What country does Istria belong to?
Istria, Serbo-Croatian Istra, triangular peninsula that is part of Croatia and Slovenia. It extends into the northeastern Adriatic Sea between the Gulf of Venice (west) and the Gulf of Kvarner (east). The peninsula has an area of 1,220 square miles (3,160 square km).
Is Istria a Italian?
Istria is the westernmost county in Croatia, but it is Italy too. Our planned destination was Savudrija (Salvore in Italian), a seaside town in the far northwest corner of the peninsula, but first we had to drive across Istria’s interior to get there.
What happened to Italians in Istria?
After the Italian armistice of 1943, Istria became a battlefield between the Nazi German army and the partisan (mostly Yugoslav) insurgency. Already in September 1943, several hundreds Istrian Italians were killed by the Yugoslav partisans because of their allegiance to the Italian State.
How many Italians live in Istria?
Actually Istria is populated mainly by Slavs, but nearly 50,000 Italians still live there (divided between the areas of Istria belonging to Croatia, Slovenia and Italy).
Where do Italian people live in Istria?
Today, as a result of the Istrian-Dalmatian exodus, the majority of Istrian Italians live outside of the Istrian peninsula; however, a significant Italian minority still lives in the Croatian County of Istria (6.92%) and in Slovenian Istria, where they are granted minority rights.
What are the major geographical features of Istria?
Borders and roads in Istria. The geographical features of Istria include the Učka mountain ridge, which is the highest portion of the Ćićarija mountain range; the rivers Dragonja, Mirna, Pazinčica, and Raša; and the Lim bay and valley.
How many countries share the Istria peninsula?
It is shared by three countries: Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy. Croatia encapsulates most of the Istrian peninsula with its Istria County ( Istarska županija in Croatian, Regione istriana in Italian). This section relies largely or entirely on a single source.
How big is the Italian diaspora in Istria?
The Istrian diaspora, on the other hand, numbers more than 200,000 people. The number of people resident in the Croatian part of Istria declaring themselves to be Italian nearly doubled between 1981 and 1991 (i.e. before and after the dissolution of Yugoslavia).
