about split-dalmatia country

Split - Dalmatia Country is located in the central part of the historical Croatian region of Dalmatia. With land surface area of 4 524 square kilometres (8 % Croatian surface area), it is the second largest among the Croatian counties. The county also encompasses 9473 square kilometres sea surface.

Physically, county is divided into three main parts: elevated hinterland (Dalmatinska zagora) with numerous karst fields; narrow coastal strip with high population density; and the islands.
Zagora is the region separated from the coastal zone by the limestone sequence of Kozjak - Mosor - Biokovo. Its karst region is less developed, and the traditional agriculture kept for long the leading place in its economic structure. Although there are certain potentials for tourism, they have not been sufficiently used so far.
Dalmatia Croatia The coastal part of the Split-Dalmatia County may be divided to several smaller units: Kastela littoral, Split littoral, Poljica and Omis littoral and Makarska littoral (riviera) - with the most developed tourism in the county. One of the major factors of different tourism value of these parts is the usability of the coast determined by the number and quality of beaches.
Kastela littoral is located along the Kastela Bay between Trogir and Split, at some 20 km length. For early urbanization and later primarily industrial function, its tourist value was of secondary importance.
Split littoral is known in terms of tourism and recreation for its beaches ranging from Bacvice and Trstenik to Duilovo and Strozanac.
Poljica and Omis littoral encompasses a narrow coastal area between the mouth of Zrnovnica and Vrulje cove, to the south of Omis. Along the coast, there are shallow coves with gravel heaps (beaches) and promontories formed on sites of more resistant limestone.
Makarska littoral owes its most developed tourism in the county primarily to the attractive white gravel beaches.
The islands are: Brac, Hvar, Vis, Solta, Ciovo, and a great number of small islands and islets: Drvenik Veli, Drvenik Mali, Scedro, Svetac, Jabuka, Bisevo, and Palagruza (the archipelago that is also the southernmost point of Croatia). All these islands have steeper southern (pelagic) coasts, while their northern coasts are gradually descending towards the sea. Vidova gora (780 m) on Brac is the highest peak on Croatian islands. The attractive gravel beach Zlatni rat in Bol on Brac is the most famous Croatian beach.

Climate is mostly Mediterranean (coast and islands), and Sub-Mediterranean. Harsh mountainous climate is characteristic of Zagora and high mountainous regions. Mediterranean climate provides sea swimming opportunities for 5-6 months a year. Summer is dry and warm (average summer temperature in Split amounts to as high as 26 şC), and winter is mild with relatively large quantity of precipitations. In hinterland, daily and annual temperature differences are higher. A curiosity is that the town of Hvar with its 2697 sunny hours a year is the sunniest town in Croatia.

Historical and cultural heritage

Split Dalmatia Croatia Works in stone, marble and wood created in central Dalmatia from the antiquity to the present day never remained only inside the churches and museums of the region, but are to this day found on the houses, facades and in the historical cores of the cities, mostly built in the Romanesque and Gothic styles - true masterpieces of urban culture. Nowhere you can find, like in central Dalmatia, in a 30 km radius two cities under UNESCO protection: Diocletian's Palace in Split and the historical core of the city of Trogir.
Spectacular works of art in stone have been left to posterity, like the portal of the Trogir cathedral, sculpted by the hand of Master Radovan in the year 1240. Bonino of Milan, Juraj Dalmatinac, Andrija Alesi and Nikola Firentinac all left their greatest works in stone here. The walnut-wood doorframe of the Split cathedral made by master Andrija Buvina in 1214 are a part of the history of European Romanesque wood sculpting.
The Split cathedral itself is the oldest building housing a Catholic cathedral in the world, as one part of it emerged from the Mausoleum built by Emperor Diocletian.
The wealth of tradition in the arts in this region has spawned a great names, like Emanuel Vidovic, Croatia's best known painter at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Ivan Mestrovic who hailed from Otavica near Drnis, whose works grace museums and galleries around the world. In Split itself, besides a series of works at the Mestrovic Gallery, there is his celebrated bronze monument to Bishop Grgur of Nin located at the north portal to Diocletian's palace. Legend has it that wishes are fulfilled if one touches the big toe of his foot.
Within the former Imperial Palace, Split also has the smallest street in the world, called "Let Me Pass" because only one person can move along it at a time.
City of Trogir, founded in the 3rd century and practically a museum in its entirety. Its present day appearance, that of a well-proportioned stone town with a rich history, preserves, in the thousand year old monastery of St. Nicholas, a 4th century BC relief sculpture of the god Kairos, the god of the happy moment, along with an entire series of some the most valuable works in art history and stone architecture.
Salona Dalmatia Croatia Five kilometres from Split is Salona, the largest site of antiquity-era monuments in Croatia that was back in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD a real cosmopolitan Dalmatian metropolis with 62 thousand inhabitants.
Klis fortress, built on a cliff it was from here that the "Uskoci" defended the pass from the Turkish advance - the Turkish army never passed the Klis fortress and legend says that this was thanks to the assistance of the miraculous Virgin Mary of Sinj whose shrine is located nearby.
Brac, largest island in the Split archipelago, is home to the most celebrated tradition of white stone cutting, to this day "harvested" from the local quarries. The White House in Washington, the Parliament and New Palace in Vienna, the Parliament in Budapest, Diocletian's palace, the Trogir and Sibenik cathedrals were all built from this beautiful white stone.

Natural heritage

Central Dalmatia is characterised by the longest natural mainland pebble beaches, overhung by a natural shield from the sun - Dalmatian pines that create shade, especially characteristic of the Makarska Riviera and in particular of Brela, an area held by many to be the home of the most beautiful natural beaches on the Adriatic, opening to a crystal clean sea.
Bol on the island of Brac is where you can find the well-known Zlatni rat (Golden Cape) beach whose shape changes depending on the direction of the wind and waves.
Massif of Biokovo Nature Park, of which it is said that "its feet are in the sea, and its forehead in lightning", offers a clear view on sunny days to the most distant islands on the open sea. Biokovo is a habitat to many endemic plant and animal species with Chamois to this day roaming its sparse pastures. Biokovo is also known for the phenomenon of its spectacular sunrises at summer dawns.
Blue Grotto Bisevo island Croatia One of the most attractive natural phenomenon on the Adriatic is the Modra Spilja (Blue Grotto) on the small island of Bisevo near the larger neighbouring island of Vis. The grotto, only 17 metres wide and 31 long, is entered by boat through a small entrance among the rocks opening to the sea. Sunlight penetrates the grotto's interior through a submarine opening, illuminating the sea and visitors in silver-blue tones.
Red Lake Dalmatia Croatia The finest examples of specific hydrography and morphology of the Dalmatian karst are Crveno jezero (Red Lake) and Modro jezero (Blue Lake) which are situated near the town of Imotski. Both lakes are characterized by a specific shape, dimensions and colours, and by their origin they belong to the so-called caved lakes, which means that they were formed by ceilings of large caves caving in.

According to its administrative and territorial structure, the county has 16 towns and 39 municipalities.
Towns: Split, Hvar, Imotski, Kastela, Komiza, Makarska, Omis, Sinj, Solin, Stari Grad, Supetar, Trilj, Trogir, Vis, Vrgorac and Vrlika.
Municipalities: Baska Voda, Bol, Brela, Cista Provo, Dicmo, Dugi Rat, Dugopolje, Gradac, Hrvace, Jelsa, Klis, Lecevica, Lokvicici, Lovrec, Marina, Milna, Muc, Nerezisca, Okrug, Otok, Podbablje, Podgora, Podstrana, Postira, Prolozac, Prgomet, Primorski Dolac, Pucisca, Runovici, Seget, Selca, Sucuraj, Sutivan, Sestanovac, Solta, Tucepi, Zadvarje, Zagvozd and Zmijavci.

Economical and administrative center is Split, second largest city in Croatia (approx. 220,000 inhabitants).

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