Croatia. According to its geographic location Croatia is a Central European, Mediterranean country. It consists of three basic geographic units:
the Pannonian-Peripannonian (moderate continental climate), the Mediterranean or coastal (Mediterranean climate), and the highland unit (mountainous climate).
As a tourist country it is known for its natural beauties and well-indented coast with a total of 1,185 islands, isles and cliffs. It has 2,600 sunny hours per year, which makes it one of the sunniest countries in Europe. Due to its geographic location between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea, as well as in the delta of the Una, Kupa, Sava, Drava and Danube river there are great climatic variabilities, and therefore different flora and fauna.
The seaside area, i.e. the coastal stretch by the Adriatic embraces the islands, the coast and the lower hinterland as well as two kinds of climate: the Mediterranean (in the coastal area and on the islands) and the continental. The indented coast is 1,777 kilometers long, and the coast line along with 1,185 islands and isles amounts to 4,012 kilometers. The climate is characterized by hot summers, many sunny days, and mild and rainy winters. For instance the island of Hvar (with an average temperature of 8.7 oC in January) has 2,718 hours of sunshine a year, Dubrovnik has 2,584. As a comparison, Nice has 2,706 sunny hours. The main natural peculiarity is the blue sea, the coastal karst, and the Mediterranean vegetation.

Summer tourism - The majority of accomodation-facilities is situated in the coastal area from Savudria in the North to Prevlaka in the South, where during the summer season tourists may stay at pleasant hotels, apartments, tourist colonies, campsites. Very seldom you will find such untouched nature and pure sea.

Nautical tourism - The Adriatic Sea is an extraordinarily interesting and attractive resource of the Croatian nautical possibilities. A more intensive development of nautical tourism in the last decade completes the Croatian tourist offer. Croatia has 41 marinas with all necessary accompanying facilities at its disposal.

Health resorts - Numerous medicinal, mineral and thermal springs offer the possibility of developing this kind of tourism. In the continental area there is a series of spas and health resorts in Daruvar, Lipik, Bizovac, Varazdin, Stubica, Krapina and Tuhelj in the vicinity of Zagreb. Famous spas in the coastal area are in Umag, Opatija, Crikvenica, Veli Losinj, Korucula, Hvar and Makarska.

Mountain-climbing - Numerous mountainous areas - from gray and bare steeps attractive to courageous climbers to solid vegetation layers suitable for pleasant hiking trips - are propitious for mountain-climbing. Many marked tracks are a proof of an old tradition of mountain-climbing.

Winter tourism - Although Croatia has natural conditions suitable for the development of winter sports activities at its disposal, they still have not been fully put to profitable use. Ski-runs are located on Platak, the Plitvice Lakes, Medvednica near Zagreb and Bjelolasica.

Convention tourism - In terms of convention tourism Croatia takes an important place in the world. By organizing many specialized conventions in the tourist centers of the country (Zagreb, Brijuni Islands, Opatija, Porec, Umag, Rovinj, Pula, Zadar, Sibenik, Split, Dubrovnik), Croatia made its way among the most important convention centers worldwide.

Religious tourism - Catholicism has always fostered the tradition of pilgrimages to national sanctuaries in Croatia. The most renowned are in Marija Bistrica, Trsat near Rijeka, Aljmas, Slavonski brod, Sinj. During the last decade many pilgrims have visited Medjugorje in Herzegovina after having been to Dubrovnik.

Hunting tourism - Hunters will have a good reason for spending their vacation in Croatia which has about 70,000 big game (deer, doe, boar, bear) and 800,000 small game (hare, pheasant, partridge, waders). There are 768 hunting districts in Croatia. Gallery