A country of southern Europe along the northeast Adriatic coast. It was settled by Croats in the 7th century, became a kingdom in the 10th century, and reached the height of its power in the 11th century before being conquered by Hungary in 1091. After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Croatia became a part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which later became Yugoslavia. Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Zagreb is the capital and the largest city. Population: 4,490,000.