CROATIA
The Republic of Croatia is a European
country situated along the Adriatic Sea
and its hinterland. It stretches from the slopes of the Alps and deep
into the Pannonian Valley to the banks of the Danube and Drava rivers.In
1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929
as Yugoslavia. Following World War
II, Yugoslavia became an independent communist state under the strong
hand of Marshal TITO. Although
Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four
years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before occupying Serb
armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands. Under UN supervision the
last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in
1998.
According to its natural
characteristics, as well as its cultural and historical development,
Croatia can be divided into three geographically distinct zones: the
Coastal region, the Mountain region, and the Pannonian region. The area
of Croatia is 21,830 sq. miles (56,538 sq km), approximately the size of
West Virginia. Croatia's population, which totals 4,784,265 according to
the 1991 census, is predominantly Roman Catholic. The capital of Croatia
is the city of Zagreb. The
city of Dubrovnik is a popular
tourist destination.
In the cultural geography of Europe, Croatia holds a unique position. It
is a border and at the same time a link between four cultural areas: the
north-central European, the southern Mediterranean, the west European,
and the east European, and thus Croatian culture encompasses influences
of all these cultural regions. Attracting tourists and visitors since
the early 14th century, the country has since become one of the leading
central European tourist attractions. Croatia offers the world a long
and scenic coastline, many nature reserves, hot summer weather, and a
rich historical and cultural heritage. The country has seven national
parks, of which the most famous is Plitvice Lakes, part of the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO)
World Heritage trust. Other tourist attractions include Croatia's more
than 1,000 islands, and many towns dating from the Roman or medieval
eras. Dubrovnik, named the "pearl of the Adriatic" by English poet Lord
Byron, is one of Croatia's main tourist attractions, and one of only
three European cities ranked as a World Heritage Site of zero category
by UNESCO in 1977.
Slavic Croatian tribes settled in the
area in the early 7th century (arriving from present day
Poland), accepting Christianity in around 800 A.D., and soon
establishing their own state ruled by princes or dukes. In 925, Croatia
became a kingdom under the rule of King Tomislav. In 1102 the country
formed a union with Hungary which lasted until 1918. After the end of
the First World War, Croatia joined Serbia, and Yugoslavia (the land of
South Slavs) was formed, which lasted until 1991. The first Yugoslavia
(1918-1941) was ruled by the Serbian royal family, Karadjordjevic, which
naturally favoured the Serbs and caused enormous resentment in Croatia.
The country was invaded by Nazi Germany
in April 1941, which gave Croatia independence under the fascist
dictator Ante Pavelic. This regime was known for its harsh rule and for
committing many atrocities, and therefore many Croats actively joined
the resistance movement under Tito (over 200,000) which liberated the
country in May 1945. (Winston Churchill was so impressed with the
Croatian resistance that in 1944, he sent his son Randolph and the
writer Evelyn Waugh as his personal emissaries.) Croatia became one of
the Yugoslav republics ruled by the communist government until 1991,
when Croatia declared its independence, prompting Serbian invasion.
Almost all Croats rose to defend their country under the leadership of
its first president, the late Franjo Tudjman
(who died in December 1999), and after five years the country was
liberated. It is now a parliamentary democracy. In January 2000, the
centre-right party which governed Croatia since its independence, the
HDZ (the Croatian Democratic Union), lost the election. The centre-left
coalition between the socialist SPD and the liberal HSLS will now govern
the country, with the leader of the SPD, Ivica Racan, the new Prime
Minister.
(courtesy "Visit Croatia")