Smiljan is a village in the mountainous region of Lika, Croatia. It is located seven kilometers west of Gospić, and fifteen kilometers from the highway Zagreb-Split; its population is 446 (2001). A village is a human residential settlement commonly found in rural areas. ... Lika is a mountainous region in central Croatia, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the PljeÅ¡evica mountain from the northeast. ... Gospić is a town in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika, Croatia. ...

Smiljan is known best for being the birthplace of Nikola Tesla on July 10, 1856, at a time when the place was part of the Habsburg monarchy's Military Frontier. Nikola Tesla (Smiljan, Austrian Empire, July 10, 1856 - New York, USA, January 7, 1943) was a world-renowned Serb [2] inventor, physicist, mechanical engineer and electrical engineer. ... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Habsburg Monarchy, often called Austrian Monarchy or simply Austria, are the territories ruled by the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg, and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine, between 1526 and 1867/1918. ... Military Frontier (Military Border, Military Krajina, Vojna Krajina, Војна Крајина, Militärgrenze, Confiniaria militaria) was a borderland of Habsburg Austria which acted as the cordon sanitaire against the Turks from the Middle Ages (Croatian Krajina) or from the late 17th and 18th centuries (Slavonian and Banat Krajina) until the 19th century. ...

A nearby village of Smiljansko Polje ("Field of Smiljan") has 178 residents.