ABSTRACT
Croatia never complied with the general image of former communist countries, namely heavily polluted and suffering from environmental disaster. Air pollution was always moderate and confined to larger urban agglomerations and industrial centres like Zagreb, Osijek, Rijeka and gibenik (Figure 15.1). Pollution of the principal rivers such as the Sava, Drava and Mura originated in other countries rather than in Croatia itself. The coastal waters of the long Croatian Adriatic coastline were always less polluted than those of the Italian counterpart, except for the west coast of Istria (Istra). It was only around larger cities and seaports like Rijeka, gibenik, Split and Ploae that coastal waters displayed some pollution. Soil erosion by wind and water was advanced in larger areas, such as the karstic areas of the Dinaric zone with its thin soils (brown soils, lithosols, rendzinas, luvisols) on limestone exposed to heavy rainfall and winds like the Bora.
