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Italian language in Croatia facts for kids

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CroatiaIstarska
Istria County within Croatia
Istria census 1910
This map shows the percentages of Italians in areas of Istria in 1910. Italians made up over 70% of the people in many places.

The Italian language is one of the most spoken languages in Croatia. It is spoken after Croatian and Serbian. In Istria County, Italian is an officially recognized language for a minority group. About 7.69% of the people there speak Italian.

Who Speaks Italian in Croatia?

In 2001, a survey showed that 19,636 people in Croatia were ethnic Italians. This was about 0.44% of the country's total population. Another report from 1998 said there were 70,000 Italian speakers. This included 40,000 ethnic Italians and 30,000 Croats and people from Istria. Most native Italian speakers live along the Adriatic coast. Also, about 120,000 Italian tourists visit Croatia every year. Because of this, many people who work in hotels and tourism know some Italian.

Why Fewer Speakers Now?

In the past, many more people spoke Italian in Croatia. Italians have lived along the Adriatic coast for hundreds of years. The region of Istria was even part of the Kingdom of Italy from 1919 to 1947.

However, after World War II, many Italians left. This event is known as the Istrian exodus. About 350,000 people left Istria, Dalmatia, and the islands of Croatia. This happened because of difficult times and violence, which forced many Istrian Italians to move to Italy.

Italian Language in Daily Life

In Istria County, government services are available in both Italian and Croatian. For example, the official government website can be viewed in Italian.

There are also four Italian-language schools in Istria:

  • Primary schools are in Buje (also called Buie) and Novigrad (Cittanova).
  • Secondary schools are in Pula (Pola) and Rovinj (Rovigno).

Related Pages

Images for kids

  • Italians in Istria 2001

    Percent of inhabitants with Italian native tongue in Istria, 2001

  • Groznjan Perspective

    The village of Grožnjan/Grisignana is the only municipality in Croatia with a majority Italian speaking population.

  • Marija na Krasu (HR) bilingual

    A bilingual road sign in Istria

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