In a country of only 56,594 square kilometres (5,659,400 ha), two million hectares are covered by forests, another 400,000 are open spaces or semi-open wilderness, while various types of hunting grounds account for almost five million hectares of land (1060).
The diversity of the regions found in such a small area is quite something: from the Mediterranean islands, the mainland coast and the hinterland, the highlands covered with coniferous forests interspaced with clearings, the hilly areas rich in deciduous forests, to the flood areas around the large rivers and the marshes and wet-lands teeming with life. The landscape diversity offers thousands of opportunities for demanding hunters, ranging from hunting with birds of prey (falconry) to the experience of big game challenge. Hunting in Croatia is a well organized activity based on age-long
tradition.