A map of a large number of beige islands on a light blue background with localities labelled in red and "Adriatic Sea" written in blue
Map of the Croatian islands in the Adriatic Sea

In the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea, there are 718 islands, 389 islets and 78 reefs,[1] making the Croatian archipelago the largest in the Adriatic Sea and the second largest in the Mediterranean Sea, after the Greek archipelago.[2]

Of the 718 islands, only 47 are inhabited in the sense that at least one person resides on that island.[3] Some sources indicate that Croatia has 67 inhabited islands,[4] counting those that have a settlement,[1] but 20 of those have lost all of their permanent population as a result of the population decline occurring throughout the Croatian islands due to insufficient economic activity.[5]

The Adriatic islands have been populated at least since the time of Ancient Greece. For example, Hvar was already populated between 3500 BC and 2500 BC[6] and Dionysius I of Syracuse founded a colony on Hvar and Vis in the 4th century BC.[7] The combined island population reached its peak in 1921, at 173,503 inhabitants, and went into steady decline in the following decades, dropping to pre-1850s level by 1981.[4] The depopulation trend was reversed only in the 1990s, with the 2001 census registering a population of 122,418, up from 110,953 in 1991.[1]

The main industries on the islands are agriculture, fishing and tourism. The islands' agriculture is primarily devoted to viticulture and olive growing. The local economy is relatively underdeveloped while the cost of living is 10 to 30% higher than on the mainland,[4] so the Croatian government provides various kinds of support and protection through its Islands Act (Croatian: Zakon o otocima) to stimulate the economy of the islands, including charging no tolls on bridges, and providing discounted or free ferry tickets for islanders.[8]

Islands

A photograph of a coastline with a light blue sky and white clouds above, a dark blue ocean in the background, and land spotted with pink-roofed, white-walled buildings in the foreground
The harbour of Hvar town, on the island of Hvar
A photograph of a coastline with a light blue sky with white clouds above, a dark blue ocean on the left, and a sandy beach on the right
A shoreline of the island of Brač
A photograph of a beige archipelago with a dark blue sky above fading to light blue on the horizon and a dark blue ocean in the foreground also fading to light blue at the coast
The Kornati archipelago
A photograph of a coastline with a sky above that fades from blue at the top through yellow in the middle to orange at the horizon and a dark forest in the foreground
A forest and lake on the island of Mljet
An outcropping of land protruding from the left surrounded by water reflecting the land with a blue sky above fading through yellow to red at the horizon.
Historic town center of Rab, on the island of Rab
A photograph of a hilly area covered in green plants with a white wall running from the foreground to the horizon and a light blue sky above
A vineyard on the island of Vis
A photograph of a coastline with a bright sun in the sky above that reflects on the water below and darkens the buildings on the coast
Summer on the island of Krapanj
Three sheep in a rocky plateau, with a wind turbine and mountains in the background
A wind farm on the island of Pag
Population density legend
   0 to 10/km2 (0.000 to 0.040/acre)
10 to 50/km2 (0.040 to 0.202/acre)
50 to 100/km2 (0.20 to 0.40/acre)
100 to 150/km2 (0.40 to 0.61/acre)
>150/km2 (0.61/acre)
Data on the populated islands of Croatia
#[note 1] Island County Population[3]
(as of 31 Mar 2011) 		Area[3] Highest point[3] Population
density
1 Krk Primorje-Gorski Kotar 19,383 405.78 km2 (100,270 acres) 568 m (1,864 ft) 47.8/km2 (0.193/acre)
2 Korčula Dubrovnik-Neretva 15,522 276.03 km2 (68,210 acres) 569 m (1,867 ft) 56.2/km2 (0.227/acre)
3 Brač Split-Dalmatia 13,956 394.57 km2 (97,500 acres) 780 m (2,560 ft) 35.4/km2 (0.143/acre)
4 Hvar Split-Dalmatia 11,077 299.66 km2 (74,050 acres) 628 m (2,060 ft) 37.0/km2 (0.150/acre)
5 Rab Primorje-Gorski Kotar 9,328 90.84 km2 (22,450 acres) 410 m (1,350 ft) 102.7/km2 (0.416/acre)
6 Pag Lika-Senj and Zadar 9,059 284.56 km2 (70,320 acres) 349 m (1,145 ft) 31.9/km2 (0.129/acre)
7 Lošinj Primorje-Gorski Kotar 7,587 74.68 km2 (18,450 acres) 589 m (1,932 ft) 101.6/km2 (0.411/acre)
8 Ugljan Zadar 6,049 50.21 km2 (12,410 acres) 286 m (938 ft) 120.5/km2 (0.488/acre)
9 Čiovo Split-Dalmatia 5,908 28.80 km2 (7,120 acres) 217 m (712 ft) 205.1/km2 (0.830/acre)
10 Murter Šibenik-Knin 4,895 18.60 km2 (4,600 acres) 125 m (410 ft) 263.2/km2 (1.065/acre)
11 Vis Split-Dalmatia 3,445 90.26 km2 (22,300 acres) 587 m (1,926 ft) 38.2/km2 (0.155/acre)
12 Cres Primorje-Gorski Kotar 3,079 405.78 km2 (100,270 acres) 639 m (2,096 ft) 7.6/km2 (0.031/acre)
13 Vir Zadar 3,000 22.38 km2 (5,530 acres) 112 m (367 ft) 134.0/km2 (0.542/acre)
14 Pašman Zadar 2,845 63.34 km2 (15,650 acres) 272 m (892 ft) 44.9/km2 (0.182/acre)
15 Šolta Split-Dalmatia 1,700 58.98 km2 (14,570 acres) 236 m (774 ft) 28.8/km2 (0.117/acre)
16 Dugi Otok Zadar 1,655 114.44 km2 (28,280 acres) 337 m (1,106 ft) 14.5/km2 (0.059/acre)
17 Mljet Dubrovnik-Neretva 1,088 100.41 km2 (24,810 acres) 513 m (1,683 ft) 10.8/km2 (0.044/acre)
18 Lastovo Dubrovnik-Neretva 792 46.87 km2 (11,580 acres) 415 m (1,362 ft) 16.9/km2 (0.068/acre)
19 Iž Zadar 615 17.59 km2 (4,350 acres) 168 m (551 ft) 35.0/km2 (0.142/acre)
20 Šipan Dubrovnik-Neretva 419 15.81 km2 (3,910 acres) 224 m (735 ft) 26.5/km2 (0.107/acre)
21 Prvić Šibenik-Knin 403 2.37 km2 (590 acres) 75 m (246 ft) 170.0/km2 (0.688/acre)
22 Silba Zadar 292 14.98 km2 (3,700 acres) 83 m (272 ft) 19.5/km2 (0.079/acre)
23 Zlarin Šibenik-Knin 284 8.19 km2 (2,020 acres) 169 m (554 ft) 34.7/km2 (0.140/acre)
24 Vrgada Zadar 249 3.7 km2 (910 acres)[9] 115 m (377 ft)[9] 67.3/km2 (0.272/acre)
25 Lopud Dubrovnik-Neretva 249 4.63 km2 (1,140 acres)[10] 216 m (709 ft)[10] 53.8/km2 (0.218/acre)
26 Molat Zadar 197 22.82 km2 (5,640 acres) 148 m (486 ft) 8.6/km2 (0.035/acre)
27 Kaprije Šibenik-Knin 189 6.97 km2 (1,720 acres) 132 m (433 ft) 27.1/km2 (0.110/acre)
28 Ist Zadar 182 9.7 km2 (2,400 acres)[11] 174 m (571 ft)[11] 18.8/km2 (0.076/acre)
29 Krapanj Šibenik-Knin 170 0.36 km2 (89 acres)[12] 1.5 m (4.9 ft)[12] 472.2/km2 (1.911/acre)
30 Koločep Dubrovnik-Neretva 163 2.4 km2 (590 acres)[13] 125 m (410 ft)[13] 67.9/km2 (0.275/acre)
31 Susak Primorje-Gorski Kotar 151 3.8 km2 (940 acres)[14] 98 m (322 ft)[14] 39.7/km2 (0.161/acre)
32 Drvenik Veli Split-Dalmatia 150 12.07 km2 (2,980 acres) 178 m (584 ft) 10.8/km2 (0.044/acre)
33 Olib Zadar 140 26.09 km2 (6,450 acres) 74 m (243 ft) 5.4/km2 (0.022/acre)
34 Rava Zadar 117 3.6 km2 (890 acres)[15] 98 m (322 ft)[15] 32.5/km2 (0.132/acre)
35 Žirje Šibenik-Knin 103 15.06 km2 (3,720 acres) 134 m (440 ft) 6.8/km2 (0.028/acre)
36 Unije Primorje-Gorski Kotar 88 16.92 km2 (4,180 acres) 132 m (433 ft) 5.2/km2 (0.021/acre)
37 Drvenik Mali Split-Dalmatia 87 3.3 km2 (820 acres)[16] 79 m (259 ft)[16] 26.4/km2 (0.107/acre)
38 Ilovik Primorje-Gorski Kotar 85 5.2 km2 (1,300 acres)[17] 92 m (302 ft)[17] 16.3/km2 (0.066/acre)
39 Premuda Zadar 64 9.25 km2 (2,290 acres) 88 m (289 ft) 6.9/km2 (0.028/acre)
40 Sestrunj Zadar 48 15.03 km2 (3,710 acres) 185 m (607 ft) 3.2/km2 (0.013/acre)
41 Zverinac Zadar 43 4.2 km2 (1,000 acres)[18] 111 m (364 ft)[18] 10.2/km2 (0.041/acre)
42 Rivanj Zadar 31 4.4 km2 (1,100 acres)[19] 112 m (367 ft)[19] 7.0/km2 (0.028/acre)
43 Ošljak Zadar 29 0.3 km2 (74 acres)[20] 90 m (300 ft)[20] 96.7/km2 (0.391/acre)
44 Kornat Šibenik-Knin 19 32.30 km2 (7,980 acres) 237 m (778 ft) 0.6/km2 (0.0024/acre)
45 Biševo Split-Dalmatia 15 5.8 km2 (1,400 acres)[21] 239 m (784 ft)[21] 2.6/km2 (0.011/acre)
46 Vele Srakane Primorje-Gorski Kotar 3 1.15 km2 (280 acres)[22] 59 m (194 ft)[22] 2.6/km2 (0.011/acre)
47 Male Srakane Primorje-Gorski Kotar 2 0.61 km2 (150 acres)[23] 40 m (130 ft)[24] 3.3/km2 (0.013/acre)

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The numbers in the first column of the table indicate each island's rank according to total population.

References

  1. ^ a b c Croatian Bureau of Statistics (2009). "Geographical and meteorological data" (PDF). Statistical Yearbook for 2009. Croatian Bureau of Statistics. p. 44. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-01-03. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  2. ^ Faričić, Josip (23 February 2006). "Hrvatski pseudo-otoci". geografija.hr (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  3. ^ a b c d Ostroški, Ljiljana, ed. (December 2015). Statistički ljetopis Republike Hrvatske 2015 [Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Croatia 2015] (PDF). Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Croatia (in Croatian and English). Vol. 47. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. p. 47. ISSN 1333-3305. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Ministry of Development and Reconstruction (February 1997). "National island development programme" (PDF). Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-08-07. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  5. ^ Treglav, Bojan (1 September 2006). "Za otoke milijardu kuna godišnje!" (PDF). Vjesnik (in Croatian). pp. 2–3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2009. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
  6. ^ "Povijest Hvara". hvar.hr (in Croatian). City of Hvar. Archived from the original on 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  7. ^ Hazel, John (2000). Who's who in the Greek world. Routledge. p. 86. ISBN 0-415-12497-2.
  8. ^ "The Islands Act (Refined Text)" (PDF). Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure. 8 March 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
  9. ^ a b "Vrgada" (in Croatian). peljar.cvs.hr. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
  10. ^ a b "Otok Lopud, Dubrovnik" (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
  11. ^ a b "Ist" (in Croatian). peljar.cvs.hr. Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
  12. ^ a b "The Brodarica - Krapanj Tourist Board". Archived from the original on 2006-09-08. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
  13. ^ a b "Koločep" (in Croatian). peljar.cvs.hr. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
  14. ^ a b "Susak" (in Croatian). peljar.cvs.hr. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
  15. ^ a b "Rava" (in Croatian). peljar.cvs.hr. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
  16. ^ a b "Drvenik Mali" (in Croatian). peljar.cvs.hr. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
  17. ^ a b "Ilovik" (in Croatian). peljar.cvs.hr. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
  18. ^ a b "Zverinac" (in Croatian). peljar.cvs.hr. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
  19. ^ a b "Rivanj" (in Croatian). peljar.cvs.hr. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
  20. ^ a b "Ošljak" (in Croatian). peljar.cvs.hr. Archived from the original on 2012-03-30. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  21. ^ a b "Biševo" (in Croatian). peljar.cvs.hr. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
  22. ^ a b "Vele Srakane" (in Croatian). peljar.cvs.hr. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
  23. ^ Duplančić Leder, Tea; Ujević, Tin; Čala, Mendi (June 2004). "Coastline lengths and areas of islands in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea determined from the topographic maps at the scale of 1 : 25 000" (PDF). Geoadria. Zadar. 9 (1): 5–32. doi:10.15291/geoadria.127. Archived from the original on 2020-03-10. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  24. ^ "Cave Srakane". DCS Lošinj. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2010-02-10.

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