Istria County
Encyclopedia
Istria County is the westernmost county of Croatia
which includes the biggest part of the Istria
n peninsula (2820 km² (1,089 sq mi) out of 3160 km² (1,220 sq mi), 89%). The area of the county is called Istra
in Croatian
and Slovene. The county administrative center is Pazin
and the Croatian regional anthem is "Krasna zemljo
".
archaeological remains. Less ancient stone age
sites, from the period between 6000-2000 BC, can also be found in the area. More than 400 locations are classified as Bronze Age
, (1800 - 1000 BC), items. Numerous findings including weapon
s, tool
s, and jewelry), which are from the earlier iron era
around the beginning of common era
.
The Istrian peninsula was known to Romans
as the terra magica. Its name is derived from the Histri
, an Illyrian tribe
who, as accounted by the geographer Strabo
, lived in the region. Romans described them as pirates who were hard to conquer due to the difficulty of navigating their territory. After two military campaigns, Roman legions finally subdued them in 177 BC.
With the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, Istria was conquered by the Goths
, the Byzantines
. During Byzantine rule, it was shortly ruled by Avars. Istria was annexed by the Lombards
in 751, by the Avars
in 774 and then by the Franks
during the reign of (Charlemagne
) in 789, then successively controlled by various dukes, (Carinthia, Meran, Bavaria
), and the patriarchs of Aquileia
.
In 1267 the Republic of Venice
annexed the Istrian peninsula because of the strong presence of the autochthonous Italian community; it is in this period that the region prospered. The major Istrian cities were reborn under Italian government, and it was in this half millennium that they developed their typical beauty and atmosphere.
In 1797, with the Treaty of Campo Formio
written by Napoleon, the peninsula, with the whole Republic of Venice, passed to the Habsburgs of Austria
. Starting in 1861, the capital of Istria and the seat to a Regional Parliament
in Austro-Hungarian Empire was in Parenzo (today: Porec).
After World War I, according to the peace treaty of Rapallo
, in 1920 Istria became part of Italy. Fascism
and, later, Nazi
occupation spoiled otherwise tolerant ethnic relations. After the World War II
, Istria was assigned to Yugoslavia
and many ethnic Italians left in the Istrian exodus
.
Famous individuals like Robert Koch
and writer James Joyce
lived and worked in Istria. Writer Jules Verne
was inspired to write his novel Mathias Sandorf
after hearing of quarry
and cave
in Pazin and the poet Dante Alighieri
visited and wrote a few lines about Istria.
of Croatia. Mirroring the bay of Venice
across the Adriatic and the Gulf of Kvarner, the region is not far from the Julian Alps
. The western most point is at Savudrija
while the southern most is near Premantura
, on the local promontory
Kamenjak.
The terrain consists of a limestone
plateau
, much of which lacks water owing to its karst topography
. The northeastern section is an extension of the Dinaric Alps
. The highest point is Vojak on Učka
mountain
1401 m (4,596.46 ft) above sea level
while another range of mountains is Ćićarija
.
There are so called "bijela", "siva", "crvena" Istra, (white, grey and red Istria). White Istria is around the mountain peaks, Grey Istria is the fertile inner lands while Red Istria is the blood-red painted lands of terra rossa or "crljenica" near the coastline.
Sites such as the Grotto of Baredine near Poreč, the underground river Pazinčica and the karst
Pazin pit (Pazinska jama) near Pazin
are popular geologic attractions. The Limski Kanal
is the only fjord
resembling structure in continental Europe
outside of Scandinavia
(actually it's not a fjord, but a ria
). The quarry
near Rovinj
is specifically designed for studying geology. The longest river, the Mirna
, is only 32 km (20 mi) long with its mouth near Novigrad
. Other rivers that pass through Istria include the Dragonja River and Raša River
.
The continental plains and valleys, are primarily utilized for agriculture, such as growing cereals and vegetables. Closer to the sea, red lands are used for cultivation of grapes, vine
, olives and fig
s. Agriculture and the production of ecological food, the olive
gardens, and the production of quality wines, is the focus of Istria's agriculture sector. The coastline and nearby islands are rich in the maquis shrubland
(mostly holm oak
and strawberry
tree). Woods, mostly oak
and pine
trees, cover a third of the territory.
The well-known natural reservations national park
Brijuni
and nature park Učka
are legally protected landscapes. Other interesting localities are Lim Kanal, wood near Motovun
, park woods Zlatni Rt and Šijana near Pula, protected landscape Kamenjak in the extreme south of Istria, the reservation Palud, (ornithology
), near Rovinj
. Brijuni archipelago
is interesting as the habitat of about 680 plant species, also decorated by the most diverse vegetation and olive groves.
as well the inner highland, the climate
is Mediterranean, very pleasant, with the highest air temperature averaging 24 °C during August and lowest averaging 5 °C, in January. Summers are usually warm during the day and cooler near the evening, although strange heat wave patterns are common. The weather also ranges from humid to dry with over 10 hours of sunshine daily. Primarily, there is a lot of moisture in the air, especially in the costal towns of Istra such as Porec, Vrsar, Rovinj, Pula and others. Temperatures above 10 °C last for more than 240 days a year. Excessive heat (above 30 °C) lasts for three weeks at most. Despite air temperatures being lower than those of in Dalmatia
, the Adriatic sea
is warmer, reaching up to 26 °C in August, coldest in March, (9-11 °C), while the freezing even in small, shallow bays is very rare. Two kinds of winds are here - the bora
is bringing cold and clear weather from the north in winters, and the southern jugo
(jug=south) bringing rain in summer. Mistral
is the summer breeze blowing from the inland to the sea. The salinity
of the sea water is 0.37%.
In addition to Pula, the biggest urban area with 82.000 inhabitants, the cities are Poreč
, Rovinj
, Pazin
, Labin
, Novigrad
, Umag
, Buzet
, Buje
, Vodnjan
. About 70.7% of the population lives in the urban areas.
Municipalities are: Bale, Barban
, Brtonigla
, Cerovlje
, Fažana
, Gračišće, Grožnjan
, Kanfanar
, Karojba
, Kaštelir-Labinci
, Kršan
, Lanišće
, Ližnjan
, Lupoglav
, Marčana
, Medulin
, Motovun
, Oprtalj
, Pićan
, Raša
, Sveti Lovreč
, Sveta Nedelja
, Sveti Petar u Šumi
, Svetvinčenat
, Tinjan
, Višnjan
, Vižinada
, Vrsar
, Žminj. Numerous are small municipalities and hamlets. In whole Istria there are actually more than 600 of them. So called smallest town in the world - Hum
, ("mound") is populated by just three families (22 people).
Besides official Croatian, the Chakavian dialect
of the Croatian language
is often in use, as in most coastal counties. Italian
is also recognized in the county as an official minority language.
As for 2001 the population was 206,344 and the population structure was:
Before World War I and until World War II, Istria contained a large autochthonous Romance language speaking community consisting of Venetian dialects, Istriot and Istro-Romanian along with Italian, plus various local Slavic dialects, some of which were likewise unique to Istria. Today, apart from the local dialects and the official Croatian language, one still finds in this region a small community of people, the Istro-Romanians
, who speak the ancient Istro-Romanian language
, an ancient dialect of Romanian, other districts where Venetian dialects and Istriot are still spoken.
Due to its traditional bond with Europe and its level of international integration, in 1994 Istria was the first region from the former Yugoslavia
to be officially designated as a Region of Europe.
Initially, the need for railroads in Istria was based upon fast development of industrial activities; shipbuilding
, construction material, machine and electric industries, as well as Austria
n military interests. After Vienna
and Trieste
were connected in 1876, the railway between Divača
, (in today's Slovenia
) and Pula, (122 km (76 mi) long with 21 km (13 mi) long branch Kanfanar
- Rovinj), was opened. Despite numerous initiatives, the western part of Istria have been connected with the railroad only in 1902, with construction of the narrow-gauge track Poreč - Trieste. The famous 123.1 km (76 mi) long "Parenzana", or Parenzaner Bahn, was cancelled in 1935. The nearest commercial airport
is in Pula.
, sea fishing and growing, construction and production of construction materials (lime
, cement
, brick, stone), trade and transport
. Most developed branches of industry
are shipbuilding
(In the early 1970s its shipyard
Uljanik
was building the biggest ships in the world as Berge Adria and others), metal processing, wood industry, furniture industry, automotive components industry, electric machines and appliances industry, glass, plastic, textile, tobacco industry. According to economic indicators, the leading activities are processing industry, tourism, and trade.
Great attention is being given to agriculture and the production of ecologic food, the wine and olive growing. Historically cultivated local wine varietals include Malvasia
(white) and Teran (red).
, for the entertainment
of that time, built the amphitheater (Arena
) in Pula. During the reign of Austro-Hungarian Empire in (1866), Austria
n and Hungarian
royalty and aristocracy started visiting local resorts and discovered Poreč.
Significant efforts were made after World War II
to develop the tourist infrastructure and to accentuate its importance. In combination with the natural beauties, rich history and cultural heritage
, investments paid off and resulted in highly developed, competitive service all along the western coast in Poreč
, Pula
, Rovinj
, Umag
, Novigrad
, and Vrsar
.
In the eastern part, as part of another county, there are resorts like Rabac
, Opatija
. Istria was and still is the most important tourist destination in Croatia, hosting the western and central European visitors. Area is the most visited tourist region with 27% of all visitors and 35% of time spent in all of Croatia.
The county assembly is composed of 41 representatives, organized as follows:
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
which includes the biggest part of the Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
n peninsula (2820 km² (1,089 sq mi) out of 3160 km² (1,220 sq mi), 89%). The area of the county is called Istra
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
in Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
and Slovene. The county administrative center is Pazin
Pazin
Pazin is the administrative seat of Istria County in Croatia. The town has a population of 4,986 , the total Pazin municipality population is 9,227...
and the Croatian regional anthem is "Krasna zemljo
Krasna zemljo
Lyrics of the song "Krasna zemljo" were written by Ivan Cukon, and the music was composed by Matko Brajša Rašan. The song was written as the Hymn of the Company Saints Cyril and Methodius and later became an unofficial anthem of the region of Istria....
".
History
The caves near Pula, Lim fjord, Šandalja and Roumald's cave, house stone ageStone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
archaeological remains. Less ancient stone age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
sites, from the period between 6000-2000 BC, can also be found in the area. More than 400 locations are classified as Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, (1800 - 1000 BC), items. Numerous findings including weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s, tool
Tool
A tool is a device that can be used to produce an item or achieve a task, but that is not consumed in the process. Informally the word is also used to describe a procedure or process with a specific purpose. Tools that are used in particular fields or activities may have different designations such...
s, and jewelry), which are from the earlier iron era
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
around the beginning of common era
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
.
The Istrian peninsula was known to Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
as the terra magica. Its name is derived from the Histri
Histri
Histri were an ancient tribe, which Strabo refers to as living in Istria, to which they gave the name.The Histri are classified in some sources as a "Venetic" Illyrian tribe, with certain linguistic differences from other Illyrians. The Romans described the Histri as a fierce tribe of pirates,...
, an Illyrian tribe
Illyrians
The Illyrians were a group of tribes who inhabited part of the western Balkans in antiquity and the south-eastern coasts of the Italian peninsula...
who, as accounted by the geographer Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
, lived in the region. Romans described them as pirates who were hard to conquer due to the difficulty of navigating their territory. After two military campaigns, Roman legions finally subdued them in 177 BC.
With the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, Istria was conquered by the Goths
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
, the Byzantines
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. During Byzantine rule, it was shortly ruled by Avars. Istria was annexed by the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
in 751, by the Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
in 774 and then by the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
during the reign of (Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
) in 789, then successively controlled by various dukes, (Carinthia, Meran, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
), and the patriarchs of Aquileia
Aquileia
Aquileia is an ancient Roman city in what is now Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about 10 km from the sea, on the river Natiso , the course of which has changed somewhat since Roman times...
.
In 1267 the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
annexed the Istrian peninsula because of the strong presence of the autochthonous Italian community; it is in this period that the region prospered. The major Istrian cities were reborn under Italian government, and it was in this half millennium that they developed their typical beauty and atmosphere.
In 1797, with the Treaty of Campo Formio
Treaty of Campo Formio
The Treaty of Campo Formio was signed on 18 October 1797 by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of revolutionary France and the Austrian monarchy...
written by Napoleon, the peninsula, with the whole Republic of Venice, passed to the Habsburgs of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Starting in 1861, the capital of Istria and the seat to a Regional Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
in Austro-Hungarian Empire was in Parenzo (today: Porec).
After World War I, according to the peace treaty of Rapallo
Rapallo
Rapallo is a municipality in the province of Genoa, in Liguria, northern Italy. As of 2007 it counts approximately 34,000 inhabitants, it is part of the Tigullio Gulf and is located in between Portofino and Chiavari....
, in 1920 Istria became part of Italy. Fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
and, later, Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
occupation spoiled otherwise tolerant ethnic relations. After the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Istria was assigned to Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and many ethnic Italians left in the Istrian exodus
Istrian exodus
The expression Istrian exodus or Istrian-Dalmatian exodus is used to indicate the departure of ethnic Italians from Istria, Rijeka, and Dalmatia , after World War II. At the time of the exodus, these territories were part of the SR Croatia and SR Slovenia , today they are parts of the Republics of...
.
Famous individuals like Robert Koch
Robert Koch
Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch was a German physician. He became famous for isolating Bacillus anthracis , the Tuberculosis bacillus and the Vibrio cholerae and for his development of Koch's postulates....
and writer James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
lived and worked in Istria. Writer Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
was inspired to write his novel Mathias Sandorf
Mathias Sandorf
Mathias Sandorf was an 1885 adventure book by French writer Jules Verne. It was first serialized in Le Temps in 1885, and it was Verne's epic Mediterranean adventure. It employs many of the devices that had served well in his earlier novels: islands, cryptograms, surprise revelations of identity,...
after hearing of quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
and cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
in Pazin and the poet Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
visited and wrote a few lines about Istria.
Geography
Its coastline is 445 km (277 mi) long with islands making up 539.9 km (335 mi). A smaller part of Istria also belongs to the Primorje-Gorski Kotar CountyPrimorje-Gorski Kotar County
Primorje-Gorski kotar County is a county in western Croatia that includes the Bay of Kvarner and the surrounding Northern Croatian seacoast, and the mountainous region of Gorski kotar...
of Croatia. Mirroring the bay of Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
across the Adriatic and the Gulf of Kvarner, the region is not far from the Julian Alps
Julian Alps
The Julian Alps are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretches from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav. They are named after Julius Caesar, who founded the municipium of Cividale del Friuli at the foot of the mountains...
. The western most point is at Savudrija
Savudrija
Savudrija is a coastal settlement in northwestern Istria, Croatia. It has developed from a fishing village into a pleasant holiday centre. Savudrija is also the name of the surrounding area in the peninsula....
while the southern most is near Premantura
Premantura
Premantura is a town in Istria , Croatia....
, on the local promontory
Promontory
Promontory may refer to:*Promontory, a prominent mass of land which overlooks lower lying land or a body of water*Promontory, Utah, the location where the United States first Transcontinental Railroad was completed...
Kamenjak.
The terrain consists of a limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
, much of which lacks water owing to its karst topography
Karst topography
Karst topography is a geologic formation shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite, but has also been documented for weathering resistant rocks like quartzite given the right conditions.Due to subterranean drainage, there...
. The northeastern section is an extension of the Dinaric Alps
Dinaric Alps
The Dinaric Alps or Dinarides form a mountain chain in Southern Europe, spanning areas of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro....
. The highest point is Vojak on Učka
Ucka
The Učka is a mountain range that rises behind Opatija riviera, on the Istrian peninsula, in northwestern Croatia. It forms a single morphological unit together with the Čičarija range which streches from the bay of Trieste to Rijeka...
mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
1401 m (4,596.46 ft) above sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
while another range of mountains is Ćićarija
Ćićarija
Ćićarija is a mountainous plateau in the northern and north-eastern part of Istria peninsula, 45 km long and 10–15 km wide. It mostly lies in Croatia, while its northern part lies in Slovenia...
.
There are so called "bijela", "siva", "crvena" Istra, (white, grey and red Istria). White Istria is around the mountain peaks, Grey Istria is the fertile inner lands while Red Istria is the blood-red painted lands of terra rossa or "crljenica" near the coastline.
Sites such as the Grotto of Baredine near Poreč, the underground river Pazinčica and the karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
Pazin pit (Pazinska jama) near Pazin
Pazin
Pazin is the administrative seat of Istria County in Croatia. The town has a population of 4,986 , the total Pazin municipality population is 9,227...
are popular geologic attractions. The Limski Kanal
Lim (Croatia)
The Lim bay and valley is a peculiar geographic feature found near Rovinj and Vrsar on the western coast of Istria, south of Poreč, Croatia. The name comes from the Latin limes for "limit", referring to the landform's position at the border of two Roman provinces: Dalmatia and Italia.-Geography:The...
is the only fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
resembling structure in continental Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
outside of Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
(actually it's not a fjord, but a ria
Ria
A ria is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Typically, rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they can be straight and without significant branches. This pattern is inherited from the...
). The quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
near Rovinj
Rovinj
Rovinj is a city in Croatia situated on the north Adriatic Sea with a population of 13,562 . It is located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula and is a popular tourist resort and an active fishing port...
is specifically designed for studying geology. The longest river, the Mirna
Mirna River (Croatia)
The Mirna is a river in Istria, Croatia. It is Istria's longest and richest river, being long and having a basin covering an area of . It rises near Buzet, and empties into the Adriatic Sea near Novigrad.-External links:* *...
, is only 32 km (20 mi) long with its mouth near Novigrad
Novigrad, Istria
Novigrad is a town and a municipality in Istria, Croatia. It is also known as Novigrad Istarski to distinguish it from three other Croatian towns of the same name. Novigrad is set on a small peninsula on the western coast of Istria, two kilometres north of the mouth of the river Mirna...
. Other rivers that pass through Istria include the Dragonja River and Raša River
Rasa River
The Rasa River is a tributary of the Argeş River in Romania.-References:* Administraţia Naţională Apelor Române - Cadastrul Apelor - Bucureşti* Institutul de Meteorologie şi Hidrologie - Rîurile României - Bucureşti 1971...
.
The continental plains and valleys, are primarily utilized for agriculture, such as growing cereals and vegetables. Closer to the sea, red lands are used for cultivation of grapes, vine
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
, olives and fig
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
s. Agriculture and the production of ecological food, the olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
gardens, and the production of quality wines, is the focus of Istria's agriculture sector. The coastline and nearby islands are rich in the maquis shrubland
Maquis shrubland
thumb|220px|Low Maquis in Corsica.220px|thumb|High macchia in Sardinia.Maquis or macchia is a shrubland biome in the Mediterranean region, typically consisting of densely growing evergreen shrubs such as holm oak, tree heath, strawberry tree, sage, juniper, buckthorn, spurge olive and myrtle...
(mostly holm oak
Holm Oak
Quercus ilex, the Holm Oak or Holly Oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It takes its name from holm, an ancient name for holly...
and strawberry
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
tree). Woods, mostly oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
and pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
trees, cover a third of the territory.
The well-known natural reservations national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
Brijuni
Brijuni
The Brijuni or the Brijuni Islands are a group of fourteen small islands in the Croatian part of the northern Adriatic Sea, separated from the west coast of the Istrian peninsula by the narrow Fažana Strait...
and nature park Učka
Ucka
The Učka is a mountain range that rises behind Opatija riviera, on the Istrian peninsula, in northwestern Croatia. It forms a single morphological unit together with the Čičarija range which streches from the bay of Trieste to Rijeka...
are legally protected landscapes. Other interesting localities are Lim Kanal, wood near Motovun
Motovun
Motovun is a village in central Istria, Croatia. The population of the village itself is 531, with a total of 983 residents in the municipality ; 442 of the residents have Italian as their mother language...
, park woods Zlatni Rt and Šijana near Pula, protected landscape Kamenjak in the extreme south of Istria, the reservation Palud, (ornithology
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
), near Rovinj
Rovinj
Rovinj is a city in Croatia situated on the north Adriatic Sea with a population of 13,562 . It is located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula and is a popular tourist resort and an active fishing port...
. Brijuni archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
is interesting as the habitat of about 680 plant species, also decorated by the most diverse vegetation and olive groves.
Climate
Protected from the north by the mountain chain of AlpsAlps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
as well the inner highland, the climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
is Mediterranean, very pleasant, with the highest air temperature averaging 24 °C during August and lowest averaging 5 °C, in January. Summers are usually warm during the day and cooler near the evening, although strange heat wave patterns are common. The weather also ranges from humid to dry with over 10 hours of sunshine daily. Primarily, there is a lot of moisture in the air, especially in the costal towns of Istra such as Porec, Vrsar, Rovinj, Pula and others. Temperatures above 10 °C last for more than 240 days a year. Excessive heat (above 30 °C) lasts for three weeks at most. Despite air temperatures being lower than those of in Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, the Adriatic sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
is warmer, reaching up to 26 °C in August, coldest in March, (9-11 °C), while the freezing even in small, shallow bays is very rare. Two kinds of winds are here - the bora
Bora (wind)
Bora or Bura is a northern to north-eastern katabatic wind in the Adriatic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Italy, Greece, Slovenia, and Turkey....
is bringing cold and clear weather from the north in winters, and the southern jugo
Sirocco
Sirocco, scirocco, , jugo or, rarely, siroc is a Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and reaches hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe. It is known in North Africa by the Arabic word qibli or ghibli Sirocco, scirocco, , jugo or, rarely, siroc is a Mediterranean wind...
(jug=south) bringing rain in summer. Mistral
Mistral
Mistral commonly refers to the Mistral in southern France and SardiniaMistral may also refer to:* Mistral, various ships of the French Navy, including:** Mistral class amphibious assault ship of the French Navy...
is the summer breeze blowing from the inland to the sea. The salinity
Salinity
Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
of the sea water is 0.37%.
Demographics
Over 205,000 people or 4.65% of the nation's population live here. Population density is 73 inhabitants per km² with an average age of 40.2 years for the entire population.In addition to Pula, the biggest urban area with 82.000 inhabitants, the cities are Poreč
Porec
Poreč is a town and municipality on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, in Istria County, Croatia. Its major landmark is the 6th century Euphrasian Basilica, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997....
, Rovinj
Rovinj
Rovinj is a city in Croatia situated on the north Adriatic Sea with a population of 13,562 . It is located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula and is a popular tourist resort and an active fishing port...
, Pazin
Pazin
Pazin is the administrative seat of Istria County in Croatia. The town has a population of 4,986 , the total Pazin municipality population is 9,227...
, Labin
Labin
Labin is a town in Istria, Croatia, with a town population of 6,884 and 11,703 in the greater municipality ....
, Novigrad
Novigrad, Istria
Novigrad is a town and a municipality in Istria, Croatia. It is also known as Novigrad Istarski to distinguish it from three other Croatian towns of the same name. Novigrad is set on a small peninsula on the western coast of Istria, two kilometres north of the mouth of the river Mirna...
, Umag
Umag
Umag is a coastal city in Istria, Croatia.The city hosts the yearly Croatia Open ATP tennis tournament on clay courts.-Geography:It is the westernmost city of Croatia, and the municipality includes Savudrija which is westernmost point of Croatia....
, Buzet
Buzet
Buzet is a town in Istria, Croatia, population 6,059 . Already at the time of Venetian rule, Buzet supplied military stations and the local population with potable water. Today the region of Buze-stina is the central area of the future Native Park of Istria...
, Buje
Buje
Buje is a town situated in Istria, Croatia's westernmost peninsula, population 2,979 .Buje was known as the "sentinel of Istria" for its hilltop site located inland from the Adriatic sea. It still commands an excellent panorama. Buje has a rich history; traces of life in the region date back to...
, Vodnjan
Vodnjan
-Geography:Vodnjan is situated 10 km north of Pula, on elevation of 135 m. It is located at the intersection of the main road Buje - Pula and the regional road Vodnjan - Fažana, as well as on the railroad Divača - Pula.-Demographics:...
. About 70.7% of the population lives in the urban areas.
Municipalities are: Bale, Barban
Barban
Barban is a small town and municipality in the southern part of eastern Istria, Croatia, 28 km northeast of Pula, above the Raša river valley; elevation 229 m....
, Brtonigla
Brtonigla
Brtonigla is a village and municipality in the north-western part of Istria, Croatia, 6 km southwest of Buje; elevation 141 m. It is close to the A9 motorway. Chief occupations include farming, viniculture and vegetable growing....
, Cerovlje
Cerovlje
Cerovlje is a village and municipality at the very centre of the Istrian peninsula in Croatia. Many ancient settlements, old towns and once solid castles can be found on that territory...
, Fažana
Fažana
Fažana is a village and a municipality in Istria, Croatia, a small port and fishermen's centre in the south-western part of the western Istrian coast in the Fažana Strait, 8 km northwest of Pula. It is located on a low part of the coast, well protected from the sea by Brijuni - Brioni Islands...
, Gračišće, Grožnjan
Grožnjan
Grožnjan is a settlement and municipality in Croatia. It is part of Croatia's Istria County, which takes up most of the Istria peninsula. It is also the only place in Croatia to have an Italian majority.-Early history:...
, Kanfanar
Kanfanar
Kanfanar is a municipality in the central part of Istria, Croatia, 20 km northeast of Rovinj, on the edge of the Lim Cove, on the open limestone plain of Istria. The elevation is 281 m.Chief occupations are farming and livestock breeding...
, Karojba
Karojba
Karojba is a village and municipality in Istria, Croatia located 18 km north-west of Pazin. The population is 1,489 .-External links:**...
, Kaštelir-Labinci
Kaštelir-Labinci
Kaštelir-Labinci is a municipality in Istria, Croatia. The population is 1,334 .List of villages in municipality: * Babići - 73* Brnobići - 123* Cerjani - 15* Deklići - 34* Dvori - 37* Kaštelir - 283* Kovači - 55* Krančići - 80...
, Kršan
Kršan
Kršan is a village and municipality in the central part of Istria, Croatia, 15 km north of Labin. The elevation is 50 m. The population is 3.264 . The chief occupation is farming. Kršan is located on the regional road Vozilići - Podpićan....
, Lanišće
Lanišce
Lanišće is a village and municipality in Istria, Croatia. In 2001, the population of the area was 398, over 95% of the population are Croats....
, Ližnjan
Ližnjan
Ližnjan is a village and municipality in the southern part of Istria, Croatia, 12 km south-west of Pula, 2 km north-east of Medulin; elevation 61 m. Chief occupations are farming and tourism . Ližnjan is located on the regional road Medulin - Sisan.First mentioned already in AD 990...
, Lupoglav
Lupoglav
Lupoglav is a village and municipality in Istria, Croatia. The population is 929 . The Castle Mahrenfels which belonged to the family Herberstein and later to the counts Brigido is situated over the village....
, Marčana
Marcana
Marčana is a village and municipality in the southern part of Istria, Croatia, 15 km northeast of Pula; elevation 170 m. Chief occupation is farming. The central part of the village is of a compact type, with a number of isolated houses in the surroundings. Most of the population descends...
, Medulin
Medulin
Medulin is a small town and municipality in the southern part of the Istrian peninsula in Croatia. As of the 2011 census the municipality has a population of 6,552, while the settlement proper has 2,633 inhabitants.Medulin's economy is based on tourism...
, Motovun
Motovun
Motovun is a village in central Istria, Croatia. The population of the village itself is 531, with a total of 983 residents in the municipality ; 442 of the residents have Italian as their mother language...
, Oprtalj
Oprtalj
Oprtalj is a village and municipality in Istria, Croatia. Oprtalj is a community in central northern part of Istrian County situated across the Mirna river valley of the much more celebrated city of Motovun, about 20 km northwest of Pazin....
, Pićan
Pican
Pićan is a village and municipality in the central part of Istria, Croatia, 12 km southeast of Pazin; elevation 360 m. The chief occupations are agriculture and livestock breeding. It is situated on the Pazin-Kršan-Vozilići regional road...
, Raša
Raša
Raša is a town and municipality in the inner part of the Raška Inlet in the south-eastern part of Istria, Croatia. Raša lies southwest of Labin at an elevation of ....
, Sveti Lovreč
Sveti Lovrec
Sveti Lovreč is a village and municipality in Istria, Croatia. The population is 1,408 .-External links:**...
, Sveta Nedelja
Sveta Nedelja, Istria
Sveta Nedelja is a municipality of twenty villages in Istria County, Croatia, total population 2,909 . The three largest villages are Nedešćina , Štrmac and Šumber .-External links:*...
, Sveti Petar u Šumi
Sveti Petar u Šumi
Sveti Petar u Šumi is a village and municipality in Istria, Croatia. The population is 1,011 .-External links:* *...
, Svetvinčenat
Svetvincenat
Svetvinčenat is a village and municipality in the south of the central part of Istria, Croatia, 16 km north of Vodnjan; elevation 250 m. Svetvinčenat was first mentioned around AD 965, when the town began to grow around a Benedictine abbey. The economy is based on farming and livestock...
, Tinjan
Tinjan
Tinjan is a village and municipality in Istria, Croatia. The population is 1,800 , 400 pf whom live in the eponymous village. It is 50 km north of Pula and 10 km southwest of Pazin, in the Draga valley. The Coat of Arms of Tinjan is azure on a base vert a tower argent behind walls of the...
, Višnjan
Višnjan
Višnjan is a village and municipality in Istria, Croatia. Višnjan is the site of Višnjan Observatory . The observatory is home of several long-running international summer programs for youth in astronomy, archeology, marine biology and other disciplines.-Geography:Višnjan is located 12 kilometers...
, Vižinada
Vižinada
Vižinada is a village and municipality in the interior of the western part of Istria, Croatia, 17 km northeast of Poreč; elevation 40 m. Economy is based on agriculture. The parish was first mentioned in 1177, in the papal document granting a privilege to the bishop of Poreč...
, Vrsar
Vrsar
Vrsar is a village in Istria, Croatia.Today, Vrsar is a tourist resort. Vrsar is situated close to a large archipelago with 18 unpopulated islets covered with Mediterranean plants....
, Žminj. Numerous are small municipalities and hamlets. In whole Istria there are actually more than 600 of them. So called smallest town in the world - Hum
Hum, Croatia
Hum is a town in the central part of Istria, northwest Croatia, 7 km from Roč, 14 km southeast of Buzet on a hill above the Mirna valley. The elevation of the town is 349 m...
, ("mound") is populated by just three families (22 people).
Besides official Croatian, the Chakavian dialect
Chakavian dialect
Chakavian or Čakavian is a dialect of the Croatian language. The name stems from the word for "what?", which is "ča" in Čakavian...
of the Croatian language
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
is often in use, as in most coastal counties. Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
is also recognized in the county as an official minority language.
As for 2001 the population was 206,344 and the population structure was:
- CroatsCroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
148,328 - Italians 14,284
- Istrians 8,865
- SerbsSerbsThe Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
6,614 - BosniaksBosniaksThe Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
3,077 - AlbaniansAlbaniansAlbanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
2,032 - Slovenes 2,020
- Others and Unknown 4,014
- Haven't declared 13,110
Before World War I and until World War II, Istria contained a large autochthonous Romance language speaking community consisting of Venetian dialects, Istriot and Istro-Romanian along with Italian, plus various local Slavic dialects, some of which were likewise unique to Istria. Today, apart from the local dialects and the official Croatian language, one still finds in this region a small community of people, the Istro-Romanians
Istro-Romanians
Istro-Romanians / Istrorumeni are an ethnic group living in northeastern Istria, currently spanning over a small area of Croatia and a...
, who speak the ancient Istro-Romanian language
Istro-Romanian language
Istro-Romanian is an Eastern Romance language that is still spoken today in a few villages and hamlets in the peninsula of Istria, on the northern part of the Adriatic Sea, in what is now Croatia as well as in other countries around the world where the Istro-Romanian people settled after the two...
, an ancient dialect of Romanian, other districts where Venetian dialects and Istriot are still spoken.
Due to its traditional bond with Europe and its level of international integration, in 1994 Istria was the first region from the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
to be officially designated as a Region of Europe.
Communication
Istra is well connected with the rest of Croatia and Europe. Due to its connection with a wider European area, road development suitably covers all needs and contributes to a balanced development of the coastal area and the Istrian interior.Initially, the need for railroads in Istria was based upon fast development of industrial activities; shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
, construction material, machine and electric industries, as well as Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n military interests. After Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
were connected in 1876, the railway between Divača
Divaca
Divača is a small town and municipality in the Littoral region of Slovenia, a few kilometres from the Italian border.The Parish Church in the settlement is dedicated to Saint Anthony the Hermit and belongs to the Diocese of Koper....
, (in today's Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
) and Pula, (122 km (76 mi) long with 21 km (13 mi) long branch Kanfanar
Kanfanar
Kanfanar is a municipality in the central part of Istria, Croatia, 20 km northeast of Rovinj, on the edge of the Lim Cove, on the open limestone plain of Istria. The elevation is 281 m.Chief occupations are farming and livestock breeding...
- Rovinj), was opened. Despite numerous initiatives, the western part of Istria have been connected with the railroad only in 1902, with construction of the narrow-gauge track Poreč - Trieste. The famous 123.1 km (76 mi) long "Parenzana", or Parenzaner Bahn, was cancelled in 1935. The nearest commercial airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
is in Pula.
Economy
Well-developed are processing industry, with traditional agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, sea fishing and growing, construction and production of construction materials (lime
Lime (mineral)
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for a single mineral of the CaO composition, occurring very rarely...
, cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
, brick, stone), trade and transport
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
. Most developed branches of industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
are shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
(In the early 1970s its shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
Uljanik
Uljanik
Uljanik is a shipbuilding company and shipyard located in Pula, Croatia.It was named after an islet on which there used to grow olive trees but then they were all cut down to make room for steel and hull fabrication workshops.- See also :* Shipyards:...
was building the biggest ships in the world as Berge Adria and others), metal processing, wood industry, furniture industry, automotive components industry, electric machines and appliances industry, glass, plastic, textile, tobacco industry. According to economic indicators, the leading activities are processing industry, tourism, and trade.
Great attention is being given to agriculture and the production of ecologic food, the wine and olive growing. Historically cultivated local wine varietals include Malvasia
Malvasia
Malvasia is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world...
(white) and Teran (red).
Tourism
Organized tourism in Istria goes back to the Romans, when emperor VespasianVespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
, for the entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
of that time, built the amphitheater (Arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
) in Pula. During the reign of Austro-Hungarian Empire in (1866), Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n and Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
royalty and aristocracy started visiting local resorts and discovered Poreč.
Significant efforts were made after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to develop the tourist infrastructure and to accentuate its importance. In combination with the natural beauties, rich history and cultural heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
, investments paid off and resulted in highly developed, competitive service all along the western coast in Poreč
Porec
Poreč is a town and municipality on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, in Istria County, Croatia. Its major landmark is the 6th century Euphrasian Basilica, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997....
, Pula
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
, Rovinj
Rovinj
Rovinj is a city in Croatia situated on the north Adriatic Sea with a population of 13,562 . It is located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula and is a popular tourist resort and an active fishing port...
, Umag
Umag
Umag is a coastal city in Istria, Croatia.The city hosts the yearly Croatia Open ATP tennis tournament on clay courts.-Geography:It is the westernmost city of Croatia, and the municipality includes Savudrija which is westernmost point of Croatia....
, Novigrad
Novigrad, Istria
Novigrad is a town and a municipality in Istria, Croatia. It is also known as Novigrad Istarski to distinguish it from three other Croatian towns of the same name. Novigrad is set on a small peninsula on the western coast of Istria, two kilometres north of the mouth of the river Mirna...
, and Vrsar
Vrsar
Vrsar is a village in Istria, Croatia.Today, Vrsar is a tourist resort. Vrsar is situated close to a large archipelago with 18 unpopulated islets covered with Mediterranean plants....
.
In the eastern part, as part of another county, there are resorts like Rabac
Rabac
Rabac, a Croatian village in Istria, is a large resort town on Kvarner Bay, just southeast of Labin.Long a small fishing port of just three dozen homes, Rabac has grown in recent years into a resort town with numerous villas and apartment buildings....
, Opatija
Opatija
Opatija is a town in western Croatia, just southwest of Rijeka on the Adriatic coast. , the town proper had a population of 7,850, with the municipality having a total 12,719 inhabitants.-Geography:...
. Istria was and still is the most important tourist destination in Croatia, hosting the western and central European visitors. Area is the most visited tourist region with 27% of all visitors and 35% of time spent in all of Croatia.
County government
Current Župan (prefect): Ivan Jakovčić (IDS)The county assembly is composed of 41 representatives, organized as follows:
- Istrian Democratic AssemblyIstrian Democratic AssemblyThe Istrian Democratic Assembly is a Croatian regional and social liberal political party in Istria. The hyphenated abbreviation IDS-DDI is most commonly used....
(IDS) 20 - Social Democratic Party of CroatiaSocial Democratic Party of CroatiaSocial Democratic Party of Croatia , commonly referred to in Croatia as simply Social Democratic Party , is the largest centre-left political party in Croatia...
(SDP) 5 - Croatian Democratic UnionCroatian Democratic UnionThe Croatian Democratic Union is the main center-right political party in Croatia. It is the biggest and strongest individual Croatian party since independence of Croatia. The Christian democratic HDZ governed Croatia from 1990 to 2000 and, in partial coalition, from 2003...
(HDZ) 5 - Istrian Democratic Forum (IDF) 4*
- Croatian Party of PensionersCroatian Party of PensionersThe Croatian Party of Pensioners is a Croatian political party. It is currently led by Silvano Hrelja.When the Party was founded, few people took it seriously and many commentators speculated that the ultimate purpose of HSU was take away pensioners' votes from rejuvenated SDP and thus help ruling...
(HSU) 4 - HNS, HSLS, ZELENI 3