Croatian Littoral is a region of
Croatia comprising the area between
Dalmatia to the south,
Mountainous Croatia to the north and east, and
Istria and the
Kvarner Gulf of the
Adriatic Sea to the west. The term "Croatian Littoral" developed relatively recently, since the 18th and 19th centuries, reflecting the complex development of Croatia in historical and geographical terms. The term Croatian Littoral is also applied to entire Adriatic coast of modern Croatia in general terms, which is then divided into the
Southern Croatian Littoral comprising Dalmatia, and the
Northern Croatian Littoral comprising Istria and Croatian Littoral in the strict meaning of the term. Croatian Littoral covers and has a population of 228,725. More than half the region's population lives in the city of
Rijeka—by far the largest urban centre in the area.