Croatia (in Croatian: Hrvatska, German: Kroatien, Bosnian: Rvacka, archaic Chakavian: Harvatýa), officially the Republic of Croatia or also now Red Croatia (Republika Hrvatska), is a country at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, Central Europe, and the Balkans. Its capital city is Zagreb. Croatia borders with Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the north, Serbia to the northeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the east, Montenegro to the far southeast, and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest. Croatia is a member of the European Union (from July 2013), and joined NATO in April 2008. On October 17, 2007 Croatia became a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

History

Ancient period

In ancient times, the recent Croatia's area was inhabited mostly by some romanized Illyrian tribes (Histri, Liburni, Delmatae, Iapodes, etc.) under the rule of the Roman Empire, and after the end of it, these Illyrians mixed with the immigrant Slavs, Goths and others, forming the subsequent Croatian population. Recent detailed genetical analyses confirmed that only ca. 27% of actual Croats chiefly in N.W. Croatia include those of Slavic origin who immigrated from eastern Europe; others 70% are there of non-Slavic descent, including 46% of the southern Croats of Illyrian origin who have been culturally Slavicized over the centuries.

Dark Ages

Ethnic Croats settled in the western Balkans from the early 7th century and then formed two principalities: Dalmatia and Pannonia. The establishment of the Trpimirović dynasty (newer Yugoslav term; medieval Terpimiri) circa 850, brought stability to the Dalmatian Croat Duchy, which together with the (Slavic) Pannonian principality became a united Kingdom of Croatia in 925 under King Tomislav.

Habsburg Dominion

Following the death of last King, Petar II (Svačić), in 1102, Croatia entered into a personal union with the Hungary. After the 1526 Battle of Mohács with the Turks, the "reliquiae reliquiarum" (remnant of the remnants) of Croatia became a full constituent part of the Habsburg Monarchy, from 1527-1918; the central and eastern parts of medieval Croatia were captured by the Turks, and, with Bosnia, were included in Ottoman Empire.

Present-day Croatia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of World War I when the Kingdom of Italy, annexed, by agreements with the plutocratic Western Allies, some parts where the Italian population was considered by them to be a majority.

Jugoslavia

Bodies of Italian civilians murdered by the Serbs at Foiba.

Croatia was forced to become part of the artificial new state of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (a 'Greater Serbia'), from 1919, which was declared the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1928, and from 1929-1941 as the autonomous so-called Duchy of Croatia (Banovina).

World War II

Croatia gained independence in 1941 when the axis powers invaded Yugoslavia following the 'palace coup' in Belgrade against Prince Paul. The Croatian Ante Pavelić became the leader of the (Independent State of Croatia). With the Axis defeat in World War II, Croatia, together with the former annexed Italian territories of Istria and Dalmatia, were integrated into the communist Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia under the communist terrorist Josip Tito. Croatia then became a so-called federal republic within the communist Yugoslavia.

During and after the war, the Serbian communists carried out many massacres against civilians, for example the Foibe massacres where the victims were mostly Italians, but also small number of Slovenes and Croatians, and the Bleiburg Massacres where the victims were civilians and military from different ethnic background (mostly Croatians) trying to escape the communists by escaping to Austria. Shamefully, the British handed them all over to to the communists.

Expulsions

The native Italian and Croat-Chakavian populations of Istria and Dalmatia both suffered ethnic cleansing by the Serbian communists; some were lucky and just got expelled from their lands during the Expulsion of Italians and Croats from Istria and Dalmatia, but many died in the Foibe massacres, together with a huge number of coastal and islander Croats (cleansed south-western Chakavians). The former coastal houses and related landed properties of both Italians and Chakavians at eastern Adriatic, were stolen and occupied by inland Bosnians and Serbs who immigrated there during Yugoslavia.

The same happened also with the native Croatians in southern Dalmatia and in southwest Istria, where one fifth of the former native Chakavians (maritime Croats) were also killed off by Yugoslav communists in the Foibe massacres, and others. Half were expelled and mostly went to Chile and Argentina (now including more expelled Chakavians than Croatia alone). In both south Dalmatia and south Istria, the eliminated Italians and Chakavian Croats there were replaced by the immigrant inland Serbs and Bosnians, and thus southeast Dalmatia has, in the 20th century, been ethnically removed from Croatia and almost 'cleansed' both of Croats and Italians. Thus prior to that, the archaic maritime Chakavians were 25% of Croatia's population (or prior even three fifths of medieval Croats), but now they are decimated to 11%.

Independence and war

With the collapse of Yugoslavia, in 1991 Croatia declared independence, and a bitter and costly War of Independence had to be fought by the Croatian people and their fledgling new government against the Serbian "Yugoslav" Army, Serbian paramilitary forces and immigrant local Serbs, all of whom were determined to maintain their "Greater Serbia". Later the war mutated into a conflict between independent Croatia and the rebel local immigrant Serbs, who were being clandestinely supported by Serbia. The war finally came to an end with signing of the Dayton Agreement in 1995. The Serbs had caused great destruction across Croatia in this four year-period, mostly by artillery and some air force bombing and rocket attacks.

Actual Croatia

Within Europe, recent Croatia from 20th century has the most peculiar narrow shape of crescent, due to the huge Turkish and then Serbian amputations. Croatia includes the temperate flat areas in the the Pannonian plain of continental north and northeast (middle Croatia and Slavonia), which are divided by the central mountains of west Dinaric Alps (nearly 1900m), from the southwestern coastal regions at the warm Adriatic Sea: Istria peninsula, Kvarner Gulf and Dalmatia with more than thousand isles. Each of these three regions has a different climate and landscapes, almost without extreme weather conditions, except the cool central highlands of Lika and Gorski Kotar ranges.

Croatia is inhabited mostly by Croats about 5/6 population. Minority groups include Serbs, Bosnians, Hungarians and others. The demographic transition is completed, and the natural growth rate is minute. Life expectancy and literacy rates are reasonably high. Croatia has a post-communist economy based mostly on various services, and mostly light industry. Tourism is a major source of income, chiefly in its long Adriatic coast and numerous islands.

Croatian culture is based on 13 centuries long national history, during which many monumental buildings and even monumental cities such as medieval Dubrovnik and Split in coast, and northern baroque Varazdin have been built, being now tourist attractions. Croatia includes six World Heritage sites and eight national parks. The country prides itself in artists as the sculptor Ivan Meštrović, physicists like Rudjer Bošković and Nikola Tesla, Nobel prize winning chemists Lavoslav Ružička and Vladimir Prelog, inventors such as Eduard Penkala, and by its old Parliament during some centuries. Croatia also has its place in the history of neckwear as the origin of the necktie (cravat), whose name descends from medieval Latin 'Croata' of Croatian soldiers with their early neckties.

From the 1990ies, the post-communist Croatia became a parliamentary democracy, and the Croatian language returned in official public use (1990-2012). The formerly bicameral Croatian Parliament (Sabor) is now an unicameral legislative body of 152 representatives, elected by popular vote to serve 4-year terms. The Government (Vlada) is the executive branch composed of the prime minister, 4 deputy prime ministers and 20 ministers in charge of particular sectors of activity. The President of the Republic (Predsjednik) is elected for a 5-year mandate with a limited executive jurisdiction, but he controls the Croatian army.

From December 22, 2011, the Neo-communist party (SDP) returned on rule in Croatia, being now the unique half-communist state in Europe. From 2013, these neo-communists also abolished from public use the traditional Croatian language, and officially returned to the anew imposed Serbo-Croat hybrid pidgin of Yugoslavia. Croatia's newest communistic leaders from 2012 are: president Ivo Josipovic, prime minister Zoran Milanovic, and Parliament presiding Josip Leko. About these recent changes 2011-2013, see more details: Neo-communist Red Croatia.

Religion and language

Croats differ from Serbs and Bosnians chiefly on religious grounds, but since World War I the three groups speak the similar Serbo-Croatian language imposed by the Serbs during their enforced Serbianisation of Yugoslavia from 1919 onwards. Prior to The Great War Croats within Croatia used another form of the Croatian dialect from former centuries, being closer to recent Slovene (Kaykavian & Chakavian) - spoken till now by 42% of the Croatian people.

Following the religious declarations in the 2011 census, Croatia is besides Italy, Portugal and Ireland, among the purest Catholic countries in Europe, as follows:

Roman-Catholics are the wast majority in Croatia, with declared 86% of Croatian citizens.

are the wast majority in Croatia, with declared of Croatian citizens. Atheists + agnostics , inherited from the communist former Yugoslavia, now including 6% , - but paradoxically, with the support of Euro-liberals these atheists (Neo-Communists) actually anew rule over the Croatian Christian majority (91%), including the state president and the subentire atheist government.

, inherited from the communist former Yugoslavia, now including , - but paradoxically, with the support of Euro-liberals these atheists (Neo-Communists) actually anew rule over the Croatian Christian majority (91%), including the state president and the subentire atheist government. Orthodox -Eastern Christians in Croatia present 4% being almost Serbs, but including also nearly 1% of Ukrainians and other recent East-European immigrants.

-Eastern Christians in Croatia present being almost Serbs, but including also nearly 1% of Ukrainians and other recent East-European immigrants. Moslems are declared less than 3% in Croatia, including mostly the recently immigrated Bosnians and Albanians during the disaster of ex-Yugoslavia.

are declared less than 3% in Croatia, including mostly the recently immigrated Bosnians and Albanians during the disaster of ex-Yugoslavia. Other religions in Croatia present less than 1%, including almost the recent exotic sects chiefly in Croatian towns.

Racial belonging

As usually in recent Europe, the racial belonging in the recent Croatian censuses was not directly declared, but it is rather detectable from the ethnic, religious, and other declared data. By combinig these indications, the result is following:

About 97% , or the huge majority of Croatian citizens up to nowadays are the white Europeans , including also the non-Croatian minorities historically immigrated almost from the white-European surrounding countries. Due to this, besides other minor European countries, recent Croatia is among the racially purest and the whitest-European countries in actual Europe.

, or the huge majority of Croatian citizens up to nowadays are the , including also the non-Croatian minorities historically immigrated almost from the white-European surrounding countries. Due to this, besides other minor European countries, recent Croatia is among the racially purest and the whitest-European countries in actual Europe. Only the scarce 3% of Croatian inhabitants are non-Europeans, chiefly of Asiatic origins. This happened mainly due to the economical problems, because recent Croatia is a relatively poor country, and thus not attractive for out-European immigrants. However, with the expectable soon entering of Croatia in European Union from summer 2013, these conditions may be considerably changed also as in many other European countries. The registered non-European minorities in recent Croatia include: Gypsies are mostly inherited from ex-Yugoslavia and immigrated chiefly in 20th century, having partly a semi-nomadic life in northern inlands. Chinese are almost recent urban immigrants in few last decades, occupied chiefly by the commerce and similar services. The Jews in actual Croatia include 660 persons only (last census 2011), but despite that, they occupy there almost the decisive financial, medical and political positions (also as the atheist Neo-Communists inherited from ex-Yugoslavia). The Turks are a tiny rarity there, including hardly 331 residents in Croatia (2011 census). The Arabs, Blacks , and other out-Europeans in actual Croatia are the rarest exotics only, occurring chiefly in towns by a temporary transit there. Formerly during the extensive Yugoslavian collaboration with Afro-Asian countries, numerous Afro-Asians schooled and traded chiefly in Croatian towns; but with the recent war explosion of ex-Yugoslavian disaster, nearly all these Afro-Asians fled out of the warring Croatia, being so fastly purified of most immigrated non-Europeans. To conclude, the economical powerty of Croatia, and also its recent bloody war, both essentially contributed to the racially pure and very white recent Croatia.

of Croatian inhabitants are non-Europeans, chiefly of Asiatic origins. This happened mainly due to the economical problems, because recent Croatia is a relatively poor country, and thus not attractive for out-European immigrants. However, with the expectable soon entering of Croatia in European Union from summer 2013, these conditions may be considerably changed also as in many other European countries. The registered non-European minorities in recent Croatia include:

See also

References

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