Croatia

Croatia, republic on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea, bordered on the north by Slovenia, on the north east by Hungary and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, on the east by Bosnia, and on the south east by Montenegro.

Land and climat

Croatia has a diverse landscape, with flat plains, low mountains, a coastline, and several offshore islands. The interior has a continental climate, the coast has a Mediterranean climate.

People

The majority of the population is Croatian, a Slavic people who speak a Serbo-Croatian language. Serbs form an important minority. Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion.

Economy The eastern plain is fertile, and crops like sugar beets, maize, and wheat are produced there. Croatia is a major supplier of coal, petroleum, bauxite, and timber, and industry is reasonably developed.

History United with Hungary in 1102, ruled by the Turks (16th–18th centuries) and then by the Habsburgs (until 1918), Croatia became part of Yugoslavia after World War I. In World War II the Germans ruled it as an Axis satellite. In 1946 Yugoslavia adopted a federal constitution, and Croatia became one of its 6 constituent republics. Beginnning in the 1970s, Croatia agitated for greater autonomy; however, by the end of the 1980s demands for autonomy changed to demands for independence, which was attained in 1991. The Serbian minority opposed the independence, and a civil war followed. Despite several cease-fires and the presence of UN-troops, the war in Croatia and neighbouring states continued, disrupting social, political, and economic life in Croatia. At the end of the 1990s the economic situation improved, especially as a result of the revival of tourism.