two fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optictrunk line from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik; Croatia is also
investing in ADRIA 1, a joint fiber-optic project with Germany,
Albania, and Greece (2000)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 16, FM 98, shortwave 5 (1999)
Radios:
1.51 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
36 (plus 321 repeaters) (September 1995)
Televisions:
1.22 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.hr
Internet hosts:
29,644 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
9 (2000)
Internet users:
1.014 million (2003)
Transportation Croatia
Railways: total: 2,726 km standard gauge: 2,726 km 1.435-m gauge (984 km electrified) (2004)
Highways:
total: 28,344 km
paved: 23,979 km (including 455 km of expressways)
unpaved: 4,365 km (2002)
Waterways:
785 km (2004)
Pipelines:
gas 1,340 km; oil 583 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Omisalj, Ploce, Rijeka, Sibenik, Vukovar (on Danube)
Merchant marine:
total: 73 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 750,579 GRT/1,178,786 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 25, cargo 12, chemical tanker 2,
passenger/cargo 25, petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 1, roll
on/roll off 4
foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1)
registered in other countries: 31 (2005)
Airports:
68 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 23 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 9 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 45 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 37 (2004 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2004 est.)
Military Croatia
Military branches:
Ground Forces (Hrvatska Vojska, HKoV), Naval Forces (Hrvatska Ratna
Mornarica, HRM), Air and Air Defense Forces (Hrvatsko Ratno
Zrakoplovstvo i Protuzrakoplovna Obrana, HRZiPZO)
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service, with 6-month service obligation; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary service; Croatian Military Police planning to end conscription in 2005 (December 2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18–49: 1,005,058 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18–49: 725,914 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 29,020 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$620 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.39% (2002 est.)
Transnational Issues Croatia
Disputes - international:
discussions continue with Bosnia and Herzegovina over several small
disputed sections of the boundary; the Croatia-Slovenia land and
maritime boundary agreement, which would have ceded most of Pirin
Bay and maritime access to Slovenia and several villages to Croatia,
remains un-ratified and in dispute; as a European Union peripheral
state, neighboring Slovenia must conform to the strict Schengen
border rules to curb illegal migration and commerce through
southeastern Europe while encouraging close cross-border ties with
Croatia
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 12,600 (Croats and Serbs displaced in 1992–1995 war) (2004)
Illicit drugs:
transit point along the Balkan route for Southwest Asian heroin to
Western Europe; has been used as a transit point for maritime
shipments of South American cocaine bound for Western Europe
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@Cuba
Introduction Cuba
Background:
The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the
European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and
following its development as a Spanish colony during the next
several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to
work the coffee and sugar plantations and Havana became the
launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from
Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule was severe and exploitative and
occasional rebellions were harshly suppressed. It was US
