Want to know more about the geography of Croatia? Then the following article should give you some key facts and insights.
The geography of Croatia is extremely diverse.
Location
The physical geography of Croatia locates it in the South Eastern part of Europe bordering Hungary (330 km border), Serbia (240 km border), Bosnia (930 km border), Herzegovina (930 km border), Montenegro (25 km border) and Slovenia (500 km border). Croatia borders the Adriatic sea.
Landscape
The diversity of the landscape and geography in Croatia are one of the reasons why people love travelling there. There is something for everyone to enjoy. The Hungarian borders are flat, there are thousands of islets along the long Adriatic coast and then a beautiful array of mountains in the central part of Croatia. The Dinaric Alps are barren and rocky. Did you know that there are also over a thousand islands off Croatia?
Area
Croatia is made up of approximately 56,000 square kilometres of land and 130 square kilometres of water.
Natural Resources
There are an abundance of natural resources in Croatia including, oil and gas, calcium, limited amounts of coal (found in northwest Croatia), bauxite (found in Dalmatia and Istria), asphalt and salt. The oil and gas supplies amply meet the demands of the Croatian people, with surplus amounts which allow for export.
Land
The geography of Croatia allows for a diverse use of the land. Over 30% of the land is cultivated, approximately 20% of the land is used for crop crowing and the remaining 50% fulfils a variety of purposes, including forests, meadows and woodland.
Natural Disasters
Croatia is an active earthquake zone and, as such, some of the issues relating to Croatia are the frequent earthquakes which take place. The geography of Croatia sets it in the Alpine-Mediterranean seismic region and most of the earthquakes occur in coastal areas.
Elevations
The highest point of Croatia is Dinara, which is one of the mountains located on the border of Bosnia, Croatia and Herzegovina and measures 1,830m. The lowest point of elevation in Croatia is the Adriatic Sea and 0 m.
National parks
Croatia has eight national parks which have all been established to protect the animals and plant life. The total area of these national parks is 994 km² split by 759 km² land and 235 km² water. The oldest park was established in 1949 and the most recent was established in 1999.
