Istrian identity, also known as Istrianity, Istrianism
or Istrianness,
is the
regionalist identity developed by the inhabitants of the part of
Istria
Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; ; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian: ; ; ) is the largest peninsula within the Adriatic Sea. Located at th ...
located in
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
. Istria is the biggest peninsula in the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
and a multiethnic region divided between Croatia,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
and
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
.
Italians
Italians (, ) are a European peoples, European ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region. Italians share a common Italian culture, culture, History of Italy, history, Cultural heritage, ancestry and Italian language, language. ...
and
Slovenes
The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( ), are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, Slovenian culture, culture, and History of Slove ...
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
The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...
, Italians,
Istro-Romanians
The Istro-Romanians ( or ) are a Romance languages, Romance ethnic group native to or associated with the Istria, Istrian Peninsula. Historically, they inhabited vast parts of it, as well as the western side of the island of Krk until 1875. Howe ...
and
Istriot-speakers, as well as some non-native minorities. Most of Croatian Istria is located in the
Istria County
Istria County (; ; , "Istrian Region") is the westernmost Counties of Croatia, county of Croatia which includes the majority of the Istrian peninsula.
Administrative centers in the county are Pazin, Pula and Poreč. Istria County has the larg ...
of the country. Istria is the
region of Croatia
In contemporary geography, the terms Central Croatia () and Mountainous Croatia () are used to describe most of the area sometimes historically known as Croatia or Croatia proper (), one of the four regions of Croatia, historical regions of t ...
where regionalist sentiment is the strongest.
In the
2011 Croatian census
Eleven or 11 may refer to:
*11 (number)
* One of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011
Literature
* ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn
*''Eleven'', a 1970 collection of short stories by Patricia Highsmith
*''Eleve ...
, 25,203
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
Primorje – Gorski Kotar County (, ) is a Counties of Croatia, county in western Croatia, most of it based in the historical and cultural region called Croatia proper and some of it in Istria, including the Bay of Kvarner, the surrounding Northe ...
, the county where the rest of Croatian Istria is located,
therefore making the number of people declaring an Istrian identity in Croatia a total of 25,409.
Most of these people in these counties were ethnic Croats, but there were also Istro-Romanians declaring themselves as Istrian.
Later, the
2021 Croatian census saw a decrease on Istrian self-designation, as 10,025 inhabitants of the Istria County used it.
It has been proposed that Istria gain greater autonomy within a more
decentralized
Decentralization or decentralisation is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those related to planning and decision-making, are distributed or delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group and gi ...
Croatia. Examples of supporters of this include several members of the
Istrian Democratic Assembly
The Istrian Democratic Assembly (, or IDS-DDI) is a centre to centre-left, regionalist, liberal political party in Croatia primarily operating in Istria County.
IDS was founded on the 14 February 1990 by the writer Ivan Pauletta. IDS embra ...
(IDS), such as its former president
Boris Miletić or the IDS deputy Emil Daus.
See also
*
Dalmatian identity
References
{{Stateless nationalism in Europe
Istria
Politics of Croatia
Regionalism (politics)