Croatia is a Balkan country with a population of about 4.5 million, predominantly Roman Catholic. It was settled by Croats in the 7th century, was part of Yugoslavia for most of the 1900s, and declared independence in 1991. The country is bisected by the Dinaric Alps and has three regions. Its economy relies on service industries, shipbuilding, food processing, and chemicals. Croatia has a parliamentary republican government and is led by a president, a prime minister, and a speaker of parliament. It was recognized by the UN and the EU after the Croatian War of Independence.
Croatia is a country located primarily on the Balkan Peninsula along the Adriatic Sea. With about 4.5 million people, it is populated by Croats and a large Serb minority. The Croatian people are predominantly Christian and Muslim and have been plagued by wars and conquests for much of their history. The country was settled by Croats in the 7th century, was part of Yugoslavia for most of the 1900s, and declared its independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991 after the fall of the communist Soviet Union.
Bordered by Hungary and Serbia to the north, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Croatia features a complete border with the Adriatic Sea to the west. With an area of 21,851 square miles (56,594 sq km), the country is bisected by the Dinaric Alps and is made up of three regions: Croatia-Slavonia, Dalmatia, and Istria. The country has many important seaports on its western coast, two major rivers, the Sava and the Drava, and allows easy access to the Mediterranean Sea and the Italian coast.
Ninety percent of Croatia’s population is Roman Catholic, with an official Croatian language and a parliamentary republican government. The country is led by a president, a prime minister and a speaker of parliament. For its economy, Croatia relies on service industry, especially shipbuilding, food processing and chemicals. Agriculture in the country includes grain, cereals, seeds and fruits, and timber is also important as much of the country is forested.
Croatia was founded by its native Croatians in the early part of the 7th century and became a medieval duchy in the year 852, before being recognized by the Roman Catholic pope in 879. The country was elevated to a kingdom in 925 and united with Hungary in 1102. In 1527, after the Battle of Mohacs, Croatia was united with the Habsburg Empire of Hungary in a common defense union, where they remained until gaining the independence from Austria-Hungary after World War I in 1918.
After 1918 Croatia became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In 1991, however, the country held its first democratic elections and in doing so broke free from the rule of the former Yugoslav states, officially becoming the Republic of Croatia. For the next four years, the Croatian War of Independence ravaged the country as Croats fought the Serbs living in the country, killing many of their population and forcing many more to flee the country. Since then, Croatia has been recognized by both the United Nations and the European Union.
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