Croatian Bolivians (; ) are one of the main European ethnic groups in the
South American country, although their figures are not as large as those of its neighbours.
Croatian
immigration to Bolivia Bolivia comparatively has experienced far less immigration than its South American neighbors. Nevertheless, small groups of Germans, Spaniards, Italians, a small Yugoslavian community, and others live in the country. The Basques were a large source ...
was a migratory movement that traces its roots to the 19th century, which had some strong and important development in the history of
Santa Cruz, which resulted in the settlement of the Chaco regions of central South America. The Croatian government estimates that the Croatian diaspora in Bolivia has an estimated 5,000 people, including immigrants and descendants of third and fourth generation.
Migration history
The first Croatian immigrants, mostly from the province of Dalmatia, arrived between the mid-19th century and early 20th centuries. These immigrants settled mainly in the eastern region of the country, in the city of Santa Cruz; in Cochabamba; and in the southern region, around Tarija.
Culture
There are no programmes in Croatian on either the Bolivian radio or television station. There is no print media in Croatian.
There is only one Croatian-language teaching private initiative (Bolivian-Croatian school families Franulić).
In
Cochabamba, Croats are well organised and have a Croatian home.
Croats in Bolivia still show high level of the Croatian national consciousness.
Notable people
*
Branko Marinkovic Branko (Cyrillic script: Бранко; ) is a South Slavic male given name found in all of the former Yugoslavia. It is related to the names Branimir and Branislav, and the female equivalent is Branka.
People named Branko include:
* Branko Babić ...
, businessman.
*
Karen Longaric
Karen Longaric Rodríguez (born 1957) is a Bolivian lawyer, professor, columnist and politician who served as the Foreign Minister of Bolivia during the interim administration of Jeanine Áñez.
She held positions in the Bolivian Ministry of For ...
, lawyer, professor, politician and former
Foreign Minister of Bolivia
The Foreign Minister of Bolivia (Spanish ''Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores'' or informally ''Canciller'') is the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bolivia), Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The current minister is Rogelio Mayta, who was appoi ...
*
Rajka Baković
Rajka Baković (September 2, 1920 – December 29, 1941) was a Croatian student and a member of the anti-fascist resistance movement in the Nazi-puppet state of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). She and her sister, Zdenka (collectively kno ...
, Croatian-Bolivian student and anti-fascist activist, who along with her sister Zdenka became known as the "Baković Sisters" during
World War II.
*
Mirko Tomianovic
Mirko Tomianovic Becerra (born 1 October 2001) is a Bolivian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bolivian side Royal Pari.
Playing career
Club career
Tomianovic was a member of the Bolívar youth team until 2018, when he joi ...
, professional footballer
See also
*
Immigration to Bolivia Bolivia comparatively has experienced far less immigration than its South American neighbors. Nevertheless, small groups of Germans, Spaniards, Italians, a small Yugoslavian community, and others live in the country. The Basques were a large source ...
*
Croatian diaspora
*
Bolivians of European descent
White Bolivians or European Bolivians are Bolivian people whose ancestry lies within the continent of Europe, most notably Spain and Germany, and to a lesser extent, Italy and Croatia.
Bolivian people of European ancestry mostly descend from peop ...
References
{{Portal bar, Bolivia, Croatia
European diaspora in Bolivia
Bolivia–Croatia relations