Istrian People, Tourism and Culture

Istria has slightly more than 200.000 inhabitants, living in 636 villages or towns. The town of Pazin is the administrative centre, with 9.000 inhabitants, situated in the very heart of Istria, while the largest Istrian town is Pula with 60.000 inhabitants. Hum is the smallest Istrian town, as well as the smallest
town of the world.
There are also few other bigger towns and tourist centers like: Porec, Rovinj, Umag, Novigrad, Opatija, Rabac, Medulin.

The inhabitants of Istria live mainly in larger towns. Massive urbanization has also occurred on this peninsula due to the rural population leaving the countryside in search for work in larger towns. In such a way a great number of Istrian villages and former outstanding economic and com-mercial junction places are now nearly or completely deserted, some of the villages have been abandoned even since long past times. Wonderful constructions of old stone houses, the simbol of the autochthonous Istrians, are covered now by ivy and thornbushes. But the too fast industrialization and urbanization, the recent past is now resulting in the return of the Istrians to rural areas, with rebuilding the old houses in the countryside, aimed for repose or for everyday quieter and healthier living, far from the chaotic civilization. Such beautiful houses are also turned into attractive tourist structures, as destination of always more and more popular agritourism istria.