View source for Istria

{{short description|Peninsula on the Adriatic Sea}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Istria
| native_name = {{native name|hr|Istra}}<br/>{{native name|sl|Istra}}<br/>{{native name|it|Istria}}<br/>{{native name|vec|Istria}}<br/>{{native name|ruo|Istria}}<br/>{{native name|ist|Eîstria}}
| native_name_lang = 
| other_name = 
| image_shield = Coat of arms of Istria.svg
| image_flag = Flag of Istria.svg
| flag_alt = 
| image_map = File:Karte Istrien en.png
| image_map1 = Istria map.svg
| settlement_type = Historical land
| subdivision_name = {{CRO}}<br/>{{SLO}}<br/>{{ITA}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| population_demonym = Istrian
| seat_type = Largest city
| seat = [[Pula]]
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_total = 324300<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dzs.hr/default_e.htm |title=Croatian census - 2001. Press ''Released Data'', ''Censuses'' and look for the tabel: ''Population by Mother Tongue, by Towns/Municipalities'' |access-date=2025-07-23 |archive-date=2015-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123094014/http://www.dzs.hr/default_e.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.stat.si/popis2002/en/rezultati/rezultati_red.asp?ter=OBC&st=7 |title=Slovenian Census - 2002 |archive-date=2020-02-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227025621/https://www.stat.si/Popis2002/en/rezultati/rezultati_red.asp?ter=OBC&st=7 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.liceopetrarcats.it/sperimentazione/sitocarso/comune.htm |title=Statistical and ethnographic study about the Slovene in the ''Provincia di Trieste''|archive-date=2012-11-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120222807/http://www.liceopetrarcats.it/sperimentazione/sitocarso/comune.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| population_as_of = 2001
| timezone1 = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| timezone1_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1 = +1
| utc_offset1_DST = +2
| image_skyline = 
| image_caption = 
}}

'''Istria''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɪ|s|t|r|i|ə}} {{respell|IST|ree|ə}})<ref>([[Croatian language|Croatian]] and [[Slovene language|Slovene]]: {{lang|hr|Istra}}; [[Italian language|Italian]] and [[Venetian language|Venetian]]: {{lang|ruo|Istria}}; {{langx|ist|Eîstria}}; [[Istro-Romanian language|Istro-Romanian]]: {{lang|ruo|Istria}}; {{langx|la|Histria}}; {{langx|grc|Ἱστρία}})</ref> is the largest [[peninsula]] within the [[Adriatic Sea]]. Located at the top of the Adriatic between the [[Gulf of Trieste]] and the [[Kvarner Gulf]], the peninsula is shared by three countries: [[Croatia]], [[Slovenia]], and [[Italy]],<ref name="Pope-Neubauer">Marcel Cornis-Pope, John Neubauer, [https://books.google.com/books?id=5pAwqsSyTlsC&pg=PA364 ''History of the literary cultures of East-Central Europe: junctures and disjunctures in the 19th And 20th Centuries''], John Benjamins Publishing Co. (2006), {{ISBN|90-272-3453-1}}</ref><ref name="Day-East-Thomas">Alan John Day, Roger East, Richard Thomas, [https://books.google.com/books?id=dt2TXexiKTgC&pg=PA280 ''A political and economic dictionary of Eastern Europe''], Routledge, 1<sup>sr</sup> ed. (2002), {{ISBN|1-85743-063-8}}</ref> 90% of its area being part of Croatia.<ref>{{cite web |title=Geographic data |url=https://www.istra-istria.hr/en/region-of-istria/general-information/geographic-data/ |access-date=2023-08-15 |website=www.istra-istria.hr}}</ref> Most of Croatian Istria is part of [[Istria County]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Istria |first=Croatia |date=2021-05-18 |title=Istria |url=https://croatia-istria.net/istria/istria/ |access-date=2022-09-16 |website=National Park Brijuni Excursions}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{see also|Geography of Croatia|Geography of Slovenia|Geography of Italy}}
[[File:Istria County OpenStreetMap.svg|right|thumb|Borders and roads in Istria]]
The geographical features of Istria include the [[Učka]]/Monte Maggiore [[mountain range]], which is the highest portion of the [[Ćićarija]]/Cicceria mountain range; the rivers [[Dragonja]]/Dragogna, [[Mirna (Croatia)|Mirna]]/Quieto, [[Pazinčica]], and [[Raša (river)|Raša]]; and the [[Lim (Croatia)|Lim]]/Canale di Leme bay and valley. Istria lies in three countries: Croatia, Slovenia and Italy. By far the largest portion (90%) lies in Croatia. "Croatian Istria" is divided into two counties, the larger being [[Istria County]] in western Croatia. Important towns in Istria County include [[Pula]]/Pola, [[Poreč]]/Parenzo, [[Rovinj]]/Rovigno, [[Pazin]]/Pisino, [[Labin]]/Albona, [[Umag]]/Umago, [[Motovun]]/Montona, [[Buzet]]/Pinguente, and [[Buje]]/Buie. Smaller towns in Istria County include [[Višnjan]]/Visignano, [[Roč]]/Rozzo, and [[Hum, Croatia|Hum]]/Colmo.

The northwestern part of Istria lies in Slovenia: it is known as [[Slovenian Istria]], and includes the coastal municipalities of [[Piran]]/[[Pirano]], [[Izola]]/Isola, and [[Koper]]/Capodistria. It also includes the [[Kras Plateau|Karstic]] municipality of [[Hrpelje-Kozina]]/Erpelle-Cosina.<ref>[http://www.hrpelje-kozina.si/cms/index.php Hrpelje-Kozina municipal site] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218113855/http://www.hrpelje-kozina.si/cms/index.php |date=2008-12-18}}</ref>

Northwards of Slovenian Istria, there is a tiny portion of the peninsula that lies in Italy.<ref name="Pope-Neubauer"/><ref name="Day-East-Thomas"/> This smallest portion of Istria consists of the ''[[comune]]s'' of [[Muggia]]/Milje and [[San Dorligo della Valle]]/Dolina with Santa Croce ([[Trieste]]) lying farthest to the north.

The ancient region of ''Histria'' extended over a much wider area, including the whole [[Karst Plateau]] with the southern edges of the [[Vipava Valley]]/Vipacco Valley, the southwestern portions of modern [[Inner Carniola]] with [[Postojna]]/Postumia and [[Ilirska Bistrica]]/Bisterza, and the Italian [[Province of Trieste]], but not the [[Liburnia]]n coast which was already part of [[Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum|Illyricum]].<ref>Leonhard Schmitz, [https://archive.org/details/amanualancientg00schmgoog/page/n142 ''A manual of ancient geography''], pg. 131, The British Library (2010), ISBN B003MNGWVI</ref><!-- {{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} Is that correct ? -->

==Name==
The name Istria (Ἰστρία) is derived from the river Ister (Ἴστρος) (modern [[Danube]]), because the Greeks erroneously believed, early in their travels around the Mediterranean, that a branch of the Danube flowed into the Adriatic Sea in that area. In addition, the Greeks called the inhabitants of the area Histri (Ἴστροι); if this was their native name, it may have initially led the Greeks to assume a connection with the river Ister.<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0064:entry=istria-geo Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), Istria]</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Istria}}

===From prehistory to Roman times===
{{See also|March of Istria|Histri}}
[[File:X - VENETIA ET ISTRIA.svg|thumb|Regio X ''[[Venetia et Histria]]'' of [[Roman Italy]]]]
[[File:The new old amphitheater in Pula Istria (19629095974).jpg|thumb|right|[[Pula Arena]], built in 27 BC – 68 AD, is among the six largest surviving [[Roman amphitheatre]]s in the world.<ref>{{cite book|last=Džin|first=Kristina|title=Arena Pula|year=2009|editor-last=Žužić|editor-first=Mirko|publisher=Viza MG d.o.o.|location=[[Zagreb]]|isbn=978-953-7422-15-8|page=7}}</ref>]]
[[File:Sipar archaeological site.jpg|thumb|Archaeological site of Sipar in Northwestern Istria]]

The [[Histri]] ({{langx|grc|Ἱστρών έθνος}}) tribes, which [[Strabo]] refers to as living in the region and who are credited as being the builders of the hillfort settlements (castellieri), are classified in some sources as a "Venetic" [[Illyrians|Illyrian]] tribe with certain linguistic differences from other Illyrians.<ref>Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians, 1992,{{ISBN|0-631-19807-5}}, page 183,"... We may begin with the Venetic peoples, Veneti, Carni, Histri and Liburni, whose language set them apart from the rest of the Illyrians...."</ref> The [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] described the Histri as a fierce tribe of pirates, protected by the difficult navigation of their rocky coasts. It took two military campaigns for the Romans to finally subdue them in 177 BC. The region was then called together with the Venetian part the X. Roman Region of "Venetia et Histria", the ancient definition of the northeastern border of Italy. [[Dante Alighieri]] refers to it as well, the eastern border of Italy per ancient definition is the river ''[[Raša (river)|Arsia]]''. The eastern side of this river was settled by people whose culture was different from Histrians. Earlier influence of the [[Iapodes]] was attested there, while at some time between the 4th and 1st century BC the [[Liburnians]] extended their territory and it became a part of [[Liburnia]].<ref>M. Blečić, Prilog poznavanju antičke Tarsatike, VAMZ, 3.s., XXXIV 65-122 (2001), UDK 904:72.032 (3:497.5), pages 70, 71</ref> On the northern side, Histria extended much further north and included the Italian city of Trieste.

Some scholars speculate that the names Histri and Istria are related to the Latin name Hister, or [[Danube]] (especially its lower course). Ancient folktales reported —inaccurately— that the Danube split in two or "bifurcated" and came to the sea near [[Trieste]] as well as at the [[Black Sea]]. The story of the "bifurcation of the Danube" is part of the [[Argonaut]] legend. There is also a suspected link (but no historical documentation in support of it) to the commune of [[Istria, Constanța|Istria]] in Constanța, Romania which is named after the ancient city [[Histria (ancient city)|Histria]], named after River Hister.

In the [[Early Middle Ages]], Istria was conquered and occupied by the Goths. Ostrogoth coins were found in Istria, as well as the remains of some buildings. South of [[Poreč]] there are the remains of the church of Sv. Petar, erected in the 5th century (with a baptistery added later), which reportedly served the Arian eastern Goths ruling Istria.<ref name="sonje">{{cite book|last=Šonje|first=Ante|url=|title=Crkvena arhitektura (L'architettura sacra)|pages=45–49, 217, 270|publisher=|year=|isbn=}}</ref><ref name="Bratoz">{{cite book|last=Bratož|first=Rajko|url=|title=The development of the early Christian research in Slovenia and Istria between 1976 and 1986 [article] Lyon, Vienne, Grenoble, Genève, Aoste, 21-28 septembre 1986|page=2370|publisher=Publications de l'École Française de Rome |year=1989|isbn=}}</ref> Most notably, the Goths used [[Istrian stone]] to build their best known monument, the [[Mausoleum of Theodoric]] in [[Ravenna]]. In the following centuries, the peninsula was attacked and conquered by the [[Lombards]], often in conjunction with the Slavs, such as in 601.<ref name="coordinamento adriatico">{{cite web|last=Mengoli|first=Liliana Martissa|title=Alto Medioevo|url=http://www.coordinamentoadriatico.it/alto-medioevo/|website=Coordinamento Adriatico|date=7 March 2016 |access-date=11 March 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210311151446/http://www.coordinamentoadriatico.it/alto-medioevo/|archive-date=11 March 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the extent to which the Lombards occupied Istria is a matter of debate. After the Goths, Istria became part of the [[Exarchate of Ravenna]]. [[Gulfaris]], who served the Byzantines but was of Lombard descent, is reported as its dux in 599.<ref name="catholic church">{{cite web|title= Gregory's letter to Gulfaris at Catholic Culture|url= https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3726|access-date=11 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Martyn">{{cite book|last=Martyn|first=John R. C|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6wFPAgAAQBAJ|title=Pope Gregory's Letter-Bearers: A Study of the Men and Women who carried letters for Pope Gregory the Great|page=65|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|year=2012|isbn=978-1-443-83918-1}}</ref>

[[Pope Gregory I]] in 600 wrote to bishop of [[Salona]] Maximus in which he expresses concern about arrival of the [[Slavs]], ''"Et quidem de Sclavorum gente, quae vobis valde imminet, et affligor vehementer et conturbor. Affligor in his quae jam in vobis patior; conturbor, quia per Istriae aditum jam ad Italiam intrare coeperunt"'' (And as for the people of the Slavs who are really approaching you, I am very depressed and confused. I am depressed because I sympathize with you, confused because they over the Istria began to enter the Italy).<ref>Željko Rapanić; (2013) O početcima i nastajanju Dubrovnika (The origin and formation of Dubrovnik. additional considerations) p. 94; Starohrvatska prosvjeta, Vol. III No. 40, [https://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=241899]</ref> Some ancient reporters, including Pope Gregory, who were unaware of the importance of the [[Pannonian Avars|Avars]] in the Balkans, used the terms "Slavs" to refer to the Avars or the Avaro-Slavs.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Curta |first1=Florin |title=The Making of the Slavs History and Archaeology of the Lower Danube Region, C.500–700 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rcFGhCVs0sYC&pg=PA50 |date=2001 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781139428880 |page=50}}</ref>

After the fall of the [[Western Roman Empire]], the region was pillaged by the [[Goths]], the [[Eastern Roman Empire]], and the Avars.

===Middle Ages===
[[File:Oton Ivekovic, Dolazak Hrvata na Jadran.jpg|thumb|[[Oton Iveković]], ''The Croats' arrival at the Adriatic Sea'']]
The first [[History of Istria#Avaro-Slavic invasions and settlement|Avaro-Slavic invasion of Istria]] was recorded in 599. Another major incursion occurred around 600–602, in which all of Istria was devastated with fire and rapine. This was followed by the 611 invasion, the most devastating for the peninsula. It remains unclear when and how the first Slavic settlement occurred. Traces of early Slavic incursions and settlement are scarce.<ref name="Bekic"/> A few Avar findings have been discovered on the Istrian territory, chiefly around [[Nesactium]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Štih |first1=Peter |title=The Middle Ages Between the Eastern Alps and the Northern Adriatic |date=2010 |publisher=Brill |isbn=9789004187702 |page=198}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Begic |first1=Vanesa |title=AVARI I SLAVENI JUŽNO OD DRAVE: Vitrina s dva avarska predmeta iz Arheološkog muzeja Istre |url=https://www.glasistre.hr/izlozbe/avari-i-slaveni-juzno-od-drave-vitrina-s-dva-avarska-predmeta-iz-arheoloskog-muzeja-istre-736459 |publisher=Glas Istre}}</ref> By 642 the Slavs were settled in the peninsula, as indicated by the mission of an abbot Martin, sent by [[Pope John IV]] to rescue captives held by the pagans in Istria and [[Dalmatia (Roman province)|Dalmatia]].<ref name="Bekic">{{cite book |last1=Bekic |first1=Luka |title=The Early Medieval Between Pannonia and the Adriatic |date=2016 |publisher=Archaeological Museum of Istria |pages=1–301}}</ref>

After the barbaric invasions, the western part of Istria was annexed to the [[Kingdom of the Lombards|Lombard]] Kingdom in 751, and then annexed to the Frankish kingdom by [[Pepin of Italy]] in 789.  In 804, the [[Placitum of Riziano]] was held in the Parish of Rižan ({{langx|la|Risanum}}), which was a meeting between the representatives of Istrian towns and castles and the deputies of [[Charlemagne]] and his son Pepin. The report about this judicial diet illustrates the changes accompanying the transfer of power from the Eastern Roman Empire to the [[Carolingian Empire]] and the discontent of the local residents.<ref>{{cite book |editor=Oto Luthar |title=The land between: a history of Slovenia |year=2008 |publisher=Peter Lang |location=Frankfurt am Main |isbn=978-3-631-57011-1 |page=100 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G9tDboBJ70EC&pg=PA100}}</ref>

Afterwards it was successively controlled by the dukes of [[Carantania]], [[Merania]], [[Bavaria]] and by the [[patriarch of Aquileia]], before it became the territory of the [[Republic of Venice]] in 1267. The medieval [[Kingdom of Croatia (medieval)|Croatian kingdom]] held only the far eastern part of Istria (the border was near the river [[Raša (river)|Raša]]), but they lost it to the [[Holy Roman Empire]] in the late 11th century.

===Venetian era===
{{Main|History of the Republic of Venice}}

[[File:Serenissima.png|thumb|center|1000px|Map of Istria and [[Dalmatia]] with the ancient domains of the [[Republic of Venice]] (indicated in fuchsia. Dashed diagonally, the territories that belonged occasionally).]]
[[File:Poreč005.jpg|thumb|Venetian [[Lion of Saint Mark]] on the Pentagonal Tower of [[Poreč]].]]

Under [[Pietro II Candiano]], who was [[Doge of Venice]] between 932 and 939, Istrian cities signed an act of devotion to the Venetian rule. On [[Ascension Day]] in 1000, a powerful fleet sailed from Venice to resolve the problem of the [[Narentine]] pirates.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/pietro-ii-orseolo_(Dizionario-Biografico)/|title=ORSEOLO, Pietro II in "Dizionario Biografico"|website=www.treccani.it|language=it-IT|access-date=2017-09-15}}</ref> The fleet visited all the Istrian and Dalmatian cities, whose citizens, exhausted by the wars between the Croatian king [[Svetoslav Suronja|Svetislav]] and his brother [[Krešimir III of Croatia|Cresimir]], swore an oath of fidelity to Venice.<ref name=":0" /> In 1145, the cities of Pula, [[Koper]] and [[Izola]] rose against the [[Republic of Venice]] but were defeated, and were since further controlled by Venice.{{sfn|Istra-Istria.hr|loc=VARIOUS RULERS}} During the 13th century, the Patriarchate's rule weakened and the towns kept surrendering to Venice – [[Poreč]] in 1267, [[Umag]] in 1269, [[Novigrad, Istria County|Novigrad]] in 1270, [[Sveti Lovreč]] in 1271, [[Motovun]] in 1278, Kopar in 1279, and [[Piran]] and [[Rovinj]] in 1283.{{sfn|Istra-Istria.hr|loc=VARIOUS RULERS}} Venice gradually dominated the whole coastal area of western Istria and the area to [[Plomin]] on the eastern part of the peninsula.{{sfn|Istra-Istria.hr|loc=VARIOUS RULERS}} The wealthier coastal towns cultivated increasingly strong economic relationships with Venice and by 1348 were eventually incorporated into its territory, while their inland counterparts fell under the sway of the weaker Patriarchate of Aquileia, which became part of the [[House of Habsburg|Habsburg Empire]] in 1374.

On 15 February 1267, Parenzo was formally incorporated with the Venetian state.<ref>John Mason Neale, [https://archive.org/details/notese00neal/page/76 ''Notes Ecclesiological & Picturesque on Dalmatia, Croatia, Istria, Styria, with a visit to Montenegro''], pg. 76, J.T. Hayes - London (1861)</ref> Other coastal towns followed shortly thereafter. [[Bajamonte Tiepolo]] was sent away from Venice in 1310, to start a new life in Istria after his downfall. A description of the 16th-century Istria with a precise map was prepared by the Italian geographer [[Pietro Coppo]]. A copy of the map inscribed in stone can now be seen in the Pietro Coppo Park in the center of the town of [[Izola]] in southwestern [[Slovenia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://revitas.org/en/tourist-itineraries/historic-urban-cores/izola,18/izola,63.html |title=Historic Urban Cores: Izola |publisher=REVITAS – Revitalisation of the Istrian hinterland and tourism in the Istrian hinterland |access-date=1 June 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117024533/http://revitas.org/en/tourist-itineraries/historic-urban-cores/izola,18/izola,63.html |archive-date=17 November 2015}}</ref>

During the history of the coexistence of Slavic and Roman communities in Istria, the Slavs mostly lived in the interior, while the coast was Roman.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ivetić |first=Eđidio |title=GRANICA NA MEDITERANU. ISTOČNI JADRAN IZMEĐU ITALIJE I JUŽNOSLOVENSKOG SVETA OD XIII DO XX VEKA |publisher=Arhipelag |year=2015 |pages=99}}</ref>

===Habsburg Monarchy (1797–1805)===
The Inner part of Istria around Mitterburg ([[Pazin]]) had been part of the [[Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation|Holy Roman Empire]] for centuries, and more specifically part of the [[Habsburg monarchy|domains of the Austrian Habsburgs]] since the 14th century. In 1797, with the [[Treaty of Campo Formio]], the Venetian parts of the peninsula also passed to the Habsburg monarchy which became the [[Austrian Empire]] in 1804.<ref>Stephens, Henry Morse (2008). [https://books.google.com/books?id=KDi0lUH_lWYC&pg=PA192 ''Revolutionary Europe, 1789–1815''], BiblioLife. p. 192. {{ISBN|0-559-25438-5}}.</ref>

===Napoleonic era (1805–1814)===
[[File:1807KingdomItaly.jpg|thumb|The [[Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy]] from 1806 to 1810 included Istria that had belonged to Venice until 1797]]
The French victory of 1809 compelled Austria to cede a portion of its South Slav lands to France. Napoleon combined Istria, [[Carniola]], western [[Carinthia]], Gorica ([[Gorizia]]), [[Trieste]] and parts of Croatia, Dalmatia, and Dubrovnik to form the [[Illyrian Provinces]].<ref name="Illyrian">{{Cite web |title=Illyrian Provinces {{!}} historical region, Europe {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Illyrian-Provinces |access-date=2022-07-11 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> The Code Napoléon was introduced, and roads and schools were constructed. Local citizens were given administrative posts, and native languages were used to conduct official business.<ref name="Illyrian" /> This sparked the [[Illyrian movement|Illyrian Movement]] for the cultural and linguistic unification of South Slavic lands.<ref name="Illyrian" /> From the Middle Ages to the 19th century, Italian and Slavic communities in Istria had lived peacefully side by side because they did not know the national identification, given that they generically defined themselves as "[[Istrian identity|Istrians]]" of "Romance" or "Slavic" culture.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://xoomer.alice.it/histria/storiaecultura/testiedocumenti/articoligiornali/artadriatico.htm |title="L'Adriatico orientale e la sterile ricerca delle nazionalità delle persone" di Kristijan Knez; La Voce del Popolo (quotidiano di Fiume) del 2/10/2002 |access-date=25 April 2024 |language=it |archive-date=22 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222025553/https://xoom.virgilio.it/jump.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Austrian Empire (1814–1918)===
{{Further|Istrian Italians|Italian irredentism in Istria}}
[[File:VenetianDalmatia1797.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8|Austrian linguistic map from 1896. In green the areas where [[Slavs]] were the majority of the population, in orange the areas where [[Istrian Italians]] and [[Dalmatian Italians]] were the majority of the population. The boundaries of [[Venetian Dalmatia]] in 1797 are delimited with blue dots.]]

After this seven-year period, the Austrian Empire regained Istria, which became part of the constituent [[Kingdom of Illyria (1816–49)|Kingdom of Illyria]]. This kingdom was broken up in 1849, after which Istria formed part of [[Austrian Littoral]], also known as the "Küstenland", which also included the city of Trieste and the [[Gorizia and Gradisca|Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca]] until 1918. At that time the borders of Istria included part of what is now Italian Venezia-Giulia and parts of modern-day Slovenia and Croatia, but not the city of Trieste.

Many [[Istrian Italians]] looked with sympathy towards the [[Risorgimento]] movement that fought for the unification of Italy.<ref name="corsadelricordo">{{cite web|url=http://www.corsadelricordo.it/la-storia|title=Trieste, Istria, Fiume e Dalmazia: una terra contesa|access-date=2 June 2021|language=it|archive-date=5 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605202838/http://corsadelricordo.it/la-storia|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, after the [[Third Italian War of Independence]] (1866), when the [[Veneto]] and [[Friuli]] regions were ceded by the [[Austrian Empire|Austrians]] to the newly formed [[Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)|Kingdom Italy]], Istria remained part of the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]], together with other Italian-speaking areas on the eastern Adriatic. This triggered the gradual rise of [[Italian irredentism]] among many Italians in Istria, who demanded the unification of Istria with Italy. The Italians in Istria supported the Italian [[Italian unification|Risorgimento]]: as a consequence, the Austrians saw the Italians as enemies and favored the Slav communities of Istria,<ref name="ReferenceB">''Die Protokolle des Österreichischen Ministerrates 1848/1867. V Abteilung: Die Ministerien Rainer und Mensdorff. VI Abteilung: Das Ministerium Belcredi'', Wien, Österreichischer Bundesverlag für Unterricht, Wissenschaft und Kunst 1971</ref> fostering the nascent nationalism of Slovenes and Croats.<ref name=relazione.1>Relazione della Commissione storico-culturale italo-slovena, Relazioni italo-slovene 1880-1956, [http://www.kozina.com/premik/porita2.htm "Capitolo 1980-1918"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313025027/http://www.kozina.com/premik/porita2.htm |date=13 March 2018}}, Capodistria, 2000</ref>

During the meeting of the Council of Ministers of 12 November 1866, Emperor [[Franz Joseph I of Austria]] outlined a wide-ranging project aimed at the [[Germanization]] or [[Slavization]] of the areas of the empire with an Italian presence:<ref>''Die Protokolle des Österreichischen Ministerrates 1848/1867. V Abteilung: Die Ministerien Rainer und Mensdorff. VI Abteilung: Das Ministerium Belcredi'', Wien, Österreichischer Bundesverlag für Unterricht, Wissenschaft und Kunst 1971, vol. 2, p. 297. Citazione completa della fonte e traduzione in Luciano Monzali, ''Italiani di Dalmazia. Dal Risorgimento alla Grande Guerra'', Le Lettere, Firenze 2004, p. 69.)</ref>

{{blockquote|text=His Majesty expressed the precise order that action be taken decisively against the influence of the Italian elements still present in some regions of the Crown and, appropriately occupying the posts of public, judicial, masters employees as well as with the influence of the press, work in [[Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol|South Tyrol]], [[Dalmatia]] and [[Austrian Littoral|Littoral]] for the Germanization and Slavization of these territories according to the circumstances, with energy and without any regard. His Majesty calls the central offices to the strong duty to proceed in this way to what has been established.|author=|source=Franz Joseph I of Austria, Council of the Crown of 12 November 1866<ref>{{cite book |author=Jürgen Baurmann, Hartmut Gunther and Ulrich Knoop| title=Homo scribens: Perspektiven der Schriftlichkeitsforschung | year= 1993 |isbn= 3484311347|page=279| publisher=Walter de Gruyter |language=de|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l3tCTXoeAysC&pg=279}}</ref>}}

===Italy (1919–1947)===
{{See also|Italianisation#Istria, Julian March and Dalmatia|Julian March|Foibe massacres}}
[[File:Litorale 1.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Changes to the Italian eastern border from 1920 to 1975.
{{legend|#ffff00|The [[Austrian Littoral]], later renamed [[Julian March]], which was assigned to Italy in 1920 with the [[Treaty of Rapallo (1920)|Treaty of Rapallo]] (with adjustments of its border in 1924 after the [[Treaty of Rome (1924)|Treaty of Rome]]) and which was then ceded to Yugoslavia in 1947 with the [[Paris Peace Treaties, 1947|Treaty of Paris]]}}
{{legend|#10FF20|Areas annexed to Italy in 1920 and remained Italian even after 1947}}
{{legend|#00fa9a|Areas annexed to Italy in 1920, passed to the [[Free Territory of Trieste]] in 1947 with the Paris treaties and definitively assigned to Italy in 1975 with the [[Treaty of Osimo]]}}
{{legend|#FFFF99|Areas annexed to Italy in 1920, passed to the Free Territory of Trieste in 1947 with the Paris treaties and definitively assigned to Yugoslavia in 1975 with the Osimo treaty}}]]

Although a member of the [[Central Powers]], Italy remained neutral at the start of WWI, and soon launched secret negotiations with [[Triple Entente|the Triple Entente]], bargaining to participate in the war on its side, in exchange for significant territorial gains.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Cattaruzza |first=Marina |date=2011 |title=The Making and Remaking of a Boundary – the Redrafting of the Eastern Border of Italy after the two World Wars |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26265925 |journal=Journal of Modern European History / Zeitschrift für moderne europäische Geschichte / Revue d'histoire européenne contemporaine |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=66–86 |doi=10.17104/1611-8944_2011_1_66 |issn=1611-8944 |jstor=26265925 |s2cid=145685085|url-access=subscription}}</ref> To get Italy to join the war, the secret [[Treaty of London (1915)|1915 Treaty of London]] the Entente promised Italy Istria and parts of [[Dalmatia]], [[South Tyrol]], the Greek [[Dodecanese Islands]], parts of Albania and Turkey, plus more territory for Italy's North Africa colonies.

After the war, Italy annexed Istria. Istria's political and economic importance declined under Italian rule, and after the fascist takeover of Italy in 1922 the Italian government began a campaign of forced [[Italianization]]. In 1926, the use of Slavic languages in schools and government was banned, even Slavic family names were Italianized to suit the fascist authorities.<ref name="Minahan">{{cite book |last1=Minahan |first1=James |title=One Europe, Many Nations: A Historical Dictionary of European National Groups |date=2000 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0313309847 |pages=340–341}}</ref> Slavic newspapers and libraries were closed, all Slavic cultural, sporting, business and political associations were banned. As a result, 100,000 Slavic-speakers left Italian-annexed areas in an exodus, moving mostly to Yugoslavia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=dLib.si - Izseljevanje iz Primorske med obema vojnama |url=https://www.dlib.si/details/URN:NBN:SI:DOC-JQ6XF18D |access-date=2020-04-17 |website=www.dlib.si}}</ref>

The organization [[TIGR]], founded in 1927 by young Slovene liberal nationalists from [[Goriška|Gorizia region]] and [[Trieste]] and regarded as the first armed [[antifascist]] resistance group in Europe<ref>{{cite web |author=Office of the President of the Republic of Slovenia |url=http://www.ukom.gov.si/en/news/newsletter_slovenia_news/news/article/391/1482/ea264064ed/?tx_ttnews%5Bnewsletter%5D=58 |title=President Hails Heroism of Slovenian WWII Patriots |date=5 May 2010 |publisher=Government Communication Office |access-date=9 September 2010}} {{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=SheriffIsInTown |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> soon penetrated into Slovene and Croatian-speaking parts of Istria.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rawson |first=Andrew |date=2013 |title=Organizing Victory: The War Conferences 1941–1945 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ePgSDQAAQBAJ |location=Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK |publisher=History Press |isbn=9780752489254}}</ref>

In World War II, Istria became a battleground of competing ethnic and political groups. Istrian nationalist groups which were pro-fascist and pro-Allied and Yugoslav-supported pro-communist groups fought with each other and the Italian army.<ref name=Minahan />

After the [[capitulation of Italy]] in 1943, the [[Croatian Partisans]] organized an uprising in Istria. The same month, their political bodies, led by [[ZAVNOH]] in Croatia, published the so-called [[Pazin Decisions]], announcing the annexation of Italian-occupied areas to Yugoslavia. The subsequent German occupation quelled the uprising, but after the Germans lost the war two years later, the Partisans proceeded to take most of the territory.

After the German defeat in 1945, Yugoslav partisans gained the upper hand and began a violent purge of real or suspected opponents in an "orgy of revenge".<ref name=Minahan />

===SFR Yugoslavia (1947–1991)===
{{See also|Istrian–Dalmatian exodus|Morgan Line}}
[[File:Italians leave Pola.jpg|thumb|[[Istrian Italians]] leave [[Pula]] in 1947 during the [[Istrian–Dalmatian exodus]]]]
After the end of [[World War II]], Istria was ceded to [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]], except for a small part in the northwest corner that formed Zone B of the provisionally independent [[Free Territory of Trieste]]; Zone B was under Yugoslav administration and after the ''[[de facto]]'' dissolution of the Free Territory in 1954 it was also incorporated into Yugoslavia. Only the small town of [[Muggia]], near [[Trieste]], being part of Zone A remained with Italy.<ref name="Pizzi">Katia Pizzi, [https://books.google.com/books?id=-bGYecgxhusC&pg=PA25 ''A city in search of an author: the literacy identity of Trieste''], pg. 23, Sheffield Academic Press (2002), {{ISBN|1-84127-284-1}}</ref>

The events of the period are visible in [[Pula]]. The city, located on the southernmost tip of the Istrian peninsula, had an [[Istrian Italians|Istrian Italian]] majority. Between December 1946 and September 1947, a large proportion of the city's inhabitants were [[Istrian exodus|forced to emigrate to Italy]].<ref name="Pizzi"/> Most of them left in the immediate aftermath of the signing of the [[Paris Peace Treaties, 1947|Paris Peace Treaty]] on February 10, 1947 which granted Pula and the greater part of Istria to Yugoslavia.

===After the breakup of Yugoslavia (after 1991)===
The division of Istria between Croatia and Slovenia runs on the former republic borders, which were not precisely defined in the former Yugoslavia. [[Croatia–Slovenia border disputes|Various points of contention remain unresolved between the two countries]] regarding the precise line of the border.<ref>Julio Aramberri, Richard Butler, [https://books.google.com/books?id=0qW5phGiLNUC&pg=PA195 ''Tourism Development'', pg. 195]</ref><!-- ref. no working ! -->

It became an international boundary with the independence of both countries from Yugoslavia in 1991. Since [[Croatia]]'s first multi-party elections in 1990, the [[Istrian identity|Istrian regionalist]] party [[Istrian Democratic Assembly]] (IDS-DDI, ''Istarski demokratski sabor'' or ''Dieta democratica istriana'') has consistently received a majority of the vote and maintained through the 1990s a position often contrary to the government in [[Zagreb]], led by the then nationalistic party [[Croatian Democratic Union]] (HDZ, ''Hrvatska demokratska zajednica''), with regards to decentralization in Croatia and certain facets of [[region]]al [[Autonomous entity|autonomy]].

However, that changed in 2000 when the IDS formed with five other parties a left-centre coalition government, led by the [[Social Democratic Party of Croatia]] (SDP, ''Socijaldemokratska Partija Hrvatske''). After the reformed HDZ won the Croatian parliamentary elections in late 2003 and formed a minority government, the IDS has cooperated with the state government on many projects, both local (in [[Istria County]]) and national. Since Slovenia's accession to the [[European Union]] and the [[Schengen Area]], customs and immigration checks have been abolished at the Italian-Slovenian border.

==Demographic history==
[[File:Pula - panoramio - lienyuan lee.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Bilingual Croatian-Italian road sign in Pula]]

The region has traditionally been ethnically mixed. Under [[Austria-Hungary|Austrian rule]] in the 19th century it included a large population of [[Italians]], [[Croats]], and [[Slovenes]] as well as some [[Istro-Romanians]], [[Serbs]], and [[Montenegrins (ethnic group)|Montenegrins]]; however, official statistics in those times did not show those nationalities as they do today.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

The Croatian word for the Istrians is ''Istrani'', or ''Istrijani'', the latter being in the local [[Chakavian dialect]]. The term ''Istrani'' is also used in Slovenia. The Italian word for the Istrians is ''Istriani'' and today the Italian minority is organized in many towns.<ref>[http://www.unione-italiana.hr Italian Istria infosite] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009105737/http://www.unione-italiana.hr/ |date=2014-10-09}}, unione-italiana.hr; accessed 4 August 2015.</ref> The Istrian county in Croatia is bilingual, as are large parts of Slovenian Istria. Every citizen has the right to speak either Italian or Croatian (Slovene in Slovenian Istria and Italian in the town of Koper/Capodistria, Piran/Pirano, Portorož/Portorose, and Izola/Isola d'Istria) in public administration or in court. Furthermore, Istria is a supranational European Region that includes Italian, Slovenian and Croatian Istria.

The 2001 population census in Croatia counted 23 languages spoken by the people of Istria.<ref>{{cite web |title=Istria on the Internet – Demography – 2001 Census |url=http://www.istrianet.org/istria/demography/2001_tongues.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911185850/http://www.istrianet.org/istria/demography/2001_tongues.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 11, 2012 |access-date=4 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Croatian Census 2011|E|18}}</ref> In 2021 Census show that 76.40% are Croats, Italians were 5.01%, 2.96% were Serbs, 2.48% Bosniaks, 1.05% were Albanians, while regionally declared were 5.13%.<ref>{{Croatian Census 2021}}</ref>

The data for Slovenian Istria is not as neatly organized, but the 2002 Slovenian census indicates that the four Istrian municipalities ([[Izola]]/Isola d'Istria, [[Piran]]/Pirano, [[Koper]]/Capodistria, Ankaran/Ancarano) had a total of 56,482 Slovenes, 6,426 Croats, and 2,800 Italians.<ref>[http://www.stat.si/popis2002/en/rezultati_slovenija_prebivalstvo_dz.htm Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527081920/http://www.stat.si/popis2002/en/rezultati_slovenija_prebivalstvo_dz.htm |date=2009-05-27}}, Population Census 2002 results, stat.si; accessed 4 August 2015.</ref>

The small town of [[Peroj]] has had a unique history which exemplifies the multi-ethnic complexity of the history of the region, as do some villages on both sides of the Učka that are still identified with the Istro-Romanian people which the [[UNESCO]] Redbook of Endangered Languages calls "the smallest ethnic group in Europe".<ref>{{cite web |last=Salminen |first=Tapani |url=http://www.helsinki.fi/~tasalmin/europe_index.html |title=UNESCO Red Book on Endangered Languages |year=1999 |publisher=Helsinki.fi |access-date=9 September 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822044207/http://www.helsinki.fi/~tasalmin/europe_index.html |archive-date=22 August 2012}}</ref>

===Ethnicity===
{{Further|Istrian Italians}}
[[File:Istria census 1910.PNG|thumb|right|Percentage of people who used Italian as a "language of daily use" in Istria ([[Istrian Italians]]) in 1910<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=reDuBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA52|title=Mapping Jewish Loyalties in Interwar Slovakia|first=Rebekah|last=Klein-Pejšová|date=12 February 2015|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=9780253015624|access-date=4 May 2018|via=Google Books}}</ref>]]
[[File:Istria italiani 2001.png|thumb|right|Distribution by municipality of native Italian speakers in the [[Croatian Istria]] in 2001]]

While nationalization processes were still underway, in 19th century Istria the west side of the peninsula had a majority of Italian language and Romance verniculars speakers, while Croatian language was spoken by the majority in the central and eastern regions and on the islands, and Slovene in the north. Italian language was the official language in the territories of the former Venetian Republic, which encouraged many Istrians to identify as Italians, in spite of their mother tongue and ethnic origins. Bilingual people, present in many areas, could identify with either group. Croatian urban culture started developing and coming out of marginalization and social illegitimacy in the second half of the century. Middle class people now identified themselves as Croats and Slavs more explicitly, escaping the Italian stereotype of them being peasants or inferior. All major political parties at the time had a strong national orientation, and the society gradually bifurcated. Istrian Italian intellectual elites opposed Croatian national evolution, and until the middle of the 20th century hoped for their assimilation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=D'Alessio |first=Vanni |date=2006 |title=Croatian Urban Life and Political Sociability in Istria from the 19th to the early 20th century |url=https://www.academia.edu/2978631 |journal=Jahrbücher für Geschichte und Kultur Südosteuropas |language=en |volume=8 |pages=133–152 |issn=1617-5581}}</ref>

A limited tension with the Austrian state did not stop the rise of the use of the Italian language, in the second part of the 19th century, when the population of predominantly Italian-speaking towns in Istria had a significant rise: in the part of Istria that eventually became part of Croatia, the first Austrian census from 1846 found 34 thousand Italian speakers, alongside 120 thousand Croatian speakers (in the Austrian censuses, the ethnic composition of the population was not surveyed, only the main "language of use" of a person). By 1910, the proportion changed significantly: there were 108 thousand Italian speakers and 134 thousand Croatian speakers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Žerjavić |first=Vladimir |title=DOSELJAVANJA I ISELJAVANJA S PODRUČJA ISTRE, RIJEKE I ZADRA U RAZDOBLJU 1910-1971. |journal=Journal of Modern Italian Studies |year=2008 |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=237–258 |url=https://hrcak.srce.hr/clanak/52845}}</ref> Vanni D'Alessio notes (2008), the Austrian surveys of the language of use "overestimated the diffusion of the socially dominant languages of the empire...  The capacity of assimilation of the Italian language suggests that amongst those who declared themselves Italian speakers in Istria, there were people whose mother tongue was different." D'Alessio notes even members of the Austrian state bureaucracy and the members of their families with the German mother tongue tended to use Italian, after living in Istrian small towns long enough. The Poles, Czechs and Slovenes and Croats tended to join the "Slav" social group.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=D'Alessio|first=Vanni|title=From Central Europe to the northern Adriatic: Habsburg citizens between Italians and Croats in Istria|journal=Journal of Modern Italian Studies |year=2008|volume=13|issue=2 |pages=237–258|doi=10.1080/13545710802010990 |s2cid=145797119 | url=https://www.academia.edu/1265458}}</ref>

Discussions about Istrian ethnicity often use the words "Italian", "Croatian", and "Slovene" to describe the character of the Istrian people. However these terms are best understood as "national affiliations" that may exist in combination with or independently of linguistic, cultural and historical attributes. In the Istrian context, for example, the word "Italian" can just as easily refer to [[autochthonous language|autochthonous]] speakers of the [[Venetian language]] whose antecedents in the region extend before the inception of the [[Venetian Republic]] or to the [[Istriot language]] the oldest spoken language in Istria, dated back to the Romans, today spoken in the southwest of Istria. It can also refer to Istrian Croats who adopted the veneer of [[Italian culture]] as they moved from rural to urban areas, or from the farms into the bourgeoisie.

Similarly, national powers claim Istrian Croats according to local language, so that speakers of [[Chakavian dialect|Čakavian]] and [[Shtokavian dialect|Štokavian]] dialects of [[Croatian language|Croatian]] are considered to be Croatians while speakers of other dialects may be considered to be Slovene. As with other regions, the local dialects of the Croatian communities vary greatly across close distances. The Istrian Croatian and Italian vernaculars had both developed for many generations before being divided as they are today. This meant that Croats/Slovenes on the one side and Venetians/other Italians on the other side yielded to each other culturally while simultaneously distancing themselves from members of their ethnic groups living farther away.

Another important Istrian community are the [[Istro-Romanians]] in the south and north of the Učka mountain range of Istria. A small [[Albanians|Albanian]] community, which until the late 19th century spoke the [[Istrian Albanian]] dialect is also present in the peninsula.

====Austro-Hungarian census====
According to Austro-Hungarian censuses, which recorded language instead of ethnicity, the composition of Istria (i.e. the [[March of Istria#Habsburg Margraviate|Habsburg Margraviate of Istria)]] was as follows (in thousands):

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
|-
!Language
! 1846<ref name="ISTRE">{{Cite journal |last=Žerjavić |first=Vladimir |date=1993-07-01 |title=DOSELJAVANJA I ISELJAVANJA S PODRUČJA ISTRE, RIJEKE I ZADRA U RAZDOBLJU 1910-1971. |url=https://hrcak.srce.hr/33185 |journal=Društvena istraživanja: časopis za opća društvena pitanja |language=hr |volume=2 |issue=4-5 (6-7) |pages=649 |issn=1330-0288}}</ref>
! 1890<ref name="ISTRE" />
! 1910<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.omm1910.hu/?%2Fde%2Fdatenbank |title=Spezialortsrepertorium der österreichischen Länder I-XII, Wien, 1915–1919 |access-date=2020-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529164005/http://www.omm1910.hu/?%2Fde%2Fdatenbank |archive-date=2013-05-29 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| Croatian || 122 (56.7%)|| 123 (42.4%) || 168 (43.5%)
|-
| Italian || 59 (27.4%)|| 111 (38.3%) || 148 (38.1%) 
|-
| Slovenian || 32 (14.9%)|| 41 (14.1%) || 55 (14.3%)
|-
| German || n.a.|| 15  (5.2%) || 13 (3.3%)
|}

==Culture and identity==
[[Istrian identity]], also known as Istrianity,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c6U2DwAAQBAJ|title=Multiethnic Regionalisms in Southeastern Europe|first=Dejan|last=Stjepanović|publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]]|series=Comparative Territorial Politics|year=2018|doi=10.1057/978-1-137-58585-1|isbn=9781137585851}}</ref> Istrianism<ref name="language">{{cite news|url=https://www.total-croatia-news.com/lifestyle/50925-what-language-do-they-speak-in-istria|title=People also ask Google: What language do they speak in Istria?|first=Donatella|last=Pauković|newspaper=Total Croatia News|date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325224344/https://www.total-croatia-news.com/lifestyle/50925-what-language-do-they-speak-in-istria|archive-date=25 March 2023|url-status=dead}}</ref> or Istrianness,<ref name="ISTRE" /> is the [[Regionalism (politics)|regionalist]] identity developed by the inhabitants of the part of Istria located in [[Croatia]]. Istria is the biggest peninsula in the [[Adriatic Sea]] and a multiethnic region divided between Croatia, [[Italy]] and [[Slovenia]]. [[Italians]] and [[Slovenes]] live in both the Italian and Slovene parts (which make up 1% and 9% of the territory of Istria, respectively), while in the Croatian part (90% of the region), there are [[Croats]], Italians, [[Istro-Romanians]] and [[Istriot language|Istriot]]-speakers, as well as some non-native minorities. Most of Croatian Istria is located in the [[Istria County]] of the country. Istria is the [[Regions of Croatia|region of Croatia]] where regionalist sentiment is the strongest.<ref name="language" />

In the [[2011 Croatian census]], 25,203<ref name="Popis">{{cite web|url=https://web.dzs.hr/Hrv_Eng/publication/2012/SI-1468.pdf|title=Popis stanovništva, kućanstava i stanova 2011|publisher=[[Croatian Bureau of Statistics]]|year=2013|language=hr|issn=1333-1876}}</ref> people of the Istria County, constituting 12% of its population, declared themselves to be Istrian before any other nationality, making it the most abundant one in the county after Croatian. People also declared an Istrian identity in the [[Primorje-Gorski Kotar County]], the county where the rest of Croatian Istria is located,<ref name="ISTRE" /> therefore making the number of people declaring an Istrian identity in Croatia a total of 25,409.<ref name="Popis" /> Most of these people in these counties were ethnic Croats, but there were also Istro-Romanians declaring themselves as Istrian.<ref name="ISTRE" /> Later, the [[2021 Croatian census]] saw a decrease on Istrian self-designation, as 10,025 inhabitants of the Istria County used it.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://popis2021.hr/|title=Popis '21|publisher=Croatian Bureau of Statistics|year=2021|language=hr|access-date=16 October 2022|archive-date=15 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115062703/https://www.popis2021.hr/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

It has been proposed that Istria gain greater autonomy within a more [[decentralized]] Croatia. Examples of supporters of this include several members of the [[Istrian Democratic Assembly]] (IDS), such as its former president [[Boris Miletić]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/autonomija-istre-kakvu-zaziva-jakovcic-je-neustavna-1203721|title=Autonomija Istre kakvu zaziva Jakovčić je neustavna|first=Iva|last=Boban Valečić|newspaper=[[Večernji list]]|date=27 October 2017|language=hr}}</ref> or the IDS deputy Emil Daus.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.glasistre.hr/politika/ids-ov-zastupnik-emil-daus-autonomija-istre-rijesila-bi-vecinu-problema-nasih-gradana-747536|title=IDS-ov zastupnik Emil Daus: AUTONOMIJA ISTRE RIJEŠILA BI VEĆINU PROBLEMA NAŠIH GRAĐANA!|newspaper=[[Glas Istre]]|date=23 September 2019|language=hr}}</ref>

==Cuisine==
[[File:Jota 02.JPG|thumb|[[Istrian stew]]]]
The cuisine of Istria is reminiscent of [[Italian cuisine]],<ref>{{cite web |date=21 May 2019 |title=Assaporate il cibo dell'Istria: il paradiso gastronomico della Croazia |url=https://www.lonelyplanetitalia.it/articoli/cucina-del-mondo/assaporate-il-cibo-dell-istria-il-paradiso-gastronomico-della-croazia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202151028/https://www.lonelyplanetitalia.it/articoli/cucina-del-mondo/assaporate-il-cibo-dell-istria-il-paradiso-gastronomico-della-croazia |archive-date=2 December 2021 |access-date=2 December 2021 |language=it}}</ref> although influences are seen on both sides: Italian cuisine includes some dishes that Istrian Italians brought with them following the [[Istrian-Dalmatian exodus]], such as ''scampi alla busara'', ''[[brudet]]'', cured ham, and [[Jota (food)|Istrian jota]].<ref name="istriana2">{{cite web |date=23 March 2016 |title=I sopravvissuti: i 10 gioielli della cucina istriana |url=https://www.lacucinaitaliana.it/news/in-primo-piano/cucina-triestina-istriana-e-dalmata/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126202653/https://www.lacucinaitaliana.it/news/in-primo-piano/cucina-triestina-istriana-e-dalmata/ |archive-date=26 November 2021 |access-date=26 November 2021 |language=it}}</ref> Dishes like gnocchi (''njoki'') or risotto (''rižot'') are likely of Italian origin, while the flat bread focaccia (''pogača'') is a shared heritage of the Mediterranean.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Danieli |first=Susanna |date=2020-08-27 |title=I 20 piatti tipici della Croazia da non perdersi |url=https://www.dissapore.com/cucina/cucina-croata-piatti-tipici-da-provare/ |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=Dissapore |language=it}}</ref>

The [[Istrian stew]] ({{langx|it|Jota}}; {{langx|hr|Istarska jota}}; {{langx|sl|Jota}}) is a [[soup]] made with [[bean]]s and [[sauerkraut]] or sour [[turnip]], [[potato]]es, [[bacon]], and [[spare ribs]], known in the northern [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]] regions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-12-09 |title=Maneštre (Eintopf) {{!}} Molo Grande Travel |url=http://www.molo-grande-travel.com/de/info/item/21-mane%C5%A1tre |access-date=2022-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209015400/http://www.molo-grande-travel.com/de/info/item/21-mane%C5%A1tre |archive-date=2014-12-09}}</ref> Under the name ''jota,'' it is typical and especially popular in [[Trieste]] and its province (where it is considered to be the prime example of Triestine food), in the Istrian peninsula, in the province of [[Gorizia]], in the whole [[Slovene Littoral|Slovenian Littoral]], in the [[Rijeka]] area, and in [[Friuli]], especially in some of its peripheral areas (the highland region of [[Carnia]], the Torre and Natisone river valleys, or [[Slavia Friulana|Slavia Veneta]]).

==Image gallery==
<gallery>
File:Pula-avion.JPG|Aerial picture of [[Pula]] (''Pola''), Croatia
File:Porec IMG 8602 city hall at marshal tito street.jpg |The promenade of [[Poreč]] (''Parenzo''), Croatia
File:Rovinj Sunrise.jpg|Sunset in [[Rovinj]] (''Rovigno''), Croatia
File:Motovun – General view - 01.jpg|The [[Motovun]] (''Montona'') Hill, Croatia
File:Lim fjord.jpg |[[Lim (Croatia)|Lim]] canal, Croatia
File:Koper-St,-Prätorenpalast-(280711).jpg|The [[Praetorian Palace]] in [[Koper]] (''Capodistria''), Slovenia
File:Piran old town.jpg|Old town of [[Piran]] (''Pirano''), (Slovenia)
File:Muggia - panoramio.jpg|[[Muggia]], Italy
File:Istarska narodna nošnja.2.jpg|Traditional folk costume of Istrian Croats
File:Vineyards of Istria (Croatia).jpg|Vineyards of Istria
</gallery>

== Major towns and municipalities of Istria ==
This list includes towns and municipalities of Istria with populations estimated to be higher than 8,000 people.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Istra (County, Croatia) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/croatia/admin/18__istra/|access-date=2020-12-02|website=www.citypopulation.de}}</ref>

* [[Koper]]/Capodistria
* [[Pula]]/Pola
* [[Poreč]]/Parenzo
* [[Rovinj]]/Rovigno
* [[Izola]]/Isola
* [[Umag]]/Umago
* [[Muggia]]/Milje
* [[Labin]]/Albona
* [[Pazin]]/Pisino

==See also==
{{Portal|Croatia}}
* [[Castellieri culture]]
* [[List of Istrians]]
* [[March of Istria]]
* [[Istrian–Dalmatian exodus]]
* [[Istrian Italians]]
* ''[[Acta Histriae]]''

==References==
;Notes
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal
 | last = Ashbrook
 | first = John
 | date = December 2005
 | title = Self-perceptions, denials, and expressions: Istrianity in a nationalizing Croatia, 1990-1997
 | journal = [[Nationalities Papers]]
 | volume = 33
 | issue = 4
 | pages = 459–487
 | doi = 10.1080/00905990500353923
 | s2cid = 143942069
 }}
* Luigi Tomaz, ''Il confine d'Italia in Istria e Dalmazia. Duemila anni di storia'', Presentazione di Arnaldo Mauri, Think ADV, Conselve 2008.
* Luigi Tomaz, ''In Adriatico nel secondo millennio'', Presentazione di Arnaldo Mauri, Think ADV, Conselve, 2010.
* Louis François Cassas  "Travels in Istria and Dalmatia, drawn up from the itinerary of L. F. Cassas" Eng trans. from 1802 Fr pub.
* {{cite journal |last1=TONCICH |first1=Francesco |url=https://www.academia.edu/44845337 |title=Istria Between Purity and Hybridity: The Creation of the Istrian Region Through Scientific Research in the 19th Century |journal=Acta Histriae |date=2020 |issue=28–4 |publisher=[[Istria County]] |doi=10.19233/AH.2020.29 |access-date=2018-12-19 |ref={{SfnRef|Istra-Istria.hr}}}}

===Bibliographies of Istria===
* {{cite book |last=Combi |first=Carlo A. |author-link=:it:Carlo Combi |publisher=Giuseppe Tondelli |date=1864 |title=Saggio di bibliografia istriana pubblicato a spese di una società patria |language=it |trans-title=Essay Towards an Istrian Bibliography Published at the Expense of a National Company |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=10xRAAAAcAAJ |location=[[Koper|Capodistria]]}}
* {{cite book |last=Urechia |first=Vasile Alexandrescu |author-link=V. A. Urechia |publisher=[[Romanian Academy|Societatea Academică Romînă]] |date=1878 |title=Incercare bibliografica pentru Istria si Dalmazia |language=ro |trans-title=Bibliographical Research Pertaining to Istria and Dalmatia |location=[[Bucharest]]}}
* {{cite journal |author=n.s. |author-mask=0 |date=1846-05-02 |title=Libri a stampa e codici mss. riguardanti il litorale istriano, esistenti nella Marciana di Venezia |language=it |trans-title=Printed Books and Manuscripts Relating to the Istrian Coast, Existing in the Marciana Library of Venice |pages=99–100 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sMNeAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA99 |journal=L'Istria |issue=24–25}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
{{wikivoyage|Istria}}
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Istria |volume=14 |short=x}}
* [http://istrianet.org/index.html Istria on the Internet (a non-commercial, non-political, cultural site)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100526075849/http://www.istriadalmaziacards.com/html/collezioni_geo_a.php?IDArea=1 Old postcards of Istria]
* [http://www2.arnes.si/~mkralj/istra-history/ A Brief History of Istria / Darko Darovec]
* [http://www.kozina.com/premik/1910.htm Results of Austrian Census on Dec. 31st, 1910] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314131809/http://www.kozina.com/premik/1910.htm |date=2018-03-14}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160716093409/http://www.istra.net/en/humana Istrian cultural heritage. Bukaleta Kazun, wall paintings]
* [https://books.google.com/ebooks/reader?id=1-tKAQAAIAAJ Travels in Istria and Dalmatia: drawn up from the itinerary of L. F. Cassas] on [[Google Books]]

{{Geographical regions of Croatia}}
{{Croatia topics|state=collapsed}}

{{Coord|45|15|40|N|13|54|16|E|region:HR_type:landmark|display=title}}

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[[Category:Istria| ]]
[[Category:Peninsulas of Croatia]]
[[Category:Geography of Italy]]
[[Category:Peninsulas of Slovenia]]
[[Category:Austrian Littoral]]
[[Category:Former states and territories in Slovenia]]