The history of the area can be traced back to prehistoric times, although there isn't great evidence of any particularly large settlements or tribes from that time. Fast-forwarding a little, to around 1000 BC, a number of Illyrian tribes settled in various areas to which they eventually gave their name – including the Histri (in Istria) and the Delmati (in Dalmatia, on the mainland and some of the inlands).

The Greeks then conquered parts of present-day Croatia in the 4th century BC, although not to the extent one might imagine. Their main colonies included the island of Issa (which is Vis) and Tragurion (present-day Trogir).

The Romans succeeded the Greeks, and ruled parts of Croatia in much more emphatic fashion. Parts of what is today Croatia, especially the areas along the coast and Dalmatia in particular, became part of the Roman Empire around 9 AD. The major Roman settlements included Pola (Pula), Jader (Zadar), Salona (Solin, which is near Split) and Epidaurum (Cavtat). It was in Split itself that in 305 AD Emperor Diocletian built his palace, which is still very well preserved today.

Around the early part of the 7th century AD, Croatian tribes (arriving from present day Poland) settled across various parts of what is today Croatia, in both the northern and southern regions. The Croats accepted Christianity around 800 AD, and soon established their own state ruled by princes or dukes.

The first prominent ruler in Croatia was Branimir, who was a duke of Dalmatia from 872 to 879. It was King Tomislav, however, who united the Croats in Dalmatia and Pannonia (north Croatia) into one Kingdom in 925. The Croatia of this time was a reasonably strong country within Europe. Tomislav was succeeded by Kresimir and Zvonimir.

In 1091, as Croatia's lineage of Kings had come to an end, King Ladislaus of Hungary became ruler of Croatia. It was in 1102 however that an official union with Hungary was established, whereby Croatia retained its existence as a separate Kingdom and could be governed by its own Ban (governor) who would be appointed by the Hungarian King. This union with Hungary, under various guises and rulers, would last until World War I.

Along the coast, a different history was progressing. Most importantly, Dubrovnik was established in the 7th century. Part of the Byzantine Empire until 1205, it was then taken over by Venice. In 1358, Dubrovnik gained independence and the Republic of Ragusa, as it was known, prospered for a number of centuries due to shipping and trade.

In 1918, following the end of World War I, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was formed (which would later be called Yugoslavia). This first version of Yugoslavia (which lasted from 1918 until 1941) was ruled by the Serbian royal family, Karadjordjevic, which naturally favoured the Serbs and caused enormous resentment in Croatia . Furthermore, parts of coastline (including Istria, Rijeka and Zadar, and some of the islands) had been given to Italy by the 1920 Treaty of Rapallo. The country was invaded by Nazi Germany in April 1941, which gave Croatia independence under the fascist dictator Ante Pavelic. This regime was known for its harsh rule and for committing numerous atrocities, and therefore many Croats (over 200,000) actively joined the resistance movement under Josip Broz Tito which liberated the country in May 1945. (Winston Churchill was so impressed with the Croatian resistance that in 1944 he sent his son Randolph and the writer Evelyn Waugh to Croatia as his personal emissaries.) In November 1945, the Republic of Yugoslavia was officially created - with Marshal Tito as its leader - which contained Croatian, Slovenia, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia (as well as the autonomous provinces of Vojvodina and Kosovo), which was later renamed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1963.

Breaking ties with Stalin and the USSR in 1948, Yugoslavia prospered to a certain extent under Tito. A relaxed stance on ties with the West - unlike much of Eastern Europe at the time - meant trade and tourism in the country were allowed to flourish. Tito also did well to quash any resentments between the Yugoslav republics (as well as stifling any nationalistic feelings from these republics) and keep the country more-or-less united. After his death in 1980, Yugoslavia rumbled on for another 10 years or so. On 25th June 1991, Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia (as did Slovenia) prompting Serbian invasion. Almost all Croats rose to defend their country under the leadership of its first president, the late Franjo Tudjman (who died in December 1999), and after five years the country was liberated.