World Factbook
Croatia
Republika Hrvatska
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
55,974 sq km
water
620 sq km
total
56,594 sq km
Climate
Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast
Terrain
geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands
Land use
other
38.2% (2023 est.)
forest
34.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
26.6% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 15.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 1.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 9.6% (2023 est.)
Location
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia
Coastline
5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km; islands 4,058 km)
Elevation
lowest point
Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point
Dinara 1,831 m
mean elevation
331 m
Irrigated land
170 sq km (2022)
Map references
Europe
Land boundaries
total
2,237 km
border countries
Bosnia and Herzegovina 956 km; Hungary 348 km; Montenegro 19 km; Serbia 314 km; Slovenia 600 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Natural hazards
destructive earthquakes
Geography - note
controls most land routes from Western Europe to the Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits; most Adriatic Sea islands lie off the coast of Croatia -- some 1,200 islands, islets, ridges, and rocks
Natural resources
oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than West Virginia
Geographic coordinates
45 10 N, 15 30 E
Population distribution
more of the population lives in the northern half of the country, with approximately a quarter of the populace residing in and around the capital of Zagreb; many of the islands are sparsely populated
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
(Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Dunav (Danube) (shared with Germany [s], Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania [m]) - 2,888 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth