Northern Croatia or North Croatia (Croatian: Sjeverna Hrvatska, pronounced [sjêʋeːrnaː xř̩ʋaːtskaː]) refers to the northern parts of Croatia, encompassing Zagreb, Varaždin, Međimurje, Zagorje and Koprivnica-Križevci counties, including the cities of Zagreb, Varaždin, Čakovec, Krapina, Koprivnica and Križevci. The region is home to the Kajkavian dialect, which some consider to be a separate language of its own. The region borders Hungary to its north-east and Slovenia to its north-west.
Zagreb (/ˈzɑːɡrɛb/ ZAH-greb Croatian: [zǎːɡreb] ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slovenia at an elevation of approximately 158 m (518 ft) above sea level. At the 2021 census, the city itself had a population of 767,131, while the population of Zagreb metropolitan area is 1,086,528.
The oldest settlement in the vicinity of the city was the Roman Andautonia, in today's Šćitarjevo. The historical record of the name "Zagreb" dates from 1134, in reference to the foundation of the settlement at Kaptol in 1094. Zagreb became a free royal city in 1242. In 1851, Janko Kamauf became Zagreb's first mayor. Zagreb has special status as a Croatian administrative division—it comprises a consolidated city-county (but separate from Zagreb County), and is administratively subdivided into 17 city districts. Most of the city districts lie at a low elevation along the valley of the river Sava, whereas northern and northeastern city districts, such as Podsljeme and Sesvete districts are spread out across the foothills of the Medvednica mountain, making the city's geographical image rather diverse. The city spans about 30 km from east to west, while stretching about 20 km from north to south. Zagreb ranks as a global city, with a 'Beta-' rating from the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.
Međimurje (pronounced [medʑǐmuːrje]; Hungarian: Muraköz) is a small historical and geographical region in Northern Croatia comprising the area between the two large rivers, Mura and Drava, and roughly corresponding to the administrative division of Međimurje County.
Zagreb County (Croatian: Zagrebačka županija) is a county in Northern Croatia. It surrounds, but does not contain, the nation's capital Zagreb, which is a separate territorial unit. For that reason, the county is often nicknamed "Zagreb ring" (Croatian: zagrebački prsten). According to the 2021 census, the county has 299,985 inhabitants, most of whom live in smaller urban satellite towns.
The Zagreb County once included the city of Zagreb, but in 1997 they separated, when the City was given a special status. Although separated from the city of Zagreb both administratively and territorially, it remains closely linked with it.
Čakovec (Croatian pronunciation: [tʃâkoʋets]; Hungarian: Csáktornya; Latin: Aquama; German: Tschakathurn) is a city in Northern Croatia, located around 90 kilometres (56 miles) north of Zagreb, the Croatian capital, and close to the borders with Slovenia and Hungary. Čakovec is both the county seat and the largest city of Međimurje County, the northernmost, smallest and most densely populated Croatian county. It is situated centrally in the lowland part of the region, along the Trnava river.