Everyone loves little bits of trivia. You can commit them to memory for small-talk at parties, or use them to bring up your upcoming vacation among friends and coworkers. (“Your dog likes chasing tennis balls? That’s interesting because I’m going to Croatia and Croatian Goran Ivanisevic won Wimbledon in 2001 playing tennis.”) Here are 10 little and not-so little known facts about Croatia. Use them wisely.
1. Dubrovnik, (an independent state at the time) was the very first nation to formally recognize the United States as a nation when it declared independence from Great Britain.
2. The White House was built out of Croatian stone, from the island of Brac. This same stone had been used to build Diocletian’s Palace in Split.
3. The largest truffle ever found was discovered by Giancarlo Zigante on November 2, 1999. It was 7.8 inches long, 4.1 inches wide, and 5.3 inches tall.
4. The Croatian coat of arms resembles a Lily known as the Snake’s Head and Leper Lily. The Croatian word for the flower is Kockavica.
5. (As mentioned above) Tennis player Goran Ivanisevic won Wimbledon in 2001 after entering the tournament on a wild card.
6. Croatia’s currency, the Kuna, was named after a small rodent. In English this animal is a Marten.
7. Dalmatian dogs come from the Dalmatian coast.
8. The necktie was invented in Croatia and is called a “cravat,” which is derived from the word “Croat.”
9. Croatia has been a country since the 1990’s.
10. Croatian young people can vote at the age of 16 if they have a job but must wait until 18 if they are unemployed.