Pula (Croatian Pula, Italian Pola; the city has an official Croatian-Italian bilinguism
- in Istriot Pula, German Polei, Slovenian Pulj) is the largest city in Istria, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the peninsula, with a population of 62,080 (2005). From the 19th century through World War I, Pula was the headquarters of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, tame sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of wine making, fishing, shipbuilding, and tourism. Pula has also been Istria's administrative center since ancient Roman times.
The natural beauty of Pula's surrounding countryside and turquoise water of the Adriatic have made the city an internationally popular summer vacation destination. The pearl nearby is Brijuni national park visited by numerous world leaders since it was the summer residence of Josip Broz Tito. Roman villas and temples still lie buried among farm fields and along the shoreline of the dozens of surrounding fishing and farming villages. The coastal waters offer beaches, fishing, wreck dives to ancient Roman galleys and World War I warships, cliff diving, and sailing to unspoiled coves and islands large and small. Pula is the end point of the EuroVelo 9 cycle route that runs from Gdansk on the Baltic Sea through Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. It is possible to track dinosaur footprints on the nearby sea shores; certain more important finds have been made at an undisclosed location near Bale.
