Dalmatia, officially the Republic of Dalmatia, is a country located in the Balkans. The capital, Split, is home to half of the country's 800,000 inhabitants. Dalmatia became independent following the removal of Italian forces in 1946 after the end of the Second World War, leaving behind a significant Dalmatian-Italian population, centered mostly in the city of Zadar. From then on, it was ruled by the People's Dalamtian Party (PDP) for much of the remaining 20th century. The PDP made Dalmatia a socialist state similar other eastern European countries, however, like its northern neighbor, Yugoslavia, it remained independent of the Soviet sphere of influence. Its economy under socialist rule was lackadaisical, often relying on assistance from Yugoslavia. Food and resource shortages were not i