Croatia is a central European and Mediterranean country, bordering Slovenia in the west, Hungary in the north, Serbia in the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina in the south and has a long maritime border with Italy in the Adriatic Sea. The coastline is split into two main regions, Istria in the north and Dalmatia in the south. Keith Ashton International focuses on the coast line of Istria.

The population centres are Zagreb, the capital, with a population of just under 800,000, Osijek in the North West, and the ports of Rijeka, Split and Dubrovnik in the south. The official language is Croatian, which is written in the Latin script.

Geographical information
Croatia covers over 56,000 sq km of land with over 30,000 sq km of sea. Its capital is Zagreb and the country has approx 4,400,000 inhabitants. It has a coastline of 5,835 km which is partly made up from the 1,185 islands (67 inhabited).

Currency
The Croatian currency is kuna

Language
The country's official language is Croatian (Slavonic group of languages with latin script) also Italian, German, English & Russian are spoken.

Climate
Coastal Regions:
Mediterranian climate with hot and very dry summers / mild and humid winters. Average temperatures; in January 5 to 10 C and in August 25 to 30 C

Istria
Istria is reminiscent of Tuscany with its rolling hills, vineyards, olive groves and pine forests. On the coast there are plentiful beaches and coves. Activities include water sports, sailing, horse riding, biking, tennis, canoeing, hiking and diving to name but a few.

Istria is special because it has a mixture of Italian, Austrian, Hungarian and Baltic cultures, which in turn gives it a rich and friendly atmosphere. Many events take place throughout the year the biggest being the top-level internationally renowned ATP Croatian Open which takes place annually, around the end of July, in Umag.
Concerts are held throughout the summer. In the past there have been such stars as Pavarotti, U2, Jay Kay and many more.

Istria is a fantastic vine growing and wine producing region. You can drive around the countryside and pop into these local vineyards or for around £10 a head you can go on wine tours, which will give you a tour of a few vineyards including tasting. Also the region is well known for its truffles and is the world record holder for the largest white truffle. Olive oil is produced in the region and can be sampled in many local farms. Agro-tourism is very popular in Istria which are family run small farms with a restaurant where they serve only their own fresh produce.