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In 2013, Croatia joined the European Union. The service sector dominates Croatia’s economy, followed by the industrial sector and agriculture. Tourism is a significant source of revenue during the summer, with Croatia ranked the 18th most popular tourist destination in the world. Despite its reputation as Europe’s vacation hotspot, Croatia hasn’t given in to mass tourism. The ‘Mediterranean As It Once Was’ motto of Croatia’s tourist board may be overblown in popular destinations where development has taken a firm hold, but pockets of authentic culture can be found and there’s still plenty to discover off the grid.

There’s a buzz and undeniable star appeal to Croatia’s coast. You’ll get plenty of glitz and glamour in Dubrovnik and Hvar, where night action and celebrity-spotting, designer cocktail in hand, is de rigueur, and fancy yachts dock in droves. For those wanting peace and quiet, hideaways aplenty wait to be discovered, including the remote town of Makarska which combines majestic mountains with the beautiful blue sea. There is also plenty to see inland and Zagred, the capital, could be your starting point. 

Read more: Lonely Planet

Capital City: Zagreb

Population: 4.27 million (est. 2012)

Currency: Kuna (HRK)

Official language: Croatian

Ethnicity/race: Croat 89.6%, Serb 4.5%, other 5.9% (including Bosniak, Hungarian, Slovene, Czech, and Roma) (2001 census)

Religion: Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2% (2001 census)

3 Interesting Facts:

1. Dalmatian dogs originate and got their name after Dalmatia, a south coastal region in Croatia.
2. Marco Polo, the world-renowned 13th century adventurer, traveler and merchant, was most probably born in 1254 on the Dalmatian island of Korčula and even today, there are people on the island, who bear the same family name.
3. The parachute was invented by the Croatian Faust Vrancic in the 17th century, who was also the designer of the first wind turbine.

See more on Croatia from Cris2Travel:

• Dubrovnik
• Makarska
• Split