Location: Adriatic Coast, South Eastern Europe (Geographic Coordinates: 45 10 N, 15 30 E)
Bordering Countries: Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro
Terrain: Diverse; low plains in the north; low mountains and highlands along the coastline
Climate: Continental (hot summers, cold winters), mountainous, and Mediterranean (dry summers, mild winters)
Area: 89,810 km²
Croatia is split into 21 counties.
Croatia has 1,246 different islands, but people only inhabit 66 of them.
There are eight national parks in Croatia – four on the sea and four within the continent.
Capital City: Zagreb
Population: There are about 4,500,000 people living in Croatia. The majority of them are Croats, but there are also a decent number of Serbs, Bosniaks, Italians, Romani, Albanians, Slovenes, Hungarians, Czechs, and Slovaks living in the country. There are about 800,000 residents in Zagreb alone.
Official Language: Croatian
Most Commonly Spoken Foreign Languages: German, Italian, English
Major Religion: Roman Catholic
Natural Resources: Salt, gypsum, oil, bauxite, calcium, clays, low-grade iron ore, calcium, natural asphalt, silica, mica, hydropower
Type of Government: Parliamentary Republic

Croatia has a president and a prime minister.
Croatian Parliament is called Sabor.

Currency: Kuna (Abbreviation: kn; HRK)

There are 100 lipa in one kuna.
One kuna is equal to $ 0.15, and one lipa is equal to $0.0015.
The kuna shares its name with the weasel-like mammal, the marten (kuna in Croatian). Marten pelts were used as a currency for trading in Medieval times.
The lipa gets its name from the Croatian word for linden tree.
Fun fact: One lipa coins still exist, but they are hard to come by. When I was living in Zagreb, my friend's roommate included a 1 lipa coin in one of her payments at the cafeteria. The cashier lifted it to her face, inspected it momentarily, and then threw it into the trash. That is how insignificant these things are. XD
Fun fact: In Croatia, you do not have to pay the exact amount in cash for items from the store, just something close. XD Instead, you can round up or down depending on the price. For example, if something costs 18.28 kuna, you could give them 18.20, 18.25, or 18.30 instead. You also won't always get exact change back from a shopkeeper. Again, this is because of the lipa and its worthlessness. XD

Natural hazards: Earthquakes, the Bura (Bora)

Bura is the north to northeastern winds that can reach speeds of 220 km/hr (~137 mph) along the coastline during the winter.
These coastal winds create very dangerous conditions for sailing, they can cause property damage (usually to roofs and trees), and can force officials to completely shut down roadways.

Manmade hazards: Landmines and unexploded items, such as grenades, from the war that occurred over 20 years ago

According to the Croatian Mine Action Center (CROMAC), there are about 476.2 km² of mine suspected areas as of July 25th, 2016.
This area covers 9 counties and affects 69 towns and municipalities.
86.8% of mine contaminated areas are forests and 12.9% are agricultural areas. The remaining .3% is for everything else.
There are 14,040 signs posted throughout Croatia to warn people of landmines and suspected hazardous areas.
If you are interested, CROMAC has an interactive map here: Interactive Landmine Map

Hayao Miyazaki's film Porco Rosso is set in Croatia along the Adriatic Coastline with inspiration from places like Vis, Dubrovnik, and Rijeka.
Donald Curtis, the main antagonist of the movie bares the Civil flag of the Banovina of Croatia on his uniform.

Porco Rosso's hideout is based on Stiniva, a cove on the island of Vis.

On the OST for Porco Rosso, セリビア行進曲 (Serbia March) is the name of one of the tracks. Like Croatia, Serbia was also part of the former Yugoslav Republic.

Question from Dr. Drago Stambuk, Ambassador of Croatia during Hayao Miyazaki's interview at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo:

Quote :

I would like to use this opportunity first to ask why you chose to use the backdrop of Croatia for your picture, though you didn't go to visit the country, and would also like to use this opportunity to invite you to visit Croatia...

Hayao Miyazaki's response:

Quote :

When I made the film Porco Rosso, the setting was in the Adriatic Sea. There were flying boat fighter planes that were used for that film, and yet in World War I, it was only the Italian and Austrian air forces that took advantage of such aircraft, so that gave us our setting. We thought that, because of the setting, it would be obvious that the hero would have some place to hide among the islands of Croatia. I didn't actually visit Croatia, so I stared at aerial shots of the country for so long that there must now be holes in those photographs. But I fear that, if I actually go there, it will be considerably different from what was depicted in the film.
I originally intended to create a relaxing film, but after we started production, the conflict in Yugoslavia began, and there was much attention focused on the bombings in Dubrovnik in Croatia. Our film ended up being heavier and gloomier in nature. However, I'd like to express my happiness at seeing the peaceful state that Croatia is now in.

(Source of interview: screenanarchy)


For those of you who are fans of Game of Thrones, did you know that the scenes for King's Landing were filmed in Dubrovnik, Croatia?

King's Landing:

Dubrovnik:

In Tokyo there is a Croatian restaurant called Dobro. It is run by Satsuki Kawasaki who became fond of Croatia through soccer. After being fired from his original job, Kawasaki traveled from Tokyo to Croatia. There he spent time studying Croatian cuisine in detail with the idea of opening his own restaurant back home. During his stay he even found a Croatian cook from Zagorje for his restaurant. Pretty neat, huh?
Dobro Official Website (In Japanese)
Inside of the Restaurant


Dalmatian dogs originated from Croatia.


The boundary between the Earth's upper crust and mantle, known as the Moho or Mohorovičić Discontinuity, is named in honor of the Croatian seismologist Andrija Mohorovičić.


Hum, Croatia is the world's smallest city.


In Zagreb, there is a museum called Muzej Prekinutih Veza (The Museum of Broken Relationships), which exhibits the tales and items from all kinds of ended relationships. The museum is unique in that it strives to give individuals a chance to cope with any emotions that may have been caused by their relationships. That being said, anybody is allowed to donate their stories (and associated items from the their broken relationship) to the museum's collection.


In Croatia, the cities Vienna, Rome, and Venice are called by the names Beč, Rim, and Venicija respectively.



Every day in the upper old town area of Zagreb, the fortified Lotrščak Tower fires its canon at noon.


1. Have you ever been to Croatia? If yes, where did you go and what did you do?
2. To those who haven't been to Croatia, would you like to go some day?
3. Are there any specific places in Croatia that you would like to visit?

If you have any questions or comments about Croatia, feel free to post them in this thread!

I had no idea GOT was filmed in parts of croatia. I now need to visit those sites if I ever get the money to actually travel.

Croatia  looks like a beautiful place. I would love to go.