Croatia is a country located in Southeastern Europe along the Adriatic Sea. It has a population of around 4.5 million people and its capital and largest city is Zagreb. Croatia has a diverse landscape including beaches, mountains, and plains. It has a long history with influences from Romans, Franks, Hungarians, and was part of Yugoslavia before gaining independence in 1991. Today, Croatia relies heavily on tourism along its coast which makes up 15% of its GDP and has been economically successful despite struggles with corruption and unemployment.

1. KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY-KNOW YOUR WORLD
REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

2. Speaker:

3. Croatia is located in Southeastern Europe in a region that is
known as the West Balkans. The western part of the country
runs along the Adriatic Sea. Croatia has a diverse geography
with beaches, mountains, and plains.

4. Country Quick Facts
Full name: Republic of Croatia
Population: about 4.5 million people (July 2014)
Capital: Zagreb
Largest city: Zagreb
Official language: Croatian
Major religion: Roman Catholic (86.3%)
Life expectancy: Male- 73, Female- 80
Monetary unit: Croatian Kuna
Main exports: transport equipment, machinery, textiles, chemicals,
foodstuffs, fuels
GNI per capita: $20,830

5. Croatian History in Brief
• Romans ruled the land today known as Croatia until the 5th
century and there are still ruins around the country today
• Around the middle of the 7th century, Croat tribes arrived in
the land
• Shortly after, they came under Frankish rule and much
conversion to Christianity resulted, which is still evident
today, with 90% of the population identifying as Catholic
• In 925, a king was crowned and Croatia the Kingdom was
created
• The Kingdom of Croatia eventually merged with Hungary in
the Middle Ages

6. History continued
• Croatia became part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire in the
19th century until it fell in 1918
• Croatia then became part of
communist Tito’s Yugoslavia in
the 1950s
• Croatia declared independence
from Yugoslavia in June 1991
• A civil war resulted from the
breakup of Yugoslavia and
Croatia faced many casualties
• Croatia joined the European
Union in 2013
Bombing of the coastal city of
Dubrovnik during the civil war in the
1990s

7. Language
• HELLO: Dobar dan
• GOODBYE: Dovidenja
• YES: Da
• NO: Ne
• THANK YOU: Hvala
• YOU’RE WELCOME: nema na čemu
• PLEASE: Molim
• I LOVE YOU: Volim te
• HOW ARE YOU?: Kako si?

8. Government
• President- Kolinda Grabar-
Kitarovic
• Prime Minister- Zoran Milanovic
• Parliamentary democracy
• Voting age- 18 years old, 16 if
employed
President Grabar-
Kitarovic (above), Prime
Minister Milanovic (left)

9. Zagreb, the CapitalSt. Mark’s Church
Old Town
Dolac Market
Main Square

10. Current issues
• Still some corruption in the government
• High unemployment rates
• Struggling to keep Foreign Direct
Investment
• Protection of minorities such as Serbs
and Roma
• Disagreements over territory claims with
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia

11. Economy
• Has been doing well economically
despite being part of the
communist Yugoslavia until 1991
and the damaging war that
followed independence
• Became a member of the
European Union in 2013 (newest
member)
• Heavily relies on tourism,
especially on its Adriatic Coast,
which is 15% of the GDP (10
million foreign visitors/year)
• Major industries: shipbuilding,
construction, petrochemicals, and
food processing

12. Currency
• Croatian Kuna, Lipa (coins)
• “Kuna” is the Croatian word for
marten, a ferret-like rodent
• 1 US Dollar= 6.77 Croatian Kuna

13. Traditional Clothing

14. Traditional dance

15. Traditional food
• Food varies depending on where
you are in Croatia: the mainland
or the coast
• The mainland dishes have Slavic,
Hungarian, and Turkish influence,
while the coast has more
Mediterranean influence like from
Italy and Greek, for example
• Pasta dishes and seafood are
common along the coast
• Goulash and stew dishes are
common in the mainland
• Popular dessert, fritule, is like little
donut holes with powdered-sugar
on top

16. Fun facts
• The necktie was created in Croatia in the 17th century
• The first ball-point pen was invented in Croatia
• There is hardly any security outside the government buildings,
such as the parliament building, in Zagreb, Croatia
• Croatia has over 1,000 islands!
• Even though he was ethnically Serbian, Nikola Tesla, the
famous scientist and inventor, was born in a small village in
Croatia
• The dog breed Dalmatian, got its name from Dalmatia, a south
coastal region in Croatia
• The smallest town in the world, according to the Guiness World

17. Hum, Croatia
Tesla
City of Split on the
Dalmatian Coast

18. Links
• https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/geos/hr.html
• http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europ
e/hr.htm
• http://zagreb.usembassy.gov/
• http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/countries
/croatia/