|
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a southernCentral European country at the crossroads between the Pannonian Plain and theMediterranean Sea. Its capital is Zagreb. Croatia borders with Slovenia andHungary to the north, Serbia to the northeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina to theeast, and Montenegro to the far southeast. Its southern and western flanksborder the Adriatic Sea, and it also shares a sea border with Italy in the Gulfof Trieste. The country is famous for its many national parks. Croatia has amixture of climates. In the north and east it is continental, Mediterraneanalong the coast and a semi-highland and highland climate in the south-centralregion. Its population is 4,453,500 (2008 estimate).
Once one of the wealthiest of the Yugoslav republics,Croatia's economy suffered badly during the 1991-95 war as output collapsed andthe country missed the early waves of investment in Central and Eastern Europethat followed the fall of the Berlin Wall. Since 2000, however, Croatia'seconomic fortunes have begun to improve slowly, with moderate but steady GDPgrowth between 4% and 6% led by a rebound in tourism and credit-driven consumerspending. Inflation over the same period has remained tame and the currency,the kuna, stable.
Croatia’s industrial sector is dominated by shipbuilding,food processing and the chemical industry. Tourism is a notable source ofincome during the summer, with over 10 million foreign tourists in 2006generating revenue of €8 billion. Croatia is ranked as the 18th most populartourist destination in the world. In 2006 Croatia exported goods to the valueof USD$10.4 billion (FOB) (US$19.7 billion including service exports). Croatiaremains hugely popular with British and European tourists alike, sustainingdemand in a healthy property market. The beauty of the country makes it anattractive place either for emigration or for investment in property in orderto accommodate the many thousands of tourists each year.
|
