Dalmatia is the narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea and includes 79 islands as well as about 500 islets. The name stems from an Illyrian tribe called the Dalmatae, who lived in the area in classical antiquity. Later it became a Roman province. The Croats arrived in the 8th century and mostly occupied the Hinterland but the two cultures eventually began to mix. The kingdom of Croatia fell in 1102 and during the Middle Ages the cities, lands and regions were conqured by various kingdoms. The longest-lasting rule was by the Republic of Venice (1420-1797). Between 1815 and 1918 it was an Austrian province and after WWI it was split between the kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes with Italy controlling a small part. AfterWWII the People's Republic of Croatia as part of Yugoslavia took complete control of the area. Following the dissolution of Yugoslavia Dalmatian became the Republic of Croatia. Today Dalmatia is an historical region only.