Croatia is a Central European and Mediterranean country, bordering Slovenia in the west, Hungary in the north, Serbia in the east and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the south. Croatia also has a long maritime border with Italy in the Adriatic Sea.

Croatia became one of the Yugoslav republics ruled by the communist government from the 1940s to 1991. Croatia declared its independence, prompting Serbian invasion. Almost all Croats rose to defend their country under the leadership of its first president. The country is now a parliamentary democracy.