Croatia (pronounced /kroʊˈeɪʃə/) (Croatian: Hrvatska /xrvatska/), officially the Republic of Croatia (Republika Hrvatska  Republika_Hrvatska.ogg (help·info)), is a crescent-shaped country at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Sea, Central Europe, and the Balkans. Its capital is Zagreb. Croatia borders with Slovenia and Hungary to the north, Serbia to the northeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the east, and Montenegro to the far southeast. Its southern and western flanks border the Adriatic Sea. In recent history, it was a republic in the SFR Yugoslavia, but it achieved independence in 1991. Croatia is a member of United Nations, NATO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the Council of Europe. It is also a candidate for membership of the European Union. Croatian is the official language throughout the whole country. Dubrovnik (Italian: Ragusa, IPA: [ˈdǔ.bro̞ːʋ.nik]) is a historic city on the Adriatic Sea coast in the extreme south of Croatia, positioned at 42°39′N 18°04′E / 42.65°N 18.067°E / 42.65; 18.067 at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist resorts, a seaport and the center of the Dubrovnik–Neretva county. Its population was 43,770 in 1991 and 49,728 in 2001. in 2001 the absolute majority of its citizens declared themselves as Croats with 88.39% (2001 census). Dubrovnik is nicknamed "Pearl of the Adria". The prosperity of the city of Dubrovnik has always been based on maritime trade. In the Middle Ages, as the Republic of Ragusa, it became the only eastern Adriatic city-state to rival Venice. Supported by its wealth and skilled diplomacy, the city achieved a remarkable level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries. Ragusa was one of the centers of the development of the Croatian language and literature, home to many notable poets, playwrights, painters, mathematicians, physicists and other scholars. A part of the harbour in Pula, Croatia, under sunset. Pula (Slovene: Pulj; Istriot Pula; Italian: Pola) is the largest city in Istria, situated at the southern tip of the peninsula, with a population of 62,080 (2006). Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, tame sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing, shipbuilding, and tourism. Pula has also been Istria's administrative center since ancient Roman times. ...the word "cravat" comes from the French cravate, and many sources state that this is a corruption of "Croat" — Croatian "Hrvat"? ...that the roots of Marco Polo are from the Croatian island of Korčula? ...in football World Cup 1962 Dražan Jerković scored four goals and was, with five more players, the top goalscorer, winning the World Cup Golden Boot? ...that Croatian vernacular names of marine algae are the most numerous within Europe, their richness being subequal to the maximal one for Japanese algae in the rest of the world? Miroslav Krleža (July 7, 1893 - December 29, 1981) was a Croatian writer and a figure in cultural life of both Yugoslav states, the monarchist one (1918-1941) and the Communist one (1945 - until his death in 1981). Krleža has remained generally unknown despite his literary achievements. Croatian critics consider that this can be attributed to Krleža being Croatian, with Croatia being small and insignificant in more than just the geographical sense in the eyes of some, and, in part, to his political views which were often at odds with the authorities. Miroslav Krleža was born in Croatia's capital Zagreb. He entered a preparatory military school in Pécs, Hungary (at that time Croatia was a part of Austro-Hungarian Empire) and, subsequently, Ludiviceum military academy at Budapest. He defected for Serbia in 1912 as a volunteer for the Serbian army, but was dismissed as a suspected spy. Upon his return to Croatia he was demoted in Austro-Hungarian army and sent as a common soldier to the Eastern front in the World War I. In the post-WWI period Krleža has established himself both as a major modernist writer and politically controversial figure in Yugoslavia, a newly created country which encompassed South Slavic lands of former Habsburg Empire and kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro. |
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