Croatia

Notable facts

• The necktie descends from the scarves worn by 17th-century Croatian cavalry — the French called them cravates.
• Croatia has 1,244 islands, islets and reefs, of which only about 50 are inhabited.
• The Dalmatian dog and the Croatian-born inventor Nikola Tesla both come from these lands.
• Dubrovnik’s city walls, nearly 2 km around, survived largely intact from the medieval republic of Ragusa.

World Heritage 10 sites

• Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian 1979 · Cultural
• Old City of Dubrovnik 1979 · Cultural In danger
• Plitvice Lakes National Park 1979 · Natural In danger

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National dish

Pašticada Beef larded with bacon, marinated in vinegar and wine, then braised with prunes and served with gnocchi.

Croatian cooking splits sharply between the Adriatic coast and the continental north, so any single national dish is contested. Zagorski štrukli, a baked cheese-filled dough, is the northern claim.