Kninska Krajina (English: Knin region) is a geographical region in Croatia. It is located around the town of Knin in northern Dalmatia.
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Kninska Krajina is situated between Bukovica in the southwest, Lika in the northwest, Drniška krajina (in Zagora) in the south, Cetinska krajina in the southwest, and (Završje) Bosnia and Herzegovina in the east.
Since 7th century Kninska krajina was inhabited mainly by Croats, who arrived during the wave of Slav migrations. During the early Croatian medieval kingdom, the area was one of the seats of Croatian king. The city of Knin, was a seat of Croatian king, as well as the original area of some privileged Croat tribes, that had right to choose the Croat king. In 15th century Turks occupied the area. Much of the native population fled as the area was heavily abandoned and war-devastated as the Ottoman army advanced. By the 17th and 18th centuries, the Austrian empire managed to thwart the advances. The area slowly repopulated, now inhabited mostly by Serbs, who emigrated from the Ottoman Empire. In 1990, the self-proclaimed Serbian autonomous region known as SAO Kninska Krajina was formed and was named after this geographical region. It was subsequently became called the Republic of Serbian Krajina as it attempted to break off from the newly-independent Croatia in 1991, ethnically cleansing the area of non-Serbs and setting up their own local government. In 1995, the Croatian army retook the region in Operation Storm, and the majority of the Serb population fled or was displaced. Today, the region is sparsely populated due to few economic opportunities.
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