About Croatia

The total area of Croatia is 56,510 sq km (21,819 sq mi).The country's diverse terrain includes flat plains, low mountains,offshore islands,and a coastline,excluding the islands,that extends 1,778 km (1,105 mi).Eastern Croatia,including the historic area of Slavonia ,is part of the Pannonian Plain,a low-lying,fertile,agricultural region.In the west is Dalmatia ,a narrow, barren strip of land within the Dinaric Alps that slopes down to the Adriatic Sea.The Karst,a barren limestone plateau,dominates the Croatian landscape in some areas;the island of Pag consists almost entirely of karst terrain.

Clime Conditions

Climatically,Croatia may be divided into four regions:Pannonian,Dinaric mountain,Adriatic,and Mediterranean. The Pannonian climate,with hot summers and cold winters,prevails in Slavonia.The Mediterranean climate, with warm,almost rainless summers and mild winters,prevails in the coastal area to the south of the city of Split. The coastal area to the north of Split is characterized by a so-called Adriatic climate,which differs from the Mediterranean chiefly by the prevalence in winter of drier weather,often brought in from the northeast by a cold and turbulent air mass called the bura.The Dinaric mountain climate of the Adriatic hinterland is characterized by moderate summers and winters and fairly high rainfall.The average temperature in Zagreb,an inland city, is 0°C (32°F) in January and 24°C (75°F) in July. In Dubrovnik,a city on the coast,the average is 9°C (48°F) in January and 25°C (77°F) in July.

Vegetation

As the climate, the country's vegetation is highly varied, from grape vines and olive trees in Dalmatia to oak forests in Slavonia.Animal life is diverse,ranging from species of snail and lizard near the coast to wolf and bear in the mainland forests.Hare,fox,lynx,weasel,otter,deer,marten,wildcat,and mouflon(wild sheep)also inhabit Croatia.The Adriatic basin is rich in sea life.Croatia protects a higher percentage of its land in parks than many of the country's eastern European neighbors,yet much less than many western European countries.Forests make up almost one-third of the country's land area.

Mountains, Rivers...

The Dinaric Alps contain several parallel mountain ranges.The highest peak,on the border with Bosnia,is Mount Troglav at 1,913 m (6,276 ft).The coastal range is partially submerged,creating numerous bays,gulfs,inlets, and more than 1,000 offshore islands.The historic area of Istria,a peninsula that stretches out into the Adriatic from Slovenia,lies to the north and west of Dalmatia.Croatia's chief rivers are the Sava,Drava,Danube,and Kupa.Both the Drava and the Sava drain the Pannonian Plain and flow into the Danube,one of the most important waterways in Europe.The Danube forms part of Croatia's eastern border with Serbia and Montenegro.The Kupa,smaller than the other three rivers,flows east along the Slovenian border into central Croatia,where it joins the Sava.