s: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km,
Serbia and Montenegro 266 km (241 km with Serbia; 25 km with
Montenego), Slovenia 546 km

Coastline: 5,790 km (mainland 1,778 km, islands 4,012 km)

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

International disputes: Eastern Slavonia, which was held by ethnic
Serbs during the war, is currently being overseen by the UN
Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia; reintegration of
Eastern Slavonia into Croatia will occur in 1997; although Croatia
does not recognize the "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia," both
countries have agreed to open consular sections in each other's
capitals; Croatia and Italy have not resolved a bilateral issue
dating from WWII over property and ethnic minority rights; a border
dispute with Slovenia is unresolved

Climate: Mediterranean and continental; continental climate
predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry
summers along coast

Terrain: geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian
border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coast, coastline,
and islands
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Dinara 1,830 m

Natural resources: oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore,
calcium, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt

Land use:
arable land: 32%
permanent crops: 20%
meadows and pastures: 18%
forest and woodland: 15%
other: 15%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment:
current issues: air pollution (from metallurgical plants) and
resulting acid rain is damaging the forests; coastal pollution from
industrial and domestic waste; widespread casualties and destruction
of infrastructure in border areas affected by civil strife
natural hazards: frequent and destructive earthquakes
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Hazardous
Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Law of the Sea

Geographic note: controls most land routes from Western Europe to
Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits

People
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Population: 5,004,112 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 453,142; female 431,118)
15-64 years: 69% (male 1,731,200; female 1,716,824)
65 years and over: 13% (male 252,897; female 418,931) (