The Dalmatian region has Mediterranean climate. However, Dalmatia has suffered from extensive deforestation since the Neolithic. In some parts, the region has been reduced to an uninhabitable limestone desert, rendering the Dalmatian population largely reliant on pastoralism. In inland Dalmatia, emigration has been high due to conflict between local Serbians and Croatians in BiH.
Early in the nineteenth century, Dalmatia experienced economic growth due to trade with its hinterland. However, the region was interrupted by Napoleon's invasion in 1797. Napoleon's troops stormed the region and ended Ragusa's independence. In the process, the Russian Empire was spared from total defeat. Despite the unpopularity of Napoleon's rule in Dalmatia, the region was an important trade and cultural center.
In the first half of the 10th century, Croatia was raised to a kingdom and the country was granted a protectorate from the Byzantine Empire. This allowed Dalmatia to elect its own representatives to the Austrian Imperial Council. As a result, the Dalmatian city of Split became the capital of Croatia. Then, in 1847, the Dalmatian town of Dubrovnik became the capital of the Croatian Republic.
The medieval Kingdom of Croatia fell in 1102 and most of Dalmatia was reclaimed by the Germans and converted into a puppet Independent State of Croatia. The Allies also occupied the town of Zadar, which prompted a mass exodus of Italians. Eventually, Dalmatia became part of the People's Republic of Croatia and then the Federative People's Republic of Yugoslavia.