Croatia is a country in southeastern Europe, curving around its neighbours in a crescent shape from the plains of the interior to a long, indented coastline on the Adriatic Sea. That coast, with its thousands of islands and historic walled cities such as Dubrovnik, has made Croatia one of Europe's most popular destinations. A young state that won its independence in the 1990s amid the breakup of Yugoslavia, it blends Central European and Mediterranean character.
The Croats settled the region in the early Middle Ages and formed a kingdom, which from the twelfth century entered a long union with Hungary, while the coastal cities came under Venetian and other influences. Much of Croatia later fell under Habsburg rule, serving as a frontier against the Ottoman Empire. After the First World War the Croats joined the new state of Yugoslavia, but tensions over their place within it grew over the decades, culminating in a war for independence as Yugoslavia broke apart in the early 1990s.
An old account, recorded by a Byzantine emperor centuries after the events, tells that the Croats arrived in their new homeland led by five brothers and two sisters, who freed the land from its rulers and settled it. The story has long been cited as the founding tradition of the Croatian people. Modern historians regard the tale of the seven siblings as legend, a later tradition rather than a reliable record of how the Croats actually came to settle the region.
Croatia's geography falls into three contrasting parts: the flat, fertile farmland of the Pannonian plains in the northeast, the wooded hills and mountains of the central highlands, and the long, rugged Adriatic coast in the south and west. That coastline is the country's jewel, stretching for over a thousand kilometres and fringed by more than a thousand islands. Inland lie beautiful natural wonders such as the cascading lakes and waterfalls of Plitvice.
The flag of Croatia has three horizontal bands of red, white, and blue, with the distinctive Croatian coat of arms set in the centre. The shield is a red-and-white checkerboard, a very old Croatian symbol, topped by a crown of smaller shields representing the country's historic regions. The red, white, and blue are the pan-Slavic colours, while the unmistakable checkerboard makes the flag instantly recognisable as Croatian.
Croatia is a predominantly Roman Catholic country, and Catholicism is closely tied to Croatian national identity, a connection that distinguished the Croats historically from their Orthodox and Muslim neighbours in the region. The faith remains influential in the country's culture, festivals, and public life, with the great majority of Croatians identifying as Catholic. The land is dotted with churches, monasteries, and Marian shrines that are important centres of pilgrimage and devotion.
Croatian cuisine reflects the country's split between the Mediterranean coast and the Central European interior. Along the Adriatic, the food is light and Italian-influenced, rich in seafood, olive oil, and the prized truffles of the Istrian peninsula, while inland the cooking is heartier, featuring meat, stews, and dishes baked under a bell-shaped lid in a method called peka. Pasta, cured meats, and excellent local wines feature across the country's varied regions.
Croatian agriculture mirrors its varied landscape. The fertile northeastern plains produce grains, maize, sugar beet, and sunflowers, while the warm coast and islands are ideal for olives, grapes, and other Mediterranean crops, supporting a respected winemaking tradition that reaches back to antiquity. Istria is famous for its truffles and olive oil. Tourism along the spectacular coast, however, has become far more important to the modern economy than farming.
The medieval Croatian kingdom and the long centuries on the frontier between the Christian and Ottoman worlds shaped the nation. The defining event of modern Croatia was its war of independence from 1991 to 1995, fought as Yugoslavia disintegrated, a painful conflict that secured the country's sovereignty. Since then Croatia has rebuilt, developed a thriving tourism industry, and integrated with the rest of Europe, joining the European Union in 2013 and adopting the euro in 2023.
Croatia has a population of around 3.9 million people, the great majority ethnic Croats, a South Slavic people who are predominantly Catholic, with small minorities including Serbs. Like much of the region, the country has seen its population decline through low birth rates and emigration to wealthier parts of the European Union. Most Croatians live in cities and towns, above all the capital, Zagreb, in the interior, while the coast draws millions of visitors each summer.
