Zagreb

Zagreb ( ; ) 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 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.