Croatia is a country that is essentially both Mediterranean and Central European in character. While being numbered among the smaller countries it is blessed with a wide diversity of regions, ranging from mountainous and lowland, to coastal and continental. Croatia is typified by a heterogeneity and richness often lacking in much larger countries of the continent of Europe. In a relatively small area there exist landscapes that one would normally have to search for in the very remote parts of Europe, and indeed elsewhere in the world. Despite its somewhat small area, in terms of its biodiversity Croatia ranks among the top five countries in Europe, some of its localities being among the richest in the world in this regard. Croatia has an intricately indented, forested coastline and many islands presenting (it has been said) an almost South Seas aspect; preserved old Mediterranean towns with narrow streets and stone houses reminiscent of those found in parts of Italy, as well as spacious, green coastal meadows with dry stone walls which give the appearance of having been transposed from the Irish countryside. The mountainous regions of Croatia are characterised by extensive preserved forests, similar to those found in Scandinavia, by their romantic lakes, fast-flowing rivers and strikingly pleasing mountain villages comparable to those in the Alps, as well as by rugged, rocky and barren country with deep passes, crevasses and canyons in the style of America’s Wild West. In Croatia’s wide lowlands there are spacious preserved wetlands normally found only in the extreme east of Europe, in Russia or the Ukraine, while the neighbouring hillsides are a sea of vineyards and enhanced by medieval forts and castles, like those seen in Germany and Austria. The most valuable features of Croatia’s natural heritage are preserved within 450 different protected areas, with a total surface area of 5.846 km2 (10% of the country’s land area) which, together with its maritime area, amounts to 6.129 km2. Among the most important of these protected areas are eight national parks: Plitvice Lakes; Krka; Kornati; Brijuni; Mljet; Northern Velebit; Paklenica, and Risnjak; ten nature parks: KopaËki rit; Papuk; Lonjsko polje; Medvednica; Žumberak-Samoborsko gorje; Učka; Velebit; Telapšica; Vransko Lake, and Biokovo. There are also two strictly preserved nature reserves: the White and Samarske Rocks within the area of the Bjelolasica massif, and Rožanski and Hajdučki kukovi at Velebit. In addition to the national parks, nature parks and nature reserves under strict protection regime in Croatia, there are 430 different areas and monuments also under protection. Of that number, 79 are special reserves (botanical, forest, geomorphological, hydrological, ichthyological, ornithological, maritime and zoological), 38 are park forests, 70 comprise protected landscapes and 108 monuments of nature (geological, geomorphological, hydrological and palaentological, as well as rare tree specimen). Additionally, 135 monuments of park architecture are covered by a protection regime - arboreta, botanical gardens, parks, individual trees and groups of trees. Also under protection are 777 animal species, 44 higher plant species and 159 types of mushroom. Further protection covers those animals protected in other countries and which happen to wander into Croatian territory. The three main wholes of Croatia (lowland, mountainous and coastal) differ quite significantly one from another in their basic characteristics. The largest of these is the fertile and well populated lowland area of Croatia, situated at the south-western edge of the great Pannonian plain. Its main natural characteristics are the century-old oak forests of the alluvial plains, the many rivers with preserved courses, and rich and diverse flora and fauna on land, in the water and in the air. However, this Pannonian space is not always entirely comprised of plainland, for on the horizon are picturesque, rolling hills covered with vineyards, and forested Pannonian mountains rising like islands from the seas of wheat. Unlike the lowlands, mountainous Croatia is rather small in area and sparsely populated. As a consequence its environment is for the most part preserved in its original state. Bears, lynx and wolves reign supreme in its dense forests of beech, fir and spruce, while otters and trout are the ranking denizens of the translucent rivers. Mountain peaks are not as lofty as those of the Alps, but the white, calcareous rocks are so beautifully formed that they are able to provide inspiration for the chisel of even the most imaginative sculptor. This is due to the numerous karst phenomena, so characteristic of Croatia because of its calcareous composition. The wealth of karst forms on the surface extends underground, with many caves, precipices, limestone fissures, karst valleys, sink holes and other special relief forms that are difficult to find elsewhere in Europe. The importance of Croatian karst is best illustrated by the fact that the literature on the subject uses Croatian words for the majority of such terms that have no equivalent in any other language. And finally, there is the Croatian Littoral, unarguably the greatest attraction in the eye of the visitor. Greece apart, Croatia is a land with the most islands in the Mediterranean area, and with the most indented coastline the overall length of which totals 1778 km. Together with its 1185 islands, islets and reefs this figure rises to 5835 km. There are so many different bays, capes, beaches and hidden natural attractions along the coast, adorned by a crystal-clear sea and colourful shores, from rugged, stone cliff faces to areas ornate with lush Mediterranean vegetation. Every visitor, particularly those arriving by boat or yacht, is able to find an intimate nook there. Lovers of cultural heritage will have much to admire: man has inhabited the Croatian coast for thousands of years during the course of which human hands have created and passed down to us exquisite cultural and historical monuments.