Croatia (Croatian: Hrvatska /xrvatska/), officially the Republic of Croatia, is a southern Central European country at the crossroads with the Mediterranean, and Southeastern Europe.
Its capital is Zagreb. Croatia borders with Slovenia and Hungary to the north, Serbia to the northeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the east, and Montenegro to the far southeast.
Its southern and western flanks border the Adriatic Sea, and it also shares a sea border with Italy in the Gulf of Trieste.
Croatia is a member of United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the Council of Europe, and is a candidate for membership of the European Union and has received a NATO membership invitation on 3 April 2008.
The Croats settled on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea and the Pannonian lands in early 7th century, forming two principalities, Dalmatia and Pannonia.
After the 1526 Battle of Mohács, the "Reliquiae reliquiarum olim inclyti Regni Croatiae" (the remains of the remains of once glorious Kingdom of Croatia) of Croatia became a part of the Habsburg Monarchy in 1527. In 1918 Croatia became a part of the Kingdom of SHS and later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
In 1941-1945 during World War II, an Axis puppet state known as the Independent State of Croatia existed. After the victory of Tito's People's Liberation Movement and the Allies, Croatia became a constitutive federal republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
In 1991 Croatia proclaimed independence by holding the first democratic elections in the country but had to fight a long and bloody war against the Serb rebels and JNA until 1995.
Croatia was recognized on January 15, 1992 by the European Union and the United Nations. The first country to recognize Croatia was Iceland on December 19, 1991.
The country is famous for its many national parks. Croatia has a mixture of climates. In the north and east it is continental, Mediterranean along the coast and a semi-highland and highland climate in the south-central region.
Offshore Croatia consists of over one thousand islands varying in size.
Croatian culture is the result of a thirteen century-long history which has seen the development of many cities and monuments.
The country includes six World Heritage sites and eight national parks.
Croatia is also the birthplace of a number of historical figures included among the notable people are three Nobel prize winners, and numerous inventors.
Some of the world's first fountain pens came from Croatia. Croatia also has a place in the history of clothing as the origin of the necktie (kravata).
The country has a long artistic, literary and musical tradition. Also of interest is the diverse nature of Croatian cuisine.
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