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(E) What do they write about Croatia, March 9th, 2006
What do they write about
Croatia ?
So you're looking for Cheap Flight To Split Croatia. Whether its a holiday, or
on business Croatia is increasing in popularity amongst us Brits - and rightly
so!
The Croatian people will tell you that there is so much more to see and do in
Croatia, than just what you see in the brochures.
The official entering of Croatia into personal union with Hungary, becoming part
of the Kingdom of Hungary, had several important consequences.
Croatia has a mixture of climates. In the north and east it is continental,
Mediterranean along the coast and a semi-highland and highland climate in the
south-central region.
In the 4th century BC the northern parts of modern-day Croatia were also
colonized by the Celts, the Scordisci tribe. Other Celtic peoples may also have
been found elsewhere integrated among the Illyrians. The islands of Issa and
Pharos as well as the locality of Tragurion became Greek colonies since the same
period.
The medieval Croatian kingdom reached its peak during the reign of King Petar
KreSimir IV (1058-1074) when it was composed of twelve counties and was slightly
larger than in Tomislav's time, also including the four southern Dalmatian
duchies (Pagania, Zahumlje, Travunia and Duklja). The end of Petar KreSimir IV
also marked the de facto end of the Trpimirovic ruling dynasty which had ruled
the Croatian lands for over two centuries.
The princes of Bribir from the Subic family became particularly influential
during the time of Pavao Subic (1272-1312) who asserted control over large parts
of Dalmatia, Slavonia and Bosnia during an internal conflict between the Árpád
and Anjou ruling dynasties. Later, however, the Anjouvines intervened and
scattered the Subic family across the country (an important offspring being the
Zrinski family), and later even selling the whole of Dalmatia to the Republic of
Venice in 1409.
Illyria was a sovereign state until the Romans conquered it in 168 BC. The
Romans organized the land into the Roman province of Illyricum which encompassed
most of modern Croatia. Illyricum was subsequently split into the provinces of
Pannonia and Dalmatia in year 10. Pannonia was further split in two by Trajan
between 102 and 107.
The first King of Croatia, Tomislav of the Trpimirovic dynasty, was crowned in
the Duvno field in 925 (note that sources vary from 923 to 928). Tomislav, rex
Chroatorum, united the Pannonian and Dalmatian duchys and created a sizeable
state, including most of today's central Croatia, Slavonia, Dalmatia, and most
of Bosnia. The central town of the Duvno field is nowadays named Tomislavgrad (Tomislavtown)
in his honor.
The government ministers (the cabinet) are appointed by the prime minister with
the consent of the Parliament. The prime minister is the head of government,
appointed by the President with the consent of the Parliament who takes his duty
when Parliament gives its consent by absolute majority of all representatives.
After the death of Domitar Zvonimir, Ladislaus I of Hungary was the strongest
candidate for the throne, but the Croatian lords struggled for independence from
Hungary. Following the death of the last Croat king Petar Svacic in the defeat
at the Gvozd hill in 1097 to Coloman of Hungary, they eventually recognized him
as the common king for Croatia and Hungary in a treaty of 1102 (often referred
to as the Pacta Conventa), thus making a personal union with Hungary. The two
crowns would remain connected until the end of World War I.
The Constitutional Court (Ustavni sud) of the Republic of Croatia decides on the
constitutionality of laws and has the right to repeal a law it finds
unconstitutional. It also can impeach the president. The body is made up of 13
judges on 8-year term. The president of the Constitutional Court is elected by
the court for a 4-year term
By the 1840s, the movement had moved from cultural goals to resisting Hungarian
political demands. By the royal order of January 11, 1843, originating from the
chancellor Metternich, the use of the Illyrian name and insignia in public was
forbidden. This deterred the movement's progress but it couldn't stop the
changes in the society that had already started.
A change of leadership was far from a solution to the war with the Turks, in
fact, the Ottoman Empire gradually expanded in the 16th century to include most
of Slavonia, western Bosnia and Lika.
After that there was one more notable native King, Dmitar Zvonimir (1075-1089).
His kinghood is carved in stone BaSka Tablet, preserved to this day as the
oldest written Croatian text, kept in the archaeological museum in Zagreb.
Zvonimir's reign is remembered as a peaceful and prosperous time, during which
the connection of Croats with the Pope was further affirmed, so much so that
Catholicism would remain among Croats until the present day.
Rapid industrialization and diversification occurred after World War II.
Decentralization came in 1965, allowing growth of certain sectors, like the
tourist industry. Profits from Croatian industry were used to develop poorer
regions in the former Yugoslavia. This, coupled with austerity programs and
hyperinflation in the 1980s, led to discontent in both Croatia and Slovenia that
fueled the independence movement.
The area known as Croatia today has been inhabited throughout the prehistoric
period, ever since the Stone Age.
In the middle Paleolithic period, Neandertals lived in modern Zagorje, northern
Croatia. Dragutin Gorjanovic-Kramberger discovered bones and other remnants of a
Neandertal, subsequently named Homo krapiniensis, on a hill near the town of
Krapina.
Croatia has a three-tiered judicial system, consisting of the Supreme Court,
county courts, and municipal courts. The Constitutional Court rules on matters
regarding the Constitution.
A change of leadership was far from a solution to the war with the Turks, in
fact, the Ottoman Empire gradually expanded in the 16th century to include most
of Slavonia, western Bosnia and Lika.
Regardless of different interpretations, the Croat tribes eventually settled in
the area between the Drava river and the Adriatic sea, the western Roman
provinces Pannonia and Dalmatia; western Balkans in modern usage. The Croat
tribes had been organized into two dukedoms; the Pannonian duchy in the north
and the Dalmatian duchy in the south.
Since the adoption of the 1990 Constitution, Croatia has been a parliamentary
democracy.
The governments of Austria and Hungary each tried to colonize Croatia over a
period of several centuries: they imposed their languages on the Croatian people
and settled many Austrian and Hungarian colonists in Croatia. Croatian romantic
nationalism emerged to counteract the non-violent but apparent Germanization and
Magyarization.
In an economy traditionally based on agriculture and livestock, peasants
comprised more than half of the Croatian population until after World War II.
Pre-1945 industrialization was slow and centered on textile mills, sawmills,
brickyards, and food-processing plants.
The main executive power of Croatian state is the Government (in Croatian: "vlada"),
presided by the Prime Minister.
The Lombards and the Huns made an incursion from the north. After 476 the area
was subject to Odoacer and then to Ostrogoth rulers beginning with Theodoric the
Great. Justinian claimed the old province of Dalmatia to the Eastern Roman
Empire in 535. Forebears of Croatia's current Slav population settled there in
the 7th century following the Avars, partly under instructions from Byzantine
emperor Heraclius.
Inflation and unemployment rose and the kuna fell, prompting the national bank
to tighten fiscal policy. A new banking law passed in December 1998 gave the
central bank more control over Croatia's 53 remaining commercial banks. Croatia
is dependent on international debt to finance the deficit. A recently issued
Euro-denominated bond was well received, selling $300 million, which helped
offset economic losses from the Kosovo crisis.
The negative effects of feudalism escalated in 1573 when the peasants in
northern Croatia and Slovenia rebelled against their feudal lords over various
injustices such as unreasonable taxation or abuse of women in the Croatian and
Slovenian peasant revolt.
The powers of the legislature include enactment and amendment of the
constitution; passage of laws; adoption of the state budget; declarations of war
and peace; alteration of the boundaries of the Republic; calling referenda;
carrying out elections, appointments, and relief of office; supervising the work
of the Government of Croatia and other holders of public powers responsible to
the Sabor; and granting amnesty.Decisions are made based on a majority vote if
more than half of the Chamber is present, except in cases of national rights and
constitutional issues.
Croatia has a mixture of climates. In the north and east it is continental,
Mediterranean along the coast and a semi-highland and highland climate in the
south-central region.
By orders of the king in 1553 and 1578, large areas of Croatia and Slavonia
adjacent to the Ottoman Empire were carved out into the Military Frontier (Vojna
Krajina) and ruled directly from Vienna's military headquarters. Due to the
dangerous proximity to the Ottoman armies, the area became rather deserted, so
Austria encouraged the settlement of Serbs, Germans, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks
and Rusyns/Ukrainians and other Slavs in the Military Frontier, creating an
ethnic patchwork.
The official entering of Croatia into personal union with Hungary, becoming part
of the Kingdom of Hungary, had several important consequences.
Western aid and investment, especially in the tourist and oil industries, is
helping restore the economy. The government has been successful in some reform
efforts — partially macroeconomic stabilization policies — and it has normalized
relations with its creditors.
The recession that began at the end of 1998 continued through most of 1999, and
GDP in 1999 was flat. Inflation remained in check and the kuna was stable.
However, consumer demand was weak and industrial production decreased.
Structural reform lagged and problems of payment arrears and a lack of banking
supervision continued.
Empress Maria Theresia ignored and eventually disbanded the Croatian Parliament
and in 1779, Croatia was relegated to just one seat in the governing council of
Hungary, held by the ban of Croatia.
Following the disappearance of the major native dynasty by the end of the 11th
century, the Croats eventually recognized the Hungarian ruler Coloman as the
common King for Croatia and Hungary in a treaty of 1102 (often referred to as
the Pacta Conventa).
In the 4th century BC the northern parts of modern-day Croatia were also
colonized by the Celts, the Scordisci tribe. Other Celtic peoples may also have
been found elsewhere integrated among the Illyrians. The islands of Issa and
Pharos as well as the locality of Tragurion became Greek colonies since the same
period.
The Constitutional Court (Ustavni sud) of the Republic of Croatia decides on the
constitutionality of laws and has the right to repeal a law it finds
unconstitutional. It also can impeach the president. The body is made up of 13
judges on 8-year term. The president of the Constitutional Court is elected by
the court for a 4-year term
The book De Administrando Imperio, written in the 10th century, is the most
referenced source on the migration of Slavic peoples into southeastern Europe.
It states that they migrated first around or before year 600 from the region
that is now Galicia and areas of the Pannonian plain, led by the Turkic Avars,
to the province of Dalmatia ruled by the Roman Empire.
In recorded history, the area was inhabited by the Illyrians, and since the 4th
century BC also colonized by the Celts and by the Greeks.
After that there was one more notable native King, Dmitar Zvonimir (1075-1089).
His kinghood is carved in stone Baska Tablet, preserved to this day as the
oldest written Croatian text, kept in the archaeological museum in Zagreb.
Zvonimir's reign is remembered as a peaceful and prosperous time, during which
the connection of Croats with the Pope was further affirmed, so much so that
Catholicism would remain among Croats until the present day.
The most commonly accepted facts about the origin of the Croats are that they
originate from Slavic tribes that lived in and around today's Poland. The early
Croatian people is believed to have been mixed Slavs and the Iranian-speaking
Alans according to many modern scholars. It is unclear whether the Alans
contributed much more than a ruling caste or a class of warriors; the evidence
on their contribution is mainly philological and etymological.
After the death of Domitar Zvonimir, Ladislaus I of Hungary was the strongest
candidate for the throne, but the Croatian lords struggled for independence from
Hungary. Following the death of the last Croat king Petar Svacic in the defeat
at the Gvozd hill in 1097 to Coloman of Hungary, they eventually recognized him
as the common king for Croatia and Hungary in a treaty of 1102 (often referred
to as the Pacta Conventa), thus making a personal union with Hungary. The two
crowns would remain connected until the end of World War I.
The President of the Republic (Predsjednik) is head of state and elected for a
five-year term. In addition to being the commander in chief of the armed forces,
the president has the procedural duty of appointing the Prime minister with the
consent of the Parliament, and has some influence on foreign policy.
The Croatian legislature is the Hrvatski Sabor. The Sabor is unicameral which
can have between 100 and 160 deputies (152 in 2003). All representatives are
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms.
http://www.croatias.co.uk/CheapFlightToSplitCroatia.html
Formatted for CROWN by Nenad Bach
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