Croatian homeland – Croatia, the War, and the Future

“Croatia’s Identity Card”

For all those who would like to know (or refresh knowledge) about Croatia, its land and its people, there is a new book dubbed the “Croatia’s Identity Card”. It’s fresh out of press, a separate book in Croatian, in English and in French language.

It’s a wonderful goldmine of concise information, photographs and achievements of the Croatian people throughout the ages.

There is also a new website (in the three languages) dedicated to this publication.

The PDF format of the book can also be downloaded from the website (DOWNLOAD BUTTON on bottom of webpage). However I have included that pdf file on the left margin of this blog. If you click on the book’s cover photo/image you will access the book in the English language.

I am so proud to have personally contributed to this publication by way of collecting and taking photographs, many of which did not make it into the book due to its limited size. However, I do want to thank here Stephen Asic (Croatian World Congress, Perth, Western Australia) and Diane Didovich (Croatian Centre, Auckland, New Zealand) for their amazing energy and will to drive around fair distances, securing some valuable photographs for this project; for helping me in this voluntary endeavour, for this great cause. Seeing the fantastic finished product, the book “Croatia: land and people” in three languages – Croatian, English and French (one book for each language) – has brought home to me once again this reality:

it is so personally fulfilling to love ones country of birth!

On Thursday 11 July 2013, the Miroslav Krleza Istitute of Lexicography in Zagreb, Croatia, has launched its book “Croatia: land and people”.

Croatia: land and people

The book “has been produced in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia to mark the entry of Croatia into the European Union. It is primarily intended for the huge public in the other member states and for all those who want or need information about the newest EU member. So it has been produced in several languages. It is a sort of ‘identity card’, providing the most important information about the country in a concise, readable way – its geography, history, political organisation, population, economy, culture and society.
Alongside an overview of generally known facts, we have included some interesting details through which Croatia can contribute to the unity and diversity of Europe, and which the editorial board considered were probably less well known to the wider public until now. Of course, as with any selection, this one is arbitrary to some extent.

Attention is paid to the centuries of links between Croatia and other European countries and peoples. Due to its position within Europe, modern Croatia was in the past exposed to different influences, which are reflected in its national and cultural identity, and in its tangible and spiritual heritage.
The book was produced at the Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography. In compiling texts and selecting illustrations for this publication, the authors and editors relied primarily on previous publications by the Institute, with the aim of making Croatia more accessible to the foreign public”.

Croatian émigrés on ship to Canada in 1923.
According to estimates Croatian diaspora,
from Europe, over North and South America to Austrtalia …
encompasses more than two and half million people
(more than half of current population now living in Croatia)
Photo: http://www.hr-eu.net

Hope you all enjoy “Croatia: land and people”! Ina Vukic, Prof. (Zgb); B.A., M.A.Ps. (Syd)