Croatia is a country in Southeast Europe, one of the 9 entries this site files under that subregion. In formal use it is Republic of Croatia. Zagreb is the capital.
Around 3.9 million people live there, placing it 130th of 250 by population — between Panama above it and Georgia below. Within Southeast Europe alone it is the 4th largest of 9 and the 4th most populous.
By land area it covers 56,594 km², which ranks it 129th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Togo and just ahead of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Put next to a country most people can picture, it is around a fifth smaller than Ireland.
How Croatia sits on the globe
Its reference point sits at 45.2° north and 15.5° east, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 5,028 km from the equator, in what geographers would call temperate latitudes.
Countries on the same parallel, far away in longitude, include Mongolia and Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
It borders 5 neighbours: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. The largest of them by area is Hungary, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 22.1 million people.
It has both a coastline and land borders, which is the most common arrangement of all.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Population and languages of Croatia
Spread across 56,594 km², that works out at about 68 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. The median across all 250 entries here is about 90 per square kilometre.
Officially it is monolingual: Croatian. It shares that with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
People from Croatia are called Croatians.
Inside Europe it places 27th of 53 by population, and it accounts for 8.5% of everyone living in Southeast Europe.
Money, internet and phone codes
Money there is the Euro (€, EUR). That is a shared currency: 37 other entries use it, including Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria and Cyprus.
Websites there use the .hr domain. To phone it from abroad you dial +385. Its ISO codes are hr and HRV, which is what most databases and flag files use.
If a quiz asks for the capital of Croatia, the answer is Zagreb.
As a sovereign state it is among the 193 UN members listed here. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Croatia shares borders with 5 countries:
Fun facts about Croatia
- It lies about 5,028 km from the equator, in temperate latitudes.
- In land area it is around a fifth smaller than Ireland.
- Its capital city is Zagreb.
- Its currency, the Euro, is shared with 37 other entries.
- Websites based there use the .hr domain.
- Mongolia and Saint Pierre and Miquelon sit at almost the same latitude, on the far side of the globe.
- Croatian is official here and in 1 other entry worldwide.
- It shares land borders with 5 countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.
Croatia — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Croatia?
- The capital of Croatia is Zagreb.
- What currency does Croatia use?
- Croatia uses the Euro, written € (currency code EUR). It is shared with 37 other entries.
- Where is Croatia located?
- Croatia is in Southeast Europe, part of Europe. Its reference coordinates are 45.2° north and 15.5° east, roughly 5,028 km from the equator in temperate latitudes.
- What language is spoken in Croatia?
- The official language of Croatia is Croatian. It is also official in 1 other entry on this list.
- Is Croatia a country?
- Yes. Croatia is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- What is the population of Croatia?
- Croatia has a population of about 3.9 million, which makes it the 130th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Panama sits just above it and Georgia just below.
- How big is Croatia?
- Croatia covers 56,594 km², ranking 129th of 250 by land area. That makes it around a fifth smaller than Ireland.
- Which countries border Croatia?
- Croatia borders 5 countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. Hungary is the largest of them by area.
