Counties of Croatia: Bjelovar-Bilogora Brod-Posavina Dubrovnik-Neretva Istria Karlovac Koprivnica-Križevci Krapina-Zagorje Lika-Senj Međimurje Osijek-Baranja Požega-Slavonia Primorje-Gorski Kotar Šibenik-Knin Sisak-Moslavina Split-Dalmatia Varaždin Virovitica-Podravina Vukovar-Syrmia Zadar City of Zagreb Zagreb County
Croatia was first subdivided into counties in the
Middle Ages.[6] The divisions have changed over time, reflecting: territorial losses to
Ottoman conquest and subsequent Croatian
recapture of some territory; changes in the political status of
Dalmatia,
Dubrovnik and
Istria; and political circumstances, including the
personal union and
settlement between Croatia and
Hungary.[7][8] The traditional division of Croatia into counties was abolished in 1922, when the
oblasts of the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes were introduced; these were later replaced by the
banovinas of
Yugoslavia.[9]Communist-ruled Croatia, as a constituent part of
post-WWII Yugoslavia, organised Croatia into approximately one hundred municipalities. The counties were reintroduced in 1992, but with significant territorial alterations from the pre-1922 subdivisions; for instance, before 1922
Transleithanian Croatia was divided into eight counties, but the new legislation established fourteen counties in the same territory. Međimurje County was established in the
eponymous region acquired through the 1920
Treaty of Trianon.[10][11] The county borders have sometimes changed since their 1992 restoration (for reasons such as historical ties and requests by cities); the latest revision took place in 2006.[4]
Notes: The populations are from the
2011 Census; the GDPs per capita are from 2008 data. The city of Zagreb acts as both a county and a
city, and is not part of any other county. Source:
Croatian Bureau of Statistics.[12][13]
Counties were first introduced in Croatia during the
House of Trpimirović's rule. The exact number and borders of these early counties are difficult to determine accurately; they were considered to encompass areas subordinated to a single centre of local authority, but the possessions of significant nobles had a legal status separate from local authority. The following eleven are usually listed as the oldest counties of Croatia, dating back to the 10th century:[14]Livno (encompassing the
Livanjsko polje); Cetina (centered on the
Cetina river, with its seat in
Stolac);
Imotski (south of Livno County and
Biokovo); Pliva (around the
Pliva and
Vrbas rivers); Pset (between the
Una and
Sana rivers); Primorje or
Klis (along the
Adriatic's coast between
Šibenik and
Omiš, with its seat in the
Klis Fortress);
Bribir (to the west of Primorje County); Nona (around
Nin and
Zadar);
Knin (with its seat in the
Knin Fortress); Sidraga (in the area between Bribir County and Zadar); and Nina or Luka (between Knin, Nona, Sidraga and Bribir counties). In the same period, the counties in
Pannonian Croatia (north of
Gvozd Mountain) are poorly documented.[7]
The county number and extent have varied significantly, reflecting Ottoman conquest and Croatian recapture of various territories and societal and political changes through several centuries (including the absorption of the
Croatian and
Slavonian Military Frontiers by the
Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia in 1881). The last major reorganisation of the counties before they were abolished in 1922 was in 1886, when eight counties were established within the kingdom.[7][8] Some minor adjustments of county boundaries happened in 1913.[15]