engleski

Water Resources in Croatia in the 21st Century

The paper analyses water use in Croatia and their regions, especially in Istria region. The Republic of Croatia is a relatively young state ; it was founded in 1991 after the disintegration of the former Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia. Embrace an area of 56.538 sq. km which makes 22, 1 % of earlier Yugoslavia with more than 80 % of Adriatic littoral and almost all Adriatic islands. The total population of the country is 4, 422 million people (2001), what is about 10 % less than at the previous one (1991). The country has one of the best location in Europe, it is placed just in the middle of the northern hemisphere-around the 45° latitude N – where the Mediterranean sea deeply penetrate in the heart of Europe (Fig. 1). It is composed of two main wings, the continental, stretching eastward and the littoral along the Adriatic Sea. The physical characteristics of the country: climate, water availability, natural beauties, preserved and clean environment are very suitable for settlements and specially for tourism and vacationing business all round the year. During the summer time along the sea and during the winter time at the mountains, as the Dynaric chain is stretching closely along the Adriatic coast.

water resources; Croatia; sustainable development; watery abundance; Istria

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