Croats

Croats (Croatian: Hrvati) are a south Slavic people mostly living in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a notable diaspora in western Europe, the Americas, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The Croats are often characterized by a strong affiliation with Catholicism and the Croatian language.

The population numbers are reasonably exact domestically: they number a bit under 4 million in Croatia and around 600,000 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Abroad, their count is rather approximated due to incomplete statistical records and naturalization. The largest emigrant groups are in western Europe: Germany, Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom etc., followed by Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Bolivia and the United States. There are also notable Croat groups in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

The origin of the Croat tribe before the great migration of the Slavs is uncertain. In the 7th century, the tribe moved from the area north of the Carpathians and east of the river Vistula (what was referred to as the White Croatia) and migrated into the western Dinaric Alps. Genetically, most Croats have a mixed genotype similar to other Slavs, but with the major set of genes being specific to a "Dinaric" subgroup probably inherited from pre-Slavic Croatia's and Bosnia's inhabitants.

For the rest of the history of the Croats, please see history of Croatia.