Croatia is a diverse country, rich in history, culture and great landscapes. It is a great destination for anyone looking to experience something new and exciting.
Croatia is a small country in the northwestern part of the Balkan Peninsula on the Adriatic Sea. The country borders Italy to the west, Slovenia to the south, Hungary to the east, and Serbia to the north. Croatia’s name derives from kroatia, the Latin term for “Croatian.” Like other Eastern European countries, Croatia was part of the Holy Roman Empire, which was a precursor to the modern day European Union. Croatia was also a part of Yugoslavia, which was a union of six socialist republics between the years of 1944 and 1992.
If you want to brush up on your Croatian knowledge, here are 100 interesting facts about the nation, some of which you may already know and others which you may not.
1. Although Zagreb is the current capital of Croatia, it was formerly the capitals of Knin on the Dalmatian coast and Varazdin in the north.
2. Vinkovci, in eastern Croatia, is Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited city. For the last 8,000 years, the city has been inhabited.
3. Nena Tolj, who died in 2011 at the age of 110 and 151 days, was Croatia’s oldest individual.
4. Josip Krsul, who is 108 years old, is Croatia’s oldest living person (as of April 2023).
5. According to legend, the village of Ludbreg in northern Croatia is located in the geographic center of the globe. Many of the world’s cities are arranged in concentric rings, with Ludbreg at the center.
6. Croatia, together with Spain, has the most UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of any European nation.
7. On the Adriatic’s eastern shore, Croatia’s northern to north-eastern wind, or bura, is the most ferocious. Over the night of December 21, 1990, winds of 248.4 kmph howled on Masleniki most (Maslenica Bridge), the highest bura winds ever recorded in Croatia.
8. Zadar is home to the world’s first pipe marine organ, which uses sea waves and tubes to create music under a series of huge marble stairs.
9. After the Great Wall of China, the Walls of Ston are the world’s longest surviving fortification system.
10. In 925, Tomislav became the first King of Croatia, elevating Croatia to the status of a kingdom.
11. In the text “Istarski razvod” from 1275, the Croatian language is first mentioned.
12. Croatians speak at least one foreign language, according to 12.78 percent of the population.
13. Apart from the written form of long numbers, the longest Croatian word is prijestolonasljednikoviiinima, which has 31 characters (30 letters since “lj” is one letter). Prijestolonasljednikoviiinima – in the plural dative case, it means “of tiny heiress apparent to the crown.”
14. Croatian words with just one letter include a (but, and), u (in), I (and), s (with, from), and k (keep) (to).
15. Croatia has one of the cleanest coastlines in the world. Despite the fact that over 900 beaches were examined, none of them passed the ‘poor’ water quality standard.
16. Nikola Tesla, the famous inventor, was born in Smiljan, Croatia.
17. Dubrovnik was one of the first medieval European cities to establish a sewage system.
18. In the early nineteenth century, Dubrovnik was renowned as the “Adriatic Pearl” (due to English poet Lord Byron), and not only as the “Game of Thrones” King’s Landing and a Star Wars shooting site.
19. Croatians had their own alphabet, which they used. Only Croats retained the Glagolitic alphabet, which was used mostly in liturgy from the 12th through the 20th centuries.
20. The Roman amphitheater at Pula is the world’s sixth biggest and the only one with all three rows intact.
21. The last Mediterranean seal specimen dwells in Croatian seas.
22. Hum in Istria is the world’s smallest town, with a population of about 20 people.
23. With a height of 108 meters, the Zagreb Cathedral is Croatia’s highest structure.
24. In Rijeka, the world’s first torpedo was built. In 1866, Ivan Luppis (Ivan Vuki) created the first self-propelled torpedo prototypes.
25. Marco Polo is said to have been born on the island of Korcula. His home in the Old Town is open to visitors today.
26. The largest church in Croatia, situated in Knin, measures 1,024 m2 and can accommodate over 700 people.
27. Croatia has an 18-year-old voting age.
28. In Croatia, the legal drinking age is likewise 18.
29. In Croatia, the legal age to marry is once again 18.
30. The Iris is Croatia’s national flower.
31. Croatia is the World Cup runner-up in football.
32. When it comes to nation size, Croatia is rated 127th in the globe.
33. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Croatia earned the most gold medals (per capita) in Europe.
34. The Dinara peak, at 1,831 meters, is Croatia’s highest mountain.
35. 11 Nature Parks, 8 National Parks, and 2 Nature Reserves protect 35.10 percent of Croatia.
36. In 2018, Croatia set a new world record for the longest sarma, measuring 1,333 meters.
37. Rice chocolate was first produced in Croatia in 1963 at the Zveevo plant in Poega, in western Slavonia.
38. In Krapina, central Croatia, the world’s richest collection of Neanderthal bones was found.
39. Hvar, off the Dalmatian coast, with more than 2,800 hours of sunlight each year, making it Europe’s sunniest island.
40. There are approximately 1,200 islands, isles, and inlets in Croatia.
41. Croatia has an island that is formed like a heart. Galenjak, commonly known as Cupid Island, is the world’s only heart-shaped island. In the late nineteenth century, a cartographer found that form.
42. Krk Island, located in the Adriatic Sea’s northwestern corner, is Croatia’s biggest island, spanning 409 square kilometers (38 kilometers in length and up to 20 kilometers in breadth). In addition, it is the most populous.
43. Twelfth Night, Shakespeare’s comedy, was set in Dalmatia.
44. San Marino was established by Marin, a sculptor from the island of Rab.
45. Outside of Croatia, there are almost as many Croatians as there are in Croatia (4.2 million).
46. The Egyptian sphinx at Split’s Diocletian Palace was brought in from Egypt by Emperor Diocletian to embellish the entrance to his burial.
47. Anthony ‘Tony’ Maglica, a Croatian, developed the Maglite flashlight.
48. Only 13 people live on the island of Bievo.
49. When the winds are strong enough, the famous Zlatni rat beach changes form.
50. Ivo Karlovi, No. 1 in the world, and Goran Ivanievi, No. 2 in the world, are the top two ace servers in tennis history.
51. Croatia has 41,188 winemakers and vineyards spread over 20,885 hectares of land.
52. Croatia is rated fourth in the world for per capita alcohol consumption.
53. The necktie originated in Croatia.
54. The world’s largest necktie, stretching 808 meters, was exhibited in Croatia. In 2003, it took five days to finish and was wrapped around the Pula Arena.
55. With 342,000 tickets sold, the 1996 Croatian film “Kako je poeo rat na mom otoku” (How the War Began on My Island) is the most-watched Croatian film of all time in the cinema.
56. On August 4, 1981, the hottest temperature ever recorded in Croatia was 42.8°C in the village of Ploe.
57. UNESCO has designated Dalmatian Klapa singing as a protected cultural heritage.
58. Slavoljub Penkala, a Croatian, was the creator of the mechanical pencil.
59. Agram was the old name for Zagreb, Croatia’s capital.
60. The island of Cres is home to the world’s last griffon vulture population.
61. Ivan Vueti, a Croatian, was the first to utilize fingerprinting. Before moving to Argentina, he was born on the Croatian island of Hvar.
62. Oscar winners Fiddler on the Roof, Sophie’s Choice, and Dr. Who, as well as Game of Thrones, Mamma Mia 2, and Star Wars, were all shot in Croatia.
63. Kneevi has surpassed Horvat as the most prevalent surname in Croatia.
64. In Croatia, Ivan is the most popular first name, followed by Marija, Ana, Josip, and Marko.
65. Croatian males rank 7th in the world in terms of height.
66. Croatia has approximately 15 distinct snake species, although only three of them are venomous: the Common Adder, Karst Meadow Viper, and Nose-horned Viper (Poskok).
67. In 2019, the world’s longest strudel was made in Sisak, Croatia. It measured 1,762,45 meters in length.
68. Between the Isle of Ricul in the Pasman Channel and the seaside town of Turanj, the oldest olive trees in Croatia were found, going back 3,500 years.
69. With 27,330 cubic meters of water per inhabitant, Croatia leads the European Union.
70. The Croatian word ‘Fijaka’ refers to a calm state of body and mind that is best characterized as the ‘sweetness of doing nothing’ or being in a ‘day-dreamy condition.’
71. With his worldwide smash “Morgen,” Croatian singer and composer Ivo Robi became the first to break into the Top 20 on the American music charts.
72. Istria’s Vinjan Observatory was the most successful at locating asteroids that may pose a danger to Earth.
73. Picigin, a Croatian beach game, is number 73. Picigin is a game in which participants prevent a tiny ball from hitting the water and was developed over 110 years ago in the shallow waters of Bavice beach in Split.
74. In 2016, 2017, and 2018, Zagreb’s Christmas Markets were named the finest in Europe for three years in a row.
75. There is a Casanova festival in Croatia. In 1743 and 1744, the renowned lover paid two visits to Vrsar, which was known for its excellent cuisine, wine (Refoka), and attractive ladies.
76. On Mount Gaj near Primoten, a 17-meter-tall statue of Our Lady of Loreto, one of Europe’s largest, was erected.
77. The Croatian Soparnik, a savory pie with Swiss chard filling, is said to be the forerunner of the Italian pizza, which the Romans introduced to Italy.
78. Croatia’s most popular culinary export is Vegeta, a flavor enhancer that is marketed in over 40 countries across the globe, from Europe to Asia to the Pacific.
79. The Rimac C Two from Croatia was voted the world’s fastest and most powerful vehicle by Top Gear in 2018.
80. Croatia was rated as the world’s 22nd safest nation.
81. Near Imotski, the Red Lake features a 530-meter-deep sinkhole, making it the world’s third-largest sinkhole.
82. In Croatia, Imotski has the greatest density of Mercedes-Benz cars of any place on the planet.
83. In Drae, on the Peljeac peninsula in southern Dalmatia, Croatia is an underwater vineyard. At a depth of 20 meters underwater, wine is aged in amphorae.
84. The Dalmatian dog breed has its origins in Croatia and the Dalmatia area. Croatia gave birth to the Dalmatian dog
85. Women on the island of Susak wear the world’s shortest traditional costumes.
86. Dubrovnik was the first city in the world to use quarantine in 1377.
87. One of the earliest medieval sewage systems, dated from 1296, is still in use in Dubrovnik.
88. Near Zadar, Croatia’s oldest remnants of the contemporary dog were discovered. The age of the bone remains is estimated to be between 7500 and 8000 years old.
89. Since 5 June 1848, when Josip Jelai was granted the title of Ban, the red-white-blue tricolor has been flown as the official Croatian flag.
90. Boidar Deodat Krei, a 71-year-old Croatian from Osijek, holds the global tower running record, completing 3,600 steps (240 floors) in one hour and 20 minutes.
91. Croats make up over 90% of the population of Croatia.
92. Dubrovnik, Osijek, Pula, Rijeka, Split, Zadar, and Zagreb are the seven international airports in Croatia.
93. On the island of Hvar, a unique religious tradition has continued unbroken for almost 500 years before Easter.
94. The name Zagreb was first recorded in records on April 6, 1134.
95. There are museums dedicated to failed relationships, false news, and hangovers in Croatia.
96. estica, a Croatian language study textbook for sixth-graders, was named the best in Europe.
97. For the last eight years, Croatia has had a Champions League champion.
98. The highest sea temperature ever recorded in Croatia was 29.5 degrees at Rab (21.07.2015).
99. Croatia boasts one of the world’s oldest populations, with a median age of 43.3 years.
100. For the sixth year in a row, Istria has been named the finest olive oil area in the world.
Croatia is an incredible country with a rich history and modern day culture. This article will give you some background info about the country, its people, and its general tourist attractions.. Read more about what is croatia known for and let us know what you think.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an interesting fact about Croatia?
Croatia is the most visited country in Europe.
What is Croatia famous for?
Croatia is a country in Europe. It is famous for its beaches, mountains, and vineyards.
What is Croatias nickname?
Croatia is known as the Republic of Croatia.