Istria

Peninsula in Croatia, at the northern end of the Adriatic Sea, between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner; approximate area 3,885 sq km/1,500 sq mi. Istria is mountainous and forested, with a rocky and indented coast. The main products are cereals, oil, wine, livestock, and timber, and there are fishing and boatbuilding industries. The principal towns are Rijeka and Pula. Formerly in the territory of Yugoslavia, Istria became part of independent Croatia in 1991.

Istria was acquired by Austria from Venice in 1797. At the end of World War I the greater part of it was incorporated in Venezia Giulia, Italy. At the end of World War II the Italian peace treaty of 1947 gave Istria, except for Trieste, to Yugoslavia. There are several islands off the Istrian coast, among them Krk and Cres.