FUN AND FACTUAL THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT CROATIA

1. First things first let’s talk sunshine!! The island of Hvar off the Dalmatian coast is the island with the most hours of sunshine in Europe – more than 2,800 hours a year. You’ll be happy to know this is the region where we offer self catering accommodations.

2. The highest ever temperature recorded in Croatia was 42.8°C in the town of Ploče back on 4 August 1981.

3. Let’s talk wine!! There are 41,188 winemakers and vineyards covering 20,885 hectares of land in Croatia.

4. Oscar-winning Fiddler on the Roof, Sophie’s Choice and Dr. Who all were filmed in Croatia, as were Game of Thrones and Star Wars.

5. 10% of Croatia is protected via 11 Nature Parks, 8 National Parks, and 2 Nature Reserves.

6. Zagreb is the capital of Croatia today, but both Nin on the Dalmatian coast and Varazdin in the north have been capitals at one time in history.

7. The oldest inhabited city in Europe is the eastern Croatian city of Vinkovci. The city has been inhabited for the past 8,000 years.

8. Split’s Diocletian Palace has a genuine Egyptian sphinx thanks to Emperor Diocletian who had it brought in from Egypt to adorn the entrance to his tomb.

9. The dog breed Dalmatian can be traced back to Croatia and the Dalmatia region.

10. Croatia has the highest number of UNESCO Intangible Goods of any European country together with Spain.

12. Zadar has the world’s first pipe organ played by the sea and is also known for its sunset which Alfred Hitchcock said was the most beautiful in the world.

13. The Walls of Ston are the longest preserved fortification system in the world after the Great Wall of China.

14. One of the first medieval places in Europe to have a sewage system was Dubrovnik.

15. Dubrovnik was known as the “Adriatic Pearl” in the early 19th century (thanks to the English poet Lord Byron) and not only as “Game of Thrones” King’s Landing and Star Wars filming location.

16. The Roman amphitheater in Pula is the 6th largest amphitheatre in the world and the only one with all 3 rows preserved.

17. In the Croatian waters lives the last specimen of the Mediterranean seal.

18. 78% of Croatians claim knowledge of at least one foreign language.

19. Hum in Istria with a population of around 20 is the world’s smallest town.

20. Zagreb Cathedral holds the title of the tallest building in Croatia at 108 meters high.

21. The world’s first torpedo was constructed in Rijeka. Ivan Luppis (Ivan Vukić) developed the first prototypes of the self-propelled torpedo in 1866.

22. The national flower of Croatia is the Iris.

23. The island of Vis plays Greece in the Hollywood film ‘Mamma Mia 2’.

24. Croatia is ranked 127th in the world when it comes to the size of the country.

25. The highest mountain in Croatia is the Dinara peak at 1,831 metres.

26. The richest collection in the world of remains of Neanderthals was discovered in Krapina in central Croatia.

27. Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night was set in Dalmatia.

28. A sculptor from the island of Rab, Marin, founded San Marino.

29. There are nearly more Croatians living outside of the country as living in Croatia (4.2 million).

30. The Maglite flashlight which was designed by Croatian Anthony ‘Tony’ Maglica.

31. Croatia has over 1,200 islands, isles, and inlets.

32. Krk Island in the north part of Adriatic sea is the largest island in Croatia covering an area of 409 sq km (38 km length – up to 20 km width). It is also the most populated.

33. The island of Biševo has only 13 residents.

34. Famous Zlatni rat beach changes shape when winds are strong enough.

35. Croatia has the top two ace servers in tennis history – No.1 Ivo Karlović, No.2 Goran Ivanišević.

36. Croatia is ranked 4th in the world for alcohol consumption per capita.

37. Croatia is the home of the necktie.

38. The biggest ever necktie in the world, measuring 808 metres, was displayed in Croatia. It took five days to complete and was tied around the Pula Arena in 2003.

39. Dalmatian Klapa singing is protected by UNESCO.

40. Croatian Slavoljub Penkala was the inventor of the mechanical pencil.

41. The capital Zagreb used to be known by the name Agram.

42. The island of Cres is home to the last remaining colony of griffon vultures.

43. Croatian Ivan Vučetić from pioneered the use of fingerprinting. He was born on the island of Hvar before he moved to Argentina.

44. Luka is the most popular boys’ name in Croatia, whilst Mia is currently the most popular female name.

45. Horvat is the most common surname in Croatia with over 22,000 of them.

46. Croatian men are the 7th tallest on the planet.

47. There are around 15 different varieties of snakes living in Croatia, but only three of those are venomous – Common Adder, Karst Meadow Viper and Nose-horned Viper (Poskok).

48. The longest strudel in the world was baked in in Jaškovo, Croatia. It was 1,479.38 metres long.

If you think Trogir and this stunning part of Dalmatia are somewhere you might like to visit do get in touch with us at ARC Rentals. We specialise in holiday lettings on the island of Ciovo. Since 2004 we have managed a variety of 3 & 4 star properties, awarded by Croatian Tourist Board, on behalf of property owners. We carefully select the apartments that we promote as they must meet our high standards and they are only 15 minutes from Split airport. Find out more at our website - www.split-rentals.com

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Facts About Croatia