[ree-ek-uh; Serbo-Croatian. ree-ye-kah] 
| a seaport in W Croatia, on the Adriatic. 193,044. |
| Ri·je·ka (rē-yěk'ə) A city of western Croatia on the Adriatic Sea west-southwest of Zagreb. Held at various times by Austria, Croatia, France, and Hungary, it was seized by Italian irregulars in 1919. The Treaty of Rapallo between Italy and Yugoslavia (1920) guaranteed its status as an independent city, although it was formally annexed by Italy four years later. Rijeka was transferred officially to Yugoslavia in 1947 and remained under its rule until Croatian independence in 1991. Population: 143,000. |
Rijeka
city, major port and industrial, commercial, and cultural centre of Croatia, located on the Kvarner (a gulf of the Adriatic Sea). It is the major port of Croatia. The city is situated on a narrow flatland between the Julian Alps and the Adriatic, spreading up the slopes and onto the landfills on the seafront. The name, dating from the 13th century, refers to the river called Rjecina in Serbo-Croatian and Fiumara, or Eneo, in Italian. The port is a primary naval base and a point of departure for coastal shipping. The coastal section of the Adriatic Highway begins at Rijeka, which also has rail connections to Trieste, Ljubljana, and Zagreb. Shipyards and repair facilities, major oil refineries, a paper factory, and a diesel-engine works (in which in 1866 the English owner Robert Whitehead invented the torpedo) are industries of major importance.
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