When the World Cup kicked off a couple of weeks ago, very few would have predicted that Croatia would reach the final. Sure they have a good squad that's anchored by the supremely talented Luka Modric and the rock solid Ivan Rakitic, but most pundits overlooked the Croatians in favour for the likes of perennial favourites Brazil, Germany and Spain - all of whom failed to deliver when it mattered most.
As Croatia stands on the brink of achieving football immortality, we took a closer look and unearthed some interesting facts:
1. Hum is the world’s smallest town
With a reported population of between 17 and 23 the town of Hum, located in the Northwest of Croatia, holds the world record for smallest town in the world.
2. The world-famous dog breed, dalmatians, are originally Croatian
101 Dalmatians and its follow up movies made this beautiful dog a phenomenon of sorts. The dalmatian's roots can be tracked back to the Croatian region of Dalmatia, where it was mainly used as a carriage dog in its early days.
3. A Croatian holds the Guinness World Record of the biggest white truffle
I wonder who's keeping track of the world's biggest truffles... And why?
Anyway, the truffle, a fruiting body of a subterranean Ascomycete fungus, is usually found in close association with tree roots. Although there are rumours that he took someone else's credit, the discovery of the 1.31 kg (2 lb 8 oz) truffle is credited to Giancarlo Zigante, a Croatian local.