Colosseum Apartments Pula - Istria
Pula, Croatia

LOCATION - The Istrian Region includes a large part of Istriathe largest Adriatic peninsula. The most extreme west point of the Republic of Croatia is in the Istrian Region (Baanija, promontory Lako) at the 45° of the northern latitude.

Such favourable geographic position, almost at the heart of Europe, half way between the Equator and the North Pole, Istria has always represented a bridge connecting the Middle European continental area with the Mediterranean.

SURFACE - The Istrian peninsula covers the surface of 3.476 square kilometres. The area is shared by three countries: Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy. A very small part of Istria, merely the northern part of the Miljski peninsula, belongs to the Republic of Italy. Slovenian coastline with the Kopar Bay and a part of the Piran Bay up to the mouth of the Dragonja River is a part of the Republic of Slovenia. The largest part, or 3.130 square kilometres (90% of the surface), belongs to the Republic of Croatia. Most of the Croatian part of the peninsula is situated in the Istrian Region 2.820 square kilometres, which is 4,98 per cent of the entire surface of the Republic of Croatia. The remaining part belongs to the Primorsko-Goranska Region based on the administrative and territorial subdivision.



CLIMATE - The basic characteristic of the climate of the Istrian peninsula is given by the Mediterranean climate. Along the coast, it gradually changes towards the continent and it passes into continental, due to cold air circulating from the mountains and due to the vicinity of the Alps.

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS - The main characteristics of the Mediterranean climate are dry and warm summers, with the average number if approximately 2.400 sunny hours a year. Winters are mild and pleasant, while it snows very rarely. The annual average of air temperatures along the northern part of the coast is about 14°C, while it is 16°C in the southern area and the islands. January is the coldest month with the average temperature mainly of about 6°C, and July and August are the warmest, with the average temperature of about 24°C.

Characteristic winds are bura, jugo and maestral. Bura blows northwards-southwards and it brings dry and clear skies. The warm wind jugo brings rain, while the mild maestral blows in the summer, from the sea to the continent.

Sea temperature is the lowest in March when it ranges between 9 and 11 °C, while it is the highest in August with 24 °C. Freezing of the coastal border in small and shallow bays is very rare.

RELIEF -

According to the geological and geomorphic structure, the Istrian peninsula can be divided in three completely different areas. The hilly northern and north-eastern part of the peninsula, due to its scarce vegetation and nude Karst surfaces is also known as White Istria. South-west from White Istria stretches the are this is considerably richer morphologically. These are the lower flisch mountainous tracts consisting of impermeable marl, clay, and sandstone, which is why this part is called Grey Istria. Limestone terrace along the coastline, covered with red earth is called Red Istria.

VEGETATION - One third of the Istrian peninsula is covered with woods. Along the coast and on the islands prevail pine woods and macchia, decorated by trees of holm oak and strawberry-tree. A special feature of the Istrian vegetation is pedunculate oak next to the Mirna River, characteristically growing in the continental lowlands of Croatia.

The Istrian soil abounds with natural monuments, among which is the especially interesting Brijuni archipelago, which is the habitat of about 680 plant species. It is also decorated by the most diverse vegetation and olive groves. On Učka and Ćićarija, at 500 metres above sea level grows a beech-tree wood.

Among legally protected landscape in the Istrian Region are well-known natural reservations-national park Brijuni, nature park Učka, protected landscape Limski Bay, the Motovunska Wood, park wood Zlatni Rt and orinthologic reservation Palud near Rovinj, park wood ijana near Pula and the protected landscape Kamenjak in the extreme south of Istria.

ISTRA IN NUMBERS:



Citizens: 200.000

Administrative center: Pazin, 9000 citizens



Economy center: Pula, 82.000 citizens

Money: National money is Croatian kuna ( kn). Paper money is 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 kuna, coins from 1, 2, 5, 25 kuna, and from 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 lipa. ( 100 lipa = 1 kuna ). Money can be exchange in exchange offices ( banks, post offices, hotels, tourist agency) to the official exchange list. You can pay also with credit cards Diners, American express, Visa, Eurocard, Mastercard i eurocheques.

Rivers: Mirna, Dragonja, Raa

Important tel. numbers:

Roadside vehicle assistance: 987

Police: 92

Firefighter department: 93

Ambulance: 94

A single countrywide number for all emergency situations : 112

International area cod: 00385

Area cod for Istra region: 052

Peacefull countryside, comfort, new, fully equiped, frontyard, garden...