Rijeka is the principal seaport and third-largest city in Croatia. It is situated in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Bay, which serves as an inlet of the Adriatic Sea. As of 2021, the city had a population of 107,964 inhabitants, with 85% of its citizens identifying as Croats alongside smaller populations of Serbs, Bosniaks, and Italians.
The city has a complex history shaped by its strategic location and deep-water port. Due to these characteristics, Rijeka was fiercely contested over several centuries, changing rulers and demographics frequently under the control of the Holy Roman Empire, the Republic of Venice, the Kingdom of Italy, and Yugoslavia.