The Balkans.

[War Chef]

I'm not trying to pass of anything, it is mixed country, and yes, primarly Central European. Secondary identity is Southern European, and third, Balkan.
Some facts: 1. Croats are Roman Catholics
2. Croatia has been part and was influenced primarly by western, not eastern Roman Empire
3. We use Latin, not Cyrilic alphabet
4. Over 50% (majority) of Croatia lies in Carpathian Basin/Panonnian Plain where is capital Zagreb and bulk of population lives. Rest of the country lies in Southeastern Europe on east Adriatic coast and dinaric alps.
5. Medieval Croatia was Frankish, not Byzantine vassal prior to becoming a indipendent Kingdom
6. Croatia entered personal Union with Hungary, and later with Austria, lasting for around 8 centuries
7. Ottomans never conquered Croatian capital and managed to keep power in border areas for nomore than 150 years (for example Hungarian capital Buda was occupied by Turks)
8. Southern part of Dalmatia (located in southeastern Europe) came under Venetian domination and Turks never stepped foot in any important regional centre. There also existed Western styled Republic of Ragusa in southern Dalmatia, one of most important renessance centres in Europe
9. Western part of Croatia (Istria) was part of Holy Roman Empire and later Venice, while interior belonged to Austrian duchies.
10. Croatia never took part in Balkan wars (Greece and Romania did) and wasn't associated with this part of world until 1918, and creation of Yugoslavia.
11. Interior Dalmatia and southern Slavonia, part of military froniter, have Ottoman past and in the south dinaric culture, and belong to Balkans as third component of our identity.

This is where Croats cluster:
http://oi68.tinypic.com/fdfxi1.jpg

And this is how Croatian cities look like:
http://www.theapricity.com/forum/sho...tian-town-POLL

We are western nation mostly. I don't see why it bothers some people so much.

Geographically speaking, ya Croatia is south-central (& Czechia is in the geographical middle of Europe, Croatia just south of it) But when it comes to genetics no. I mean that DNA chart you posted shows them between Lithuanian & Tuscans..... Whatever, you can view your sense of self-identity however you'd like. But to me Croats will always be Slavic.

[Jana]

Geographically speaking, ya Croatia is south-central (& Czechia is in the geographical middle of Europe, Croatia just south of it) But when it comes to genetics no. I mean that DNA chart you posted shows them between Lithuanian & Tuscans..... Whatever, you can view your sense of self-identity however you'd like. But to me Croats will always be Slavic.

I am central European (southern part of Central Europe) genetically and more or less average Croat by admixture, despite having some foreign roots (by average I mean being in middle of cluster).
How does being Slavic disqualify some nation from being Central European ? Poles, Czechs, Slovaks and Slovenes are both Slavs and Central Europeans.