CROATIA Country Profile

Info4Migrants CROATIA Country profile Project number: UK/13/LLP-LdV/TOI-615 56,594 km2 POPULATION 4,284 mln GDP per capita $18,314 CURRENCY Croatian kuna (HRK) Language CROATIAN COUNTRY BACKGROUND HUNGARY SLOVENIA Zagreb CROATIA BOSNIA - HERZEGOVINA 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. There are 1,185 islands, the largest ones are Krk and Cres. 67 islands are inhabited. National Flag Capital: Zagreb with 779,145 inhabitants Climate in Croatia: Northern Croatia has a continental climate; Central Croatia has a semi-highland and highland climate, while the Croatian coast has a Mediterranean climate. Population of Croatia: 89% Croats. National minorities include Serbs, Muslims, Slovenes, Italians, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, and others. Official language: Croatian 96%, other 4% (Serbian, Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German) Coat of arms Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2% (2001 census) 3 Learnmera Oy www.thelanguagemenu.com Country profileCROATIA CROATIA FACTS Religion Most Croatians are Roman Catholic, and religion is a unifying factor of Croatian culture. Though religion is not discussed in the workplace, Catholicism has a great impact on everyday life and many businesses close for Roman Catholic holidays. Each town and city has a patron saint and celebrates the saint’s feast day with ceremonies and festivals. Catholic religion has also played a large part in the historical and cultural development of Croatia, and continues to be seen in everyday Croatian life. National Pride Croatians are very proud of their country and heritage and can take criticism personally. Because of this, Croatians may come off as being haughty and pretentious and can seem slightly arrogant to foreigners. Croatians feel a strong sense of nationalism after years of foreign control, and often refer to their country as ‘Our Beautiful Homeland’. Currency Croatia’s currency, Kuna, was named after Kuna, a small rodent, whose fur was used for payment in the region many centuries ago. The animal is called ‘Marten’ in English. Kuna is subdivided into 100 lipa. The word lipa means “linden (lime) tree”. Tie During the Thirty Years’ War in the 17th century, the traditional small, knotted neckerchiefs worn by Croa- tian mercenaries aroused the interest of Parisians who for some reason immediately took to the new fashion accessory. The term for this new trend, cravat, derives from the Croatian word. 4 Learnmera Oy www.thelanguagemenu.com Country profileCROATIA CROATIA FACTS Famous inventions Croatian Slavoljub Penkala invented a mechanical pencil in 1906. The patent was registered in 35 countries and his company TOZ–Penkala is still in operation today in Zagreb. The world’s first torpedo was built Constructed by Ivan Lu- pis Vukic in Rijeka Istria in the 19th century. was the worlds first torpedo. Ivan Vucetic, criminologist and anthropologist, was born on the island of Hvar (later emigrated in to Argentina, and was known as Juan). He became was the pioneer of scientific dactiloscopy (identification by fingerprints), and his meth- ods of identification are used worldwide. Economic situation Croatia has successfully established macroeconomic stabilisation. Though the state still has a large presence in the economy, GDP is rising and the Croatian market is experiencing moderate expansion. Croatia spent the first five years of its independence fighting the presence of the Serbian military, and has only recently begun to improve living standards and to make critical economic changes. Tourism and an increase in consumer spending have also refined Croatia’s economic climate. A member of NATO and the UN, Croatia also joined the EU in July 2013. Humour Croatians enjoy irony and dark humour and will often laugh at difficult situations and personal flaws. Croatians find humour in sarcasm and do not typically change their tone of voice or facial expression when telling a joke. For these reasons, it can be difficult for foreigners to understand Croatian humour. Croatians tend to tease others, especially foreigners, but mean no ill intent and expect you to behave the same towards them. 5 Learnmera Oy www.thelanguagemenu.com Country profileCROATIA CROATIA FACTS Nikola Tesla Arguably the greatest genius of the 20th century, Nikola Tesla was born in modern-day Croatia. While he was born of Serbian parents, Tesla is celebrated around the country, from statues to events in his honour. He developed the alternating current method of delivering electricity (AC) as well asand power generation systems by which almost all electrical power is still delivered today. Tesla developed the processes that led to the radio as well as other forms of wireless deliv- ery. Neon and fluorescent lighting, the radar, faxes and other Tesla’s other ideas were yearsfar ahead of his time. Language Before 18th century, Croats used an alphabet which was called “glagoljica” or Glagolitic. Modern Croatian uses the Latin alphabet and is a standardized variety of the Ser- bo-Croatian language used principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries. The Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian languages are all very similar in the spoken form. In fact, they differ even less than American, British, and Australian English do from one another. All three languages share three primary dialects, and differ primarily in terms of vocabulary. As far as the written language, differences exist in that Serbian uses a Cyrillic alphabet while Croatian uses a Latin alphabet. The Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian languages are all very similar in the spoken form. In fact, they differ even less than American, British, and Australian English do from one another. All three languages share three primary dialects, and differ primarily in terms of vocabulary. As far as the written language, differences exist in that Serbian uses a Cyrillic alphabet while Croatian uses a Latin alphabet. 6 Learnmera Oy www.thelanguagemenu.com Country profileCROATIA PUBLIC HOLIDAYS 1 January: New Year’s Day Moveable date – 60 days day that God assumed the New Year’s Day is a pub- post Easter, Corpus Christi Virgin Mary into Heaven lic holiday in many places Corpus Christi is a Christian following her death. around the world and Croa- observance that honors the tia is no exception. Holy Eucharist. 8 October: Independence Day 6 January: Epiphany 22 June: It and marks the day in 1991 Epiphany is celebrated to Anti-Fascist Struggle Day when the Croatian parlia- commemorate the visit of It marks the beginning of the ment decided to terminate the Biblical Magi to the Baby uprising of Croatian anti-fas- the constitutional links Jesus. cist Partisans against Ger- between Croatia and Yugo- man and Italian occupying slavia. Moveable Sunday in spring: forces. Easter Sunday 1 November: All Saints’ Day The resurrection of Jesus 25 June: Statehood Day On this day people light can- Christ is celebrated on Easter It is a day to celebrate the dles and visit the graves of Day. country’s 1991 declaration deceased relatives. of independence from Yugo- Moveable Monday in slavia. 25 December: Christmas spring: Easter Monday Christmas is a family holiday Easter Monday is the day 5 August: spent together with family following Easter Day. Victory and Homeland and loved ones. Thanksgiving Day and the 1 May: May Day Day of Croatian defenders 26 December: Many public events are or- It is held as a memorial to St. Stephen’s Day ganized all over the country, the War of Independence This day commemorates and military style bean soup (1991-1995). the life of St. Stephen, a is given out to all people as Christian deacon in Jerusa- a symbol of a real workers’ 15 August: lem who was known for his dish as well as red carna- Assumption of Mary service to the poor and his tions as a symbol of blood of The feast day of the Assump- status as the first Christian fallen workers. tion of Mary celebrates the martyr. 7 Learnmera Oy www.thelanguagemenu.com Country profileCROATIA TOURIST ATTRACTIONS Croatia has become an increasingly popular tourist hotspot over the last few years. In 2012, Croatia had 11.8 million tourist visitors, and in 2013 over 14 million tourists and 73.25 million nights. With its rocky, indented shore and more than a thousand islands, Croatia boasts one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline that Europe has to offer. In addition, many of Croatia’s coastal towns and cities have a fascinating history and are filled with the historical remains of Roman and Venetian times. Dubrovnik is one of the most prominent tourist attractions in Croatia and the Mediterra- nean. In the Middle Ages, it became the only city-state in the Adriatic to rival Venice and achieved a remarkable level during the 15th and 16th centuries. Dubrovnik boasts spec- tacular churches, monasteries, fountains and the famous walls that surround the old city. The Plitvice Lakes are considered to be one of the most beautiful natural destinations in Europe. This system of 16 interlinked lakes and a large forest complex around it are famous for their unique colors and a wide variety of rare animal and bird species. Hvar town, set in a picturesque natural bay, with the Pakleni island chain protecting it to the south, is a popular port for yachts sailing around the Adriatic, especially in the sum- mer months. The area around Rovinj city has been described as an “outstanding scenic wonder” because of the pristine beauty of the indented coastline and its forests. The sixth largest Croatian island, Korcula is separated from the mainland by a narrow strait.

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