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In the beginning, the former Yugoslavia consisted of six republics and two independent regions. Today Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia are independent nations and the rest form the country of Yugoslavia. Bosnia-Herzegovina had a population of 4.4 million, before the war. It also consisted of several mixes of religious groups. About 45% were Bosnian Muslims, 30% Bosnian Serbs (Eastern Orthodox), and 15% Bosnian Croats (Roman Catholics). Bosnian Muslims are known as the Slavs, who had converted to Islam after the Ottoman Empire conquered the region, in the 14th and 15th century. Bosnia had been part of Yugoslavia from World War I until the end of the Cold War. In March of 1992, Bosnia had declared independence. During World War II, armed groups claiming loyalty to various ethnic parties fought both against each other and against the Nazi Party. By 1945, about one-million Yugoslavs had lost their lives, by their very own people. Croatian fascists were known widely for killing Communists, Gypsies, Jews, Serbs, and political opponents. The Communist-led Partisans fought against them with the support of the Allies. They were victo