There are over 1,200 islands, cliffs and reefs in Croatia which cover a total area of about 3,300 km2. Out of almost 700 islands less than 50 are inhabited.
The city of Dubrovnik (Ragusa) was a maritime republic during the Middle Ages. Between the 14th century and 1808 Dubrovnik ruled itself as a free state until Napoleon invaded the city and the Republic of Dubrovnik surrendered to French forces.
Signed in 1214, the Statute of the Island of Korcula was the first such document in Europe to prohibit trading in slaves. .The necktie, cravat originates from Croatia. It was first worn by Croatian soldiers in the 17th century. The word 'cravat' that derives from the French 'cravate' is a French pronunciation of 'Croat' in Croatian - 'Hrvat'.
One of the early inventors of parachute was a Croat Faust Vrancic who constructed a device based on Da Vinci's drawings. In 1617 he successfully jumped from a Venice tower with a rigid-framed parachute.
One of the greatest world travelers and explorer, Marco Polo, was born in 1254 on the island of Korčula.
The University of Zadar, the first University in Croatia, was founded in 1396 and remained active until 1807, when other institutions of higher education took over until the foundation of the renewed University of Zadar in 2002.
The University of Zagreb, founded in 1669, is the oldest continuously operating University in Southeastern Europe.
Croatia is a country of rich natural resources and is famous for its natural beauties.
There are several categories of protected areas in Croatia: 8 National Parks, 10 Nature Parks, 2 Strict Reserves, Park Forests, Special Reserves and others.
Diocletian's Palace (Croatian: Dioklecijanova palača) is a building in Split, that was built by the Roman emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD. The Palace of Diocletian, is one of the best known integral architectural and cultural constructions in the world
The area known as Croatia today was inhabited throughout the prehistoric period. Fossils of Neanderthals dating to the middle Paleolithic have been unearthed in the area of Krapina and Vindija.
There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Croatia: the Old City of Dubrovnik; the historical complex of Split with the palAce of Diocletian; the Plitvice Lakes National Park; the Episcopal complex of the Euphrasian Basilica in the historic center of Poreč; historic city of Trogir and the Stari Grad plain on the island of Hvar.
The first solid ink fountain pen came from Croatia. It was developed by a Croatian engineer and inventor Slavoljub Eduard Penkala, in 1907.
Jama, located on Velebit Mountain in Croatia, is one of 20 deepest caves in the world.
Smallest town in the world is Hum in the central part of Istria, northwest Croatia. The elevation of the town is 349 m.This small fortified habitation has maintained all the features of medieval urban architecture and organization. As the Guinness World Record holder for the smallest town in the world, Hum has a population of only 23 people.
In the late 18th century, when Zagreb had only 10.000 inhabitants the construction of park Maksimir had begun. Maksimir is one of the first public parks in Europe and worldwide. At that time most parks were private gardens close to the royal and aristocratic residences and public parks were extremly rare.
James Joyce, Irish writer and poet, was a teacher of English in Pula from 1904 and 1905. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, but he is best known for his landmark novel Ulysses.
Agatha Christie spent her second honeymoon in Dubrovnik and Split.
In his childhood Vladimir Nabokov, well known writer of novel Lolita, always spent summers in Opatija.
The buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced wood piles, which were imported from Croatia, specifically from Lika and Gorski Kotar.
George Bernard Shaw is reported to have said: “If you want to see a heaven on earth, come to Dubrovnik“. He was awarded both Nobel Prize for Literature and Oscar for the play Pygmalion.