Croatia is a popular tourist destination.
Croatia -LRB- -LSB- kroʊˈeɪʃə -RSB- ; Hrvatska -LSB- xrʋaːtskaː -RSB- -RRB- , officially the Republic of Croatia -LRB- -LSB- Republika Hrvatska , links = no -RSB- , -RRB- , is a sovereign state between Central Europe , Southeast Europe , and the Mediterranean .. sovereign state. sovereign state. Mediterranean. Mediterranean Sea. Its capital city is Zagreb , which forms one of the country 's primary subdivisions , along with its twenty counties .. Zagreb. Zagreb. primary subdivisions. administrative divisions of Croatia. twenty counties. Counties of Croatia. Croatia covers 56594 km2 and has diverse , mostly continental and Mediterranean climates .. Mediterranean. Mediterranean Sea. continental. Continental climate. Croatia 's Adriatic Sea coast contains more than a thousand islands .. Adriatic Sea. Adriatic Sea. more than a thousand islands. List of islands of Croatia. The country 's population is 4.28 million , most of whom are Croats , with the most common religious denomination being Roman Catholicism .. Croats. Croats. Roman Catholicism. Catholic Church. The Croats arrived in the area of present-day Croatia during the early part of the 7th century AD .. Croats. Croats. They organised the state into two duchies by the 9th century .. Tomislav became the first king by 925 , elevating Croatia to the status of a kingdom .. Tomislav. Tomislav of Croatia. The Kingdom of Croatia retained its sovereignty for nearly two centuries , reaching its peak during the rule of Kings Petar Kresimir IV and Dmitar Zvonimir .. Kingdom. Kingdom of Croatia ( 925–1102 ). Kingdom of Croatia. Kingdom of Croatia ( 925–1102 ). Petar Kresimir IV. Petar Kresimir IV of Croatia. Dmitar Zvonimir. Demetrius Zvonimir of Croatia. Croatia entered a personal union with Hungary in 1102 .. personal union. Croatia in the union with Hungary. Hungary. Kingdom of Hungary. In 1527 , faced with Ottoman conquest , the Croatian Parliament elected Ferdinand I of the House of Habsburg to the Croatian throne .. Croatian. Croatian language. Ottoman conquest. Hundred Years' Croatian–Ottoman War. Ferdinand I. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor. House of Habsburg. House of Habsburg. During the early 19th century , parts of the country were split into the French Illyrian Provinces , and Austria-Hungary occupied its Bosnia and Herzegovina side -- a dispute settled by the 1878 Treaty of Berlin .. Austria-Hungary. Austria-Hungary. Hungary. Kingdom of Hungary. French Illyrian Provinces. Illyrian Provinces. 1878 Treaty of Berlin. Treaty of Berlin ( 1878 ). In 1918 , after World War I , Croatia was included in the unrecognized State of Slovenes , Croats and Serbs which seceded from Austria-Hungary and merged into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia .. Croats. Croats. Serbs. Serbs of Croatia. Kingdom. Kingdom of Croatia ( 925–1102 ). Austria-Hungary. Austria-Hungary. Hungary. Kingdom of Hungary. World War I. World War I. merged into. Creation of Yugoslavia. Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Kingdom of Yugoslavia. A fascist Croatian puppet state backed by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany existed during World War II .. Croatian. Croatian language. fascist Croatian puppet state. Independent State of Croatia. World War II. World War II. After the war , Croatia became a founding member and a federal constituent of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia , a constitutionally socialist state .. Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. socialist state. socialist state. On 25 June 1991 Croatia declared independence , which came wholly into effect on 8 October of the same year .. declared independence. Independence of Croatia. The Croatian War of Independence was fought successfully during the four years following the declaration .. Croatian. Croatian language. Croatian War of Independence. Croatian War of Independence. A unitary state , Croatia is a republic governed under a parliamentary system .. unitary state. unitary state. parliamentary system. parliamentary system. The International Monetary Fund classified Croatia as an emerging and developing economy , and the World Bank identified it as a high-income economy .. International Monetary Fund. International Monetary Fund. World Bank. World Bank. high-income economy. World Bank high-income economy. Croatia is a member of the European Union -LRB- EU -RRB- , United Nations -LRB- UN -RRB- , the Council of Europe , NATO , the World Trade Organization -LRB- WTO -RRB- and a founding member of the Union for the Mediterranean .. European Union. European Union. Mediterranean. Mediterranean Sea. United Nations. United Nations. Council of Europe. Council of Europe. NATO. NATO. World Trade Organization. World Trade Organization. Union for the Mediterranean. Union for the Mediterranean. As an active participant in the UN peacekeeping forces , Croatia has contributed troops to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan and took a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2008 -- 2009 term .. NATO. NATO. UN peacekeeping forces. United Nations peacekeeping. NATO-led mission in Afghanistan. International Security Assistance Force. UN Security Council. United Nations Security Council. The service sector dominates Croatia 's economy , followed by the industrial sector and agriculture .. service sector. service sector. industrial sector. industrial sector. International Tourism is a significant source of revenue during the summer , with Croatia ranked the 18th most popular tourist destination in the world .. International Tourism. Tourism in Croatia. The state controls a part of the economy , with substantial government expenditure .. The European Union is Croatia 's most important trading partner .. European Union. European Union. trading partner. international trade. Since 2000 , the Croatian government constantly invests in infrastructure , especially transport routes and facilities along the Pan-European corridors .. Croatian. Croatian language. transport routes and facilities. Transport in Croatia. Pan-European corridors. Pan-European corridors. Internal sources produce a significant portion of energy in Croatia ; the rest is imported .. energy in Croatia. energy in Croatia. Croatia provides a universal health care system and free primary and secondary education , while supporting culture through numerous public institutions and corporate investments in media and publishing .. universal health care. universal health care. primary and secondary education. Education in Croatia. culture. Culture of Croatia. media. Media of Croatia. publishing. Croatian literature