Category:Croatia

Croatia (official name Republika Hrvatska) is a crescent-shaped Slavic country in Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, Central Europe and the Balkans. The main language is Croatian. The capital is Zagreb and the port of Split is the second city. The population is stable at around four and a half million.

Historically, the territory had been occupied since prehistory by groups including Illyrians, Celts, Romans and Huns before the Croats settled in the 7th century. The Croatian kingdom forged a union with Hungary in 1102, during which much of Dalmatia was sold to Venice while Dubrovnik was independent. Ottoman attacks saw power transferred to the Habsburgs, and eventually Dalmatia, Dubrovnik and the previous Turkish gains were absorbed into the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Post-WWI, Croatia became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed Yugoslavia) and apart for a brief spell as a fascist puppet state in WW2 it remained Yugoslav territory until independence under Tuđman in 1991, hostilities with the Yugoslav rump ending in 1992. Croatia is now a democracy, WTO member and a candidate for EU membership.