IAS NIKA TRAVEL

Geography of Croatia

Croatia is located between South-Central Europe and Middle Europe. Its shape resembles that of a crescent or a horseshoe, which flanks its neighbours Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. To the north lie Slovenia and Hungary; Italy lies across the Adriatic Sea. Its mainland territory is split in two non-contiguous parts by the short coastline of Bosnia and Herzegovina around Neum.

Its terrain is diverse, including:

* plains, lakes and rolling hills in the continental north and northeast (Central Croatia and Slavonia, part of the Pannonian Basin);
* densely wooded mountains in Lika and Gorski Kotar, part of the Dinaric Alps;
* rocky coastlines on the Adriatic Sea (Istria, Northern Seacoast and Dalmatia).

The country is famous for its many national parks. Croatia has a mixture of climates. In the north and east it is continental, Mediterranean along the coast and a semi-highland and highland climate in the south-central region.

Offshore Croatia consists of over one thousand islands varying in size. The largest islands in Croatia are Cres and Krk which are located in the Adriatic Sea. The Danube, the second longest river in Europe, runs through the city of Vukovar. Dinara, the eponym of the Dinaric Alps, is the highest peak of Croatia at 1831 metres above sea level

Croatia is divided into 20 counties (županija) and the capital Zagreb's city district (in italics below):
Anglicized name Native name
1 Zagreb Zagreba?ka
2 Krapina-Zagorje Krapinsko-zagorska
3 Sisak-Moslavina Sisa?ko-moslava?ka
4 Karlovac Karlova?ka
5 Varaždin Varaždinska
6 Koprivnica-Križevci Koprivni?ko-križeva?ka
7 Bjelovar-Bilogora Bjelovarsko-bilogorska
8 Primorje-Gorski Kotar Primorsko-goranska
9 Lika-Senj Li?ko-senjska
10 Virovitica-Podravina Viroviti?ko-podravska
11 Požega-Slavonia Požeško-slavonska
12 Brod-Posavina Brodsko-posavska
13 Zadar Zadarska
14 Osijek-Baranja Osje?ko-baranjska
15 Šibenik-Knin Šibensko-kninska
16 Vukovar-Srijem Vukovarsko-srijemska
17 Split-Dalmatia Splitsko-dalmatinska
18 Istria Istarska
19 Dubrovnik-Neretva Dubrova?ko-neretvanska
20 Me?imurje Me?imurska
21 City of Zagreb Grad Zagreb