Ćićarija (; ; ; ), is a mountainous plateau in the northern and northeastern part of the Istria peninsula, long and wide. It mostly lies in Croatia, while its northern part lies in southwestern Slovenia (the traditional region of Inner Carniola). The highest peak is Veliki Planik at . At (2001), Ćićarija is sparsely populated, due to its karst landscape, poor economic development and rough climate. Name The name Ćićarija is derived from the South Slavic term Ćić, which refers to Istrians living in the area around the Učka Mountains, originally referring to the Vlachs and Istro-Romanians of the area. The ethnonym is believed to derive from the Istro-Romanian word ce 'what', which is a semantic basis for other regional ethnonyms (cf. Kajkavian, Chakavian, etc.). Sources References External links Landforms of Istria County Dinaric Alps Plateaus of Croatia Karst plateaus of Slovenia Plateaus of Inner Carniola