Kvarner Gulf
Mijo Mirković was born in Rakalj, Istria, on the Kvarner Gulf, which at the time was part of the Austro-hungarian empire. He attended the elementary school founded by his father, Ante Mirković-Gaspić, in his native village. Before his ninth birthday, Mirković was already working as a helper-machinist in ships transporting stones from Rakalj to Ancona. He later worked in the local mines, in a print shop and on a railroad.