The Development of Geographical and Geopolitical Position of Croatia

Croatia, with an area of 56.538 km2 and 4,8 million inhabitants is one of 22 recently recognized European countries. It is considered to be one of the new European states, although it existed as an independent state in the early Middle Ages. Its territorial sovereignty has been again consolidated recently. It is the result of internationally recognized borders, the successful resistance of Croat people to the Serb aggressor as well as its political and institutional relations with the International community, Croatian emigration and Bosnian entity. The geographical site of Croatia is significant because it occupies a unique position in a contact area between Central Danubian basin and the Central Mediterranean. It is here that the narrowest and the lowest relief barrier between the Central Danubian basin and the Northern Adriatic is found, connecting Central and Eastern Europe to the Mediterranean. Situated between Western European countries Austria, Slovenia, Italy, and Eastern European countries Hungary, Yugoslavia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia plays an important geopolitical and traffic role in Europe