Croatia
History of Croatia
Croatia came to life in the early 7th century AD. First Croatian tribes have settled across various parts of the nowadays Croatian territory. They have accepted Christianity around 800 AD.
The first ruler in Croatia was Branimir, a duke of Dalmatia. But it was King Tomislav in 925. who united the Croats. In 1091., Croats became part of the Hungarian empire.
Meanwhile, along the coast, the city of Dubrovnik was established in the 7th century. It became an important part of the Byzantine Empire until 1205. Consequently, in the 14th century, Dubrovnik, or the Republic of Ragusa, gained its independence.
Later in the 15th century, Croats became concerned by the Ottomans, so they joined the Austrian Habsburg Empire. Centuries later, in 1868., Croatia went under the rule of Hungary once again. This lasted until World War II when it became a part of Yugoslavia.
During the early 1990s, Yugoslavia became an arena of different ethnic groups fighting. Despite those circumstances, Croatia managed to declare its independence in 1991. and the situation has escalated. The civil war between the Croatians and Serbians went on, until December 1995. This was when the Dayton Agreement was signed and brought peace to the conflicted area.
At the present time, Croatia will be celebrating its 30 years of independence. And in that time, it has gone through many changes. One thing is for sure today – it is a magnificent destination. Well worth visiting for its untouched nature, big-hearted people, local culture, and beautiful coastline.
Geography of Croatia
Located in southeast Europe, Croatia is a geographically diverse Pannonian-Adriatic country. Croatia borders Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Indeed, the crescent-shaped country features many special things. Like the low mountains hugging the Adriatic coastline, flat plains bordering Hungary, and over a thousand islands.
The majority of Croatian mountains belong to the Dinaric Alps. They are worldwide famous as a beautiful example of deep karst. Thus, in mountainous regions, Croatian winters are cold and snowy while the summers are mild.
The Adriatic coastline of Croatia is located between the Dinaric Alps and the Adriatic Sea, spanning over 1,800 km. One of the famous characteristics of the Croatian coast are the 1,244 islands. The country’s coastal areas have a Mediterranean climate. Yes, this means hot, sunny summers and mild winters.
The Adriatic Sea is a part of the Mediterranean Sea, positioned between the eastern coastline of Italy and the coastline of the Balkan Peninsula.
On the other hand, forests make up 36% of the surface area of Croatia. The dominant forests in the continental regions are oak, beech and fir. The coastal belt along with the islands is characterized by alpine pine, downy oak and dense evergreen underbrush.
The Croatian coast has a typically Mediterranean climate. It is consisting of hot, dry and sunny summers, and relatively mild weather in winter.
Average temperatures during summer should lie in the mid-to-high 20s °C although more than often you’ll have temperatures well into the 30s °C.
Winters are cold but still mildly, as the temperatures rarely get below about 5°C.
The continental climate that exists in mainland Croatia is different. It means that winters can be pretty cold, with temperatures often falling below 0°C. Snow is very likely and can be pretty heavy during the winters.