Respecting the will of the Croatian nation and all its citizens, resolutely expressed in free elections, the Republic of Croatia is formed and is developing as a sovereign and democratic state in which the equality, freedoms and rights of man and citizen are guaranteed and ensured, and their economic and cultural progress, and social welfare promoted.
The subdivisions of Croatia on the first level are the 20 counties (županija, pl. županije) and one city-county (grad, "city"). On the second level these are municipalities (općina, pl. općine) and towns (also named grad, pl. gradovi).Both of these type of subdivisions consist of settlements(naselje, pl. naselja). The 1st- and 2nd-level subdivisions are self-governed, while naselja are used mainly for statistical purposes, though they can also institute one or more levels of self-government, typically in cities.
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia