 68 deputies: 63 are elected in general elections (3 representatives from each of the 21 counties), 5 are additionally appointed by the president.
The head of state is the president, elected directly by the citizens by secret ballot for a term of 5 years. This post is limited to two terms. The President is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, appoints and dismisses the Prime Minister, his deputies, ministers and other members of the government, calls parliamentary elections, referendums, awards awards, appoints and recalls Croatian diplomatic representatives abroad, represents the country abroad.
The highest body of executive power is the cabinet of ministers, which is formed by the chairman of the government (prime minister) and then approved by the parliament.
Population in Croatia
The population of Croatia (estimated for 2000) is 4282 thousand people. The predominant part of the population – Croats – 78.1%, 12.2% are Serbs, the rest of the population is represented by Bosnian Muslims, Hungarians, Slovenes, Czechs, Albanians, Montenegrins and Gypsies.
Language:
The official language is Croatian. It is related to Serbian, however, after the start of the armed conflict with Serbia, the Croats emphasize its differences: the Serbs write in Cyrillic, the Croats in Latin; more and more archaic words are replacing words related to Serbian; Croats also do not recognize the Novi Sad Agreement of 1954, according to which the Serbian and Croatian languages were declared one Serbo-Croatian. In addition, in Istria and Kvarner they speak Italian, German, and English. In Dalmatia in German and English.
