Croatia

Croatia is a country in southern Europe of about 4.5 million people, with a large coastline on the Adriatic Sea; it shares borders with Slovenia, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro. It was part of Yugoslavia (1918-91), and was the site of brutal fighting during the Croatian War of Independence of 1991-95 that resulted in high degrees of internal [Page 365]displacement. Croatia was also involved in the Balkan War of 1992-95, during which many women, including Croatians, were victims of rape.

The bell tower of the Cathedral of St. Duje. The church is the Catholic cathedral of Split, the largest Dalmatian city in Croatia.

Almost 90 percent of the population identify themselves as Croatians, and most people (87.8 percent) are Roman Catholic. Literacy is almost ...