In contemporary geography, the terms Central Croatia () and Mountainous Croatia () are used to describe most of the area sometimes historically known as Croatia Proper (), one of the four historical regions of the Republic of Croatia, together with Dalmatia, Istria, and Slavonia. It is located between Slavonia in the east, the Adriatic Sea in the west, and Dalmatia to the south. The region is not officially defined, and its borders and extent are described differently by various sources. The term Central Croatia refers to the northeastern part, and the term Mountainous Croatia refers to the southwestern part of the territory; the far western part is known as the Croatian Littoral; likewise the terms 'Zagreb macroregion' and 'Rijeka macroregion' can be used instead. Central Croatia is the most significant economic area of the country, contributing well over 50% of Croatia's gross domestic product. The capital of the Republic of Croatia, Zagreb, is the largest city and most important economic centre in Central Croatia.
Croatia proper comprises several smaller regions of its own: Lika, Gorski Kotar, Zagorje, Međimurje, the Croatian Littoral, Podravina, Posavina, Kordun, Banovina, Prigorje, Turopolje, Moslavina, and Žumberak. The region covers of land and has a population of 2,418,214. Croatia proper straddles the boundary between the Dinaric Alps and the Pannonian Basin. The boundary of these two geomorphological units runs from Žumberak to Banovina, along the Sava River. The Dinaric Alps area is typified by karst topography, while the Pannonian Basin exhibits plains, especially in the river valleys—along the Sava, Drava, and Kupa—interspersed with hills and mountains developed as horst and graben structures. Lika and Gorski Kotar are part of the Dinaric Alps, and contain five out of eight mountains in Croatia higher than . Karst topography predominates in that area, resulting in specific landforms and hydrology because of the interaction of the karst and the region's watercourses—this is exemplified by the Plitvice Lakes. Most of the region has a moderately warm and rainy continental climate, although there is considerable seasonal snow at greater elevations. The region belongs almost exclusively to the Black Sea drainage basin and includes most of the large rivers flowing in Croatia.
The boundaries of Croatia proper were shaped by territorial losses of medieval Croatia to the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman conquest starting in the 15th century. In effect, Croatia proper loosely corresponds to what was termed reliquiae reliquiarum olim magni et inclyti regni Croatiae (the relics of the relics of the formerly great and glorious Kingdom of Croatia) and the subsequent Kingdom of Croatia within the Habsburg monarchy. Central Croatia contains most of the 180 preserved or restored castles and manor houses in Croatia, as it sustained less large-scale war damage in history. Varaždin and Zagreb occupy prominent spots in terms of culture among the region's cities. The west of the region represents a natural barrier between the Adriatic Sea and the Pannonian Basin, and this, along with Ottoman conquest and resulting military frontier status, has contributed to the relatively poor development of the economy and infrastructure of that area.
Geography
Croatia proper is a historical region of Croatia that encompasses territory around Zagreb, located between Slavonia in the east and the Adriatic Sea in the west. Its exact borders are determined ambiguously, and the extent of the region is defined differently by various sources. The border with Slavonia to the east was variously defined throughout history, depending on the political divisions of Croatia.
Modern-day Croatian sources often discuss different kinds of regional division of Croatia, where the historical region of Croatia proper is not typically used, and instead its territory is variously classified under Pannonian Croatia (), Central Croatia (), Mountainous Croatia (), Zagreb macroregion (), Rijeka macroregion ().
Croatia proper roughly corresponds to the area of Zagreb and ten Croatian counties: Bjelovar-Bilogora, Karlovac, Koprivnica-Križevci, Krapina-Zagorje, Lika-Senj, Međimurje, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Sisak-Moslavina, Varaždin, and Zagreb County.
In the NUTS-2 statistical classification, Međimurje County, Varaždin County, Koprivnica-Križevci County, Krapina-Zagorje County, and Zagreb County make up Northern Croatia, Primorje-Gorski Kotar and Lika-Senj counties are part of Adriatic Croatia, while Bjelovar-Bilogora, Karlovac and Sisak-Moslavina counties are part of the Pannonian Croatia.
The ten counties and Zagreb cover of land, corresponding to 50% of the territory of Croatia, and have a population of 2,418,214 yielding a population density of .
Croatia proper comprises several smaller historical regions of its own: the Croatian Littoral, Lika, Gorski Kotar, Zagorje, Međimurje, Podravina, Posavina, Kordun, Banovina, Prigorje, Turopolje, Moslavina, and Žumberak. The sociogeographical distinction between Central Croatia, the Croatian Littoral and Mountainous Croatia has become more pronounced over time, as the western, mountainous areas of Lika and Gorski Kotar suffered from population depletion during the 20th century, especially during World War II and the Croatian War of Independence. The 2001 census indicated a large proportion of elderly, when 31.5% of population of Lika was over 60 years of age. The Ogulin-Plaški Valley contains the largest settlement of the area, Ogulin, with a population of 8,216. The second-largest settlement in Mountainous Croatia, and the largest in Lika, is Gospić.
County Seat Area (km2) Population Bjelovar-Bilogora Bjelovar 2,640119,743 Karlovac Karlovac 3,626128,749 Koprivnica-Križevci Koprivnica 1,748115,582 Krapina-Zagorje Krapina 1,229133,064 Lika-Senj Gospić 5,35250,927 Međimurje Čakovec 729114,414 Primorje-Gorski Kotar Rijeka 3,582296,195 Sisak-Moslavina Sisak 4,468172,977 Varaždin Varaždin 1,262176,046 Zagreb Zagreb 3,060317,642 City of Zagreb Zagreb 641792,875TOTAL: 28,337 2,418,214Source: Croatian Bureau of Statistics
Topography
Croatia proper straddles the boundary between the Dinaric Alps and the Pannonian Basin, two of three major geomorphological parts of Croatia. The boundary runs from the Žumberak range to the Banovina area, along the Sava River. The Dinaric Alps are linked to a fold and thrust belt active from the Late Jurassic to recent times, and is itself part of the Alpine orogeny that extends southeast from the southern Alps. Karst topography is especially prominent in the Dinaric Alps.
The Pannonian Basin took shape through Miocenian thinning and subsidence of crust structures formed during the Late Paleozoic Variscan orogeny. Paleozoic and Mesozoic structures are visible in Papuk and other Slavonian mountains. The processes also led to the formation of a stratovolcanic chain in the basin 12–17 Mya; intensified subsidence was observed until 5 Mya as well as flood basalts at about 7.5 Mya. The contemporary tectonic uplift of the Carpathian Mountains cut off the flow of water to the Black Sea, and the Pannonian Sea formed in the basin. Sediments were transported to the basin from the uplifting Carpathian and Dinaric mountains, with particularly deep fluvial sediments being deposited in the Pleistocene epoch during the formation of the Transdanubian Mountains. Ultimately up to of sediment was deposited in the basin, and the sea eventually drained through the Iron Gate gorge. The result is large plains, particularly in river valleys, and especially along the Sava, Drava, and Kupa rivers. The plains are interspersed with horst and graben structures, believed to have broken the Pannonian Sea's surface as islands. The tallest among these landforms are Ivanščica and Medvednica, north of Zagreb. Parts of Moslavačka gora, along with igneous landforms on Papuk and Požeška gora mountains in Slavonia to the east, are possibly remnants of a volcanic arc from the same tectonic plate collision that caused the Dinaric Alps.
+ Highest mountains of Croatia proper Mountain Peak Elevation Coordinates Velebit Vaganski vrh Plješivica Ozeblin Velika Kapela Bjelolasica-Kula Risnjak Risnjak Snježnik Snježnik Žumberak Sveta Gera Ivanščica Ivanščica Medvednica Sljeme Samoborska gora Japetić Strahinščica Strahinščica Plešivica Plešivica Ravna gora (Trakošćan) Ravna gora Kalničko gorje Kalnik Zrinska gora Piramida Vodenica Vodenica Petrova gora Veliki Petrovac
The region is a part of the Dinaric Alps, linked to a Late Jurassic to recent times fold and thrust belt, itself part of the Alpine orogeny, extending southeast from the southern Alps. The Dinaric Alps in Croatia encompass the entire Gorski Kotar and Lika regions, as well as considerable parts of Dalmatia, with their northeastern edge running from Žumberak to the Banovina region, along the Sava River, and their westernmost landforms being Ćićarija and Učka mountains in Istria. The Mountainous Croatia contains five out of eight mountains in Croatia higher than : Velebit, Plješivica, Velika Kapela, Risnjak and Snježnik. Karst topography makes up about half of Croatia and is especially prominent in the Dinaric Alps and in turn, the Mountainous Croatia. There are numerous caves in the Mountainous Croatia. The longest cave in Croatia and in the entire Dinaric Alps, Kita Gaćešina, is located in southern Velebit area of the Mountainous Croatia.
Hydrology and climate
The vast majority of the region is encompassed by the Black Sea drainage basin. The area includes all the largest rivers flowing in the country—Sava, Drava, Mura, and Kupa—except the Danube. The largest lakes in Croatia proper are Lake Dubrava and Lake Varaždin reservoirs, both near Varaždin, through which the Drava River flows. Croatia proper has a wealth of wetlands. Two out of the four Croatian wetlands included in the Ramsar list of internationally important wetlands are located in the region—Lonjsko Polje along the Sava and Lonja rivers near Sisak, and Crna Mlaka near Jastrebarsko. A high degree of karstification of the terrain in the Dinaric Alps has resulted in an increased permeability of soil and rocks and the formation of travertine barriers and waterfalls. The finest examples of the interaction of watercourses and karst are the Plitvice Lakes, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Rastoke, to the north of the Plitvice Lakes.
Lika and Gorski Kotar are marked by several significant rivers draining north towards the Pannonian Basin. Those are the Kupa, tracing the northern boundary of the region, Dobra, Mrežnica and the Korana—forming travertine barriers and waterfalls before discharging into Kupa in area of Karlovac, as well as Una, in the eastern part of the region, at the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Furthermore, there are losing streams such as Gacka, Krbava and Lika rivers, reflecting a high degree of karstification of the terrain in the region, resulting in increased permeability of soil and rocks. Ingress of water underground resulted in formation of subterranean watercourses and lakes. Probably the finest example of interaction of karst terrain and watercourses in the area are Plitvice Lakes—16 interlinked lakes between Mala Kapela and Plješevica, through which Korana River flows. The area is abundant in travertine barriers, waterfalls and caves of biological origin—created through deposition of calcium carbonate through agency of moss, algae and aquatic bacteria. The Plitvice Lakes are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and they are a part of one of three Croatia's national parks located in the Mountainous Croatia, along with Risnjak and Sjeverni Velebit.