CROATIA PACKAGE - September 2010...

Experience the wonder of the Dalmatian coast, including Split and Dubrovnik, visit the many majestic islands, enjoy beautiful scenery and fantastic food and wine.

Enjoy wondrous 7 nights, twin share cabin on a fully skippered yacht for September 2010. Take the helm yourself and learn to sail or simply sit back and relax while our experienced skipper takes you from one magical port to the next. Limited bookings from as little as $3,135 p.p. (Excl. air fares).

BASIC FACTS

Official name

Republic of Croatia

Capital

Zagreb

Area

56,510 sq km
21,819 sq mi

Largest cities (population)

Zagreb 688,000 (2003 estimate)
Split 173,692 (2001)
Rijeka 143,395 (2001)
Osijek 91,046 (2001)
Zadar 69,239 (2001)
Pula 58,342 (2001)
Slavonski Brod 57,199 (2001)
Karlovac 49,228 (2001)
Dubrovnik 30,078 (2001)

Population

4,491,543 (2008 estimate)
Population growth rate -0.04 per cent (2008 estimate)
Population density 80 persons per sq km (2008 estimate)
206 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)

Urbanisation

Per cent urban 60 per cent (2005 estimate)
Per cent rural 40 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total 75.1 years (2008 estimate)
Female 79 years (2008 estimate)
Male 71.5 years (2008 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

7 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total 98.7 per cent (2005 estimate)
Female 98.1 per cent (2005 estimate)
Male 99.5 per cent (2005 estimate)

Ethnic divisions

Croat 78 per cent
Serb 12 per cent
Other 10 per cent

Languages

Croatian 96 per cent
Other 4 per cent

Religions

Roman Catholic 76.5 per cent
Orthodox 11.1 per cent
Muslim 1.2 per cent
Protestant 0.4 per cent
Other and unknown 10.8 per cent

Type of government

Parliamentary democracy

Independence 

June 25, 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

Constitution 

Adopted December 22, 1990, amended in 1997 and 2001

Voting rights 

Age 16, if employed; universal at age 18

Economy

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)42,925 million (2006)
GDP per capita (US$) 9,665.10 (2006)
GDP by economic sector
GDP, agriculture 7.4 per cent (2006)
GDP, industry 31.6 per cent (2006)
GDP, services 60.9 per cent (2006)

National budget (US$)

Total revenue 17,164 million (2006)
Total expenditure 16,916 million (2006)

Monetary unit

1 kuna (HRK), consisting of 100 lipas

Exports

Machinery and transport equipment, other manufactured goods, chemicals, food and livestock, raw materials, fuels and lubricants

Imports

Machinery and transport equipment, fuels and lubricants, food and livestock, chemicals, manufactured goods, raw materials, beverages, tobacco

Major trading partners for exports

European Union (EU) countries, Slovenia

Major trading partners for imports

EU countries, Slovenia, former Soviet republics, Austria

Industries

Chemicals and plastics, machine tools, fabricated metal, electronics, pig iron and rolled steel products, aluminium reduction, paper, wood products (including furniture), building materials (including cement), textiles, shipbuilding, petroleum and petroleum refining, food processing, beverages

Agriculture

Principal crops: wheat, sugar beet, sunflower seeds, maize, alfalfa, olives, citrus fruits, potatoes, barley; livestock and dairy farming

Natural resources

Oil, coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clay and salt.

THE CROATIAN ISLANDS

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Split is the largest and most important city on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia, and the country's second-largest city. It is a Mediterranean city, situated on a small peninsula on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea.

Split is also one of the oldest cities in the area, dating more that 1700 years, although some new archeological research show the possibility of the city being even older.

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Hvar is a town on the eponymous island of Hvar in Dalmatia, Croatia. The municipality has a population of 4,138 (2001) while the city itself is inhabited by 3,672 people, making it the largest settlement on the island.

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Lumbarda is a small fishermen's village located on the Eastern Cape of the Island of Korcul, Croatia, 7 kilometres away from the town of Korcula. A road passing through a picturesque area of pine woods and olive groves connects these two places.

Lumbarda is surrounded by sandy vineyards (famous white wine "Grk" produced from the native grape of the same name) and sandy beaches such as Vela Przina, Bilin Zal and Tatinja.

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Lopud is a small island off the coast of Dalmatia, southern Croatia. Lopud is one of the Elaphiti Islands, and can be reached by boat from Dubrovnik, Orasac and Zaton. The island is famous for its sandy beaches, in particular the bay of Sunj.

Viktor Dyk, a Czech poet and politician, died of a heart failure while swimming in the sea near the island of Lopud.

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Dubrovnik is a historic city on the Adriatic Sea coast in the extreme south of Croatia, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik.

The prosperity of the city of Dubrovnik has always been based on maritime trade. In the Middle Ages, as the Republic of Ragusa, it became the only eastern Adriatic city-state to rival Venice. Supported by its wealth and skilled diplomacy, the city achieved a remarkable level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries.