Rijeka is the principal seaport of Croatia, located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea. It has 167.964 inhabitants (2001) and is Croatia's third largest city. The majority of its citizens are Croats with 80.39% (2001 census).

The city's economy largely depends on sea transport, shipbuilding (shipyards "3. Maj" and "Viktor Lenac") and tourism.

Rijeka hosts the Croatian National Theatre "Ivan pl. Zajc", first built in 1765, as well as the University of Rijeka, founded in 1632. The local football (soccer) club is called NK Rijeka.

The development of Rijeka is closely connected to the sea, and the site of the town is connected with recovering land from the sea. The major part of today's town center is located on land which was recovered from the sea by leveling with sand. This backbreaking work gives evidence to the diligence and determination of the inhabitants of Rijeka, which without doubt serves as a guarantee that the World Trade Centre project will soon become a reality in this Adriatic, Mediterranean and Middle-European town, a town of mutual understanding and tolerance, a town of peace and labour, a town which embraces with an open heart all newcomers of good intention and which is ready to offer business cooperation as well as vacation and the services of hotels and restaurants.

Its location on the Mediterranean coast and in the central part of the temperate zone provides for a pleasant Mediterranean climate with exceptional, warm summers and relatively mild winters. The average temperature in July, the warmest month is 23 C and the average for the coldest month, January, is 5,2 C. The annual mean is 13,8 C.

The mountainous environment overlooking the Kvarner Bay, from Ucka over the hills of Gorski Kotar to Velebit, creates an impressive natural setting, which is especially thrilling to see when approaching Rijeka from the sea. Occasionally during the year and especially in winter, cold bouts of the "bura" wind blow from the mountains, causing sudden drops in temperature and clearing the air above Rijeka. That is why we can truly say that the "bura" wind "brings good health". Because of the cold winds which occasionally penetrate from the hinterland, the Kvarner coast is where the Mediterranean and Sub-Mediterranean climates meet, effecting the plant life as well as temperature highs and lows, ranging between -6 C and 37 C. However, the most common are winters with temperature lows not more that 2-3 below zero.