Key Facts

GDP (ppp) per CAPITA

$18300 (2008 est.)

Inflation Rate

6.1% (2008 est.)

Population

4,489,409 (July 2009 est.)

Country Risk Ratings

A4

Ease of Doing Business

106/181

Global Competitiveness

61/134

Country Map

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Croatia : Introduction

The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal independent Communist state under the strong hand of Marshal TITO. Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands. Under UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998. In January 2008, Croatia assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2008-09 term, and in April 2008 it joined NATO. Croatia is a candidate for eventual EU accession.

Croatia: Croatian National Bank

The National Bank of Croatia is the central bank of the Republic of Croatia and is responsible for the stability of the national currency and for general domestic and foreign liquidity. Site includes a number of financial resources as well as information on the bank itself. Available in English and Croatian.

Sources:
CIA World Factbook (September 2009)
U.S. Dept. of State Country Background Notes (September 2009)