Dugi Otok
LocationAdriatic Sea
Coordinates44°01′N 15°01′E
Area114.44 km²
Elevation337 m
CountryCroatia
CountyZadar
Country largest citySali
Country largest city population740[1]
Population1,655
Population as of2011
Density14.46 km²

Dugi Otok (dûɡiː ǒtok; Croatian for "Long Island"; Italian and Venetian: Isola Lunga) is part of Croatia and the seventh largest island in the Adriatic Sea. It is located off the Dalmatian coast, west of Zadar. It is the largest and westernmost of the Zadarian Islands, and derives its name from its distinctive shape: it is 44.5 km (27.7 miles) long by 4.8 km (3.0 miles) wide,[2] with an area of 114 square kilometres (44 sq mi).[3] Its elevation reaches 300 m; and many of its higher portions contain stands of Maritime Pine.

The western coast is tall and rugged, and many of the towns are clustered on the eastern side, including Sali, the largest, Zaglav, Žman, Luka, Savar, Brbinj, Dragove, Božava, Soline, Verunić (Verona) and Veli Rat.[4] A nature park, Telašćica, covers the southern part of the island and is adjacent to Kornati Islands National Park. There are six islets and rocks in the Telašćica Bay: Korotan, Galijola, Gozdenjak, Farfarikulac, Gornji Školj and Donji Školj.

Population

Population Movement History

Changes in population on Dugi Otok from 1608 until 1840, by place[5]
Place1608175918181840
Božava83122186139
Brbinj129256284210
Dragove71186195211
Luka212182173159
Sali455437490506
Savar124135195161
Soline0117150149
Veli Rat105161171189
Zaglav4698101-
Žman338284212180
TOTAL1563197821462023
Changes in population on Dugi Otok from 1857 to 1948, by place[6]
place185718691880189019001910192119311948
Božava180-19523927726133524826044.4
Brbinj20223323023830933332832732862.4
Dragove21950022128535232339233338173.8
Luka162181212257365384406350375131.5
Sali449644586713830880111710971230173.9
Savar15116717817720224228429828689.4
Soline225-24929730432932932938470.7
Veli Rat263533230320315337452300286-
Zaglav112-142177222222286254408264.3
Žman210276308412493499653572633201.4
TOTAL217325342628316437303858458242114670114.9
Base Index100.0116.6120.9145.6171.6177.5210.9193.8214.9-

History

The island has been inhabited since prehistoric times, as evidenced by many archeological sites that have still not been fully investigated. The earliest findings date back to Paleolithic, and numerous hillforts and grave sites are evidence of continuous settlement throughout Eneolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age.[7]

The Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII in the 10th century mentioned it under the name of Pizuh in his work "De administrando imperio",[4] and later it was called Insula Tilagus in documents ("pelagos" in Greek means sea), and its Latin name was Insula maior. In the 15th century it was registered as Veli otok.

The old and main settlement on the island was located in the southern area. It has only been inhabited significantly since the Turkish invasions (15th–16th centuries). Until then the island belonged to Zadar monasteries and citizens.[8] Nowadays there are a total of 11 settlements on the island, and they are all on the north-eastern side of the island concerned primarily with fishing, although salt was once produced there.

The village of Veli Rat is also home to the Veli Rat lighthouse, another spectacular sight. The beautiful island of Dugi Otok, with a Mediterranean climate and ancient Croatian culture, receives very few visitors. Olive oil, figs, cheese and wine accompany the seafood in the natives' diet. A definite step back in time, the island boasts an ancient church and some Roman ruins. It is in close proximity to Kornati.

Description

More than 1500 hectares are covered with vineyards, orchards and arable land, about 752 hectares are pasture land and about 300 hectares undergrowth which in some places is used as a forest land. The vegetation is more pronounced in the northern and central areas of the island. The south-eastern part belong to the Kornati.

The road from Telašćica to Veli Rat, along the length of the island, connects all the settlements.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^
  2. ^ Džaja 2003, p. 13.
  3. ^ 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. 9 (1): 5–32. doi:10.15291/geoadria.127. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
  4. ^ "Popis mjesta Dugog Otoka". dugiotok.hr
  5. ^ Čuka 2006, p. 68.
  6. ^ Čuka 2006, p. 69.
  7. ^ Čuka 2006, p. 67.
  8. ^ Naklada Naprijed, The Croatian Adriatic Tourist Guide, pg. 190, Zagreb (1999), ISBN 953-178-097-8
  9. ^ Prostorni plan Zadarske županije 2006, p. 43.

Sources

Further reading

Name

Alpinism

  • Poljak, Željko (February 1959). "Dugi otok". Kazalo za "Hrvatski planinar" i "Naše planine" 1898—1958 (in Croatian). Vol. XI, no. 1–2. Naše planine. p. 19. ISSN 0354-0650

Nature

Botany

Zoology

Geology