Croatia - The Mediterranean As It Once Was

On breatheCroatia.com you can find pictures from some of the most popular tourist destinations in Croatia. Breathe beauties of Croatia even before you come to visit it!

Croatia is a country in Southeastern Europe, at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Croatia borders Slovenia and Hungary to the north, Serbia to the northeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the east, Montenegro to the southeast and has a sea border with Italy to the southwest. The capital (and largest city) is Zagreb.

Croatia has a mixture of climates. In the north and east it is continental, Mediterranean along the coast - Istria, Kvarner and Dalmatia - and a semi-highland and highland climate in the south-central region. Istria has a temperate climate, while the Palagruža archipelago is home to a subtropical climate.

The country is famous for its many national parks and beautiful blue sea - Adriatic Sea (Croatian: Jadran or Jadransko more). Offshore Croatia consists of over one thousand islands varying in size. The largest islands in Croatia are Cres and Krk, while the smallest is Smokvica Vela by the Kornat island.

The country includes seven World Heritage sites and eight national parks (Plitvice Lakes, Krka Waterfalls, Kornati, Risnjak, Brijuni, Sjeverni Velebit, Paklenica and Mljet).

Croatian culture is the result of a fourteen century-long history which has seen the development of many cities and monuments. Croatian cuisine is heterogeneous and is therefore known as the cuisine of regions, since every region has its own distinct culinary traditions. Its modern roots date back to ancient periods and the differences in the selection of foodstuffs and forms of cooking are most notable between those on the mainland and those in coastal regions. Mainland cuisine is more characterized by the earlier Slavic and the more recent contacts with the more famous gastronomic orders of today - Hungarian, Viennese and Turkish - while the coastal region bears the influences of the Greek, Roman and Illyrian, as well as of the later Mediterranean cuisine - Italian and French.

Many tourists visit Croatia to experience the country's extensive coastline and well-preserved coastal ancient towns such as Rovinj, Pula, Sibenik, Split etc.