Hello. I am the Republic of Croatia. I am an eastern European country on the Adriatic Sea across from Italy. I am about 1.5 times bigger than Kyusyu. And I used to be part of Yugoslavia before it was divided into several countries. My population is about 4.3 million, and my capital city is Zagreb. You'll be surprised to learn that there are more than 1000 islands in my country. And did you know neckties first came from my country? I’m full of wonderful surprises.
I want to introduce to you a World Heritage Site I am proud of. It's a beautiful old city called Dubrovnik. It's so beautiful that people call it the Pearl of the Adriatic. Some people say that you can't talk about heaven before you see this city. It's an old seaport with a long wall around it. All the roofs of the houses and buildings are orange. The orange roofs beside the blue sea are so pretty.
Dubrovnik is located in the southern part of my county. Do you know a type of dog called Dalmatian? It's a dog with a white body and black sports. Dalmatians first came from this southern part of my country. Another fun fact, right?
In Dubrvnik, you can see many wonderful buildings built during the middle ages. One of them is a drugstore that opened in 1317. That’s old, isn't it? There are so many old things here. Even the streets. Some stone streets of Dubrovnik have been polished by many merchants and sailors coming here for hundreds of years. Now the street stones are so shiny that you can see your reflection in them.
Remember that I said that Dubrovnik was surrounded by a wall? It's a long wall, 1940 meters long, that goes almost all the way around the city. It was built from around the eighth century to protect the city. You can visit parts of the wall today.
There has been a rule in Dubrovnik that says, All people should live freely. The people of Dubrovnik thought of war as the biggest enemy against freedom. So instead of fighting with other countries, they made relationships with other countries through trade. They used their position as a port city well. And they made sure no one was a leader for a long time. This protected them from on person having too much power.
You must not sell your freedom for any amount of god. These are the Latin words carved in the entrance of a tower here. Dubrovnik is not just a beautiful city, but it is a strong city. Come and visit me one day.