Dalmatia Region of Croatia on the e coast of the Adriatic; the provincial capital is Split. From the 10th century it was divided n/s between Croatia and Serbia. By 1420, after centuries of fighting, most of Dalmatia was controlled by Venice. The Treaty of Campo Formio (1797) ceded the region to Austria. After World War 1 it became part of Yugoslavia. The coastline, a popular tourist destination since the 1960s, stretches along the Adriatic from Rijeka to the border with Montenegro. Most of the inland area is mountainous. In 1991, following Croatia's secession from the Yugoslav federation, Dalmatia was the scene of heavy fighting between Croats and Serbs. Other major cities in the region include Zadar (the historic capital) and Dubrovnik. Area: 4524sq km (1747sq mi). Pop. (2001) 467,899.

Dalmatia an ancient region in what is now SW Croatia, comprising mountains and a narrow coastal plain along the Adriatic, together with offshore islands, which once formed part of the Roman province of Illyricum. Dalmatian dogs are so named because they are believed to have originated in Dalmatia in the 18th century.