Croatian Littoral () is a historical name for the region of Croatia comprising mostly the coastal areas between traditional Dalmatia to the south, Mountainous Croatia to the north, Istria and the Kvarner Gulf of the Adriatic Sea to the west. The term "Croatian Littoral" developed in the 18th and 19th centuries, reflecting the complex development of Croatia in historical and geographical terms.
The region saw frequent changes to its ruling powers since classical antiquity, including the Roman Empire, the Ostrogoths, the Lombards, the Byzantine Empire, the Frankish Empire, and the Croats, some of whose major historical heritage originates from the area—most notably the Baška tablet. The region and adjacent territories became a point of contention between major European powers, including the Republic of Venice, the Kingdom of Hungary, and the Habsburg and Ottoman Empires, as well as Austria, the First French Empire, the Kingdom of Italy, and Yugoslavia.
Geography
Croatian Littoral is a geographical region of Croatia comprising the area between Dalmatia to the south, Mountainous Croatia to the north and east, and Istria and the Kvarner Gulf of the Adriatic Sea to the west. The region encompasses a large part of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and the coastal part of Lika-Senj County. The island of Pag is sometimes included in the region, although it is normally considered to be part of Dalmatia. The islands of Cres, Lošinj, Krk, and Rab, as well as further comparatively small nearby islands, are also considered part of the region, contributing to an alternate name for the region—Kvarner Littoral or Kvarner. Various definitions exist as to the extent of "Croatian Littoral" and "Kvarner Littoral" as geographical terms. Specifically, Kvarner Littoral is variously considered to extend east to Senj, or even further east. On the other hand, Kvarner is normally considered to include Istria east of Učka mountain, making Kvarner synonymous with the coastal areas and islands of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County.
Croatian Littoral covers , has a population of 228,725, and the region as a whole has a population density of . The islands, encompassing , are home to 39,450 residents. More than half the region's population lives in the city of Rijeka—by far the largest urban centre in the area. All other settlements in the region are relatively small, with only four of them exceeding a population of 4,000: Crikvenica, Mali Lošinj (the largest island settlement), Senj, and Kostrena.
Cities and municipalities of the Croatian Littoral County City or municipality Area (km2) PopulationLika-Senj Karlobag 287787 Senj 6635,978Primorje-Gorski Kotar Bakar 637,581 Baška 1011,673 Cres 2922,738 Crikvenica 5810,004 Čavle 857,081 Dobrinj 552,153 Jelenje 1095,077 Kastav 1110,265 Klana 941,856 Kraljevica 184,073 Krk 1116,846 Kostrena 124,438 Lopar 261,097 Mali Lošinj 2237,565 Malinska-Dubašnica 393,235 Novi Vinodolski 2624,345 Omišalj 393,020 Punat 821,908 Rab 1027,168 Rijeka 44108,622 Vinodol 1523,242 Viškovo 1916,015 Vrbnik 501,184TOTAL: 2,997 227,951Sources: Croatian Bureau of Statistics, United Nations Development Programme, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County
The most populous urban areas in Croatian LittoralRijekaRankCityCountyUrban populationMunicipal populationCrikvenica 1 Rijeka Primorje-Gorski Kotar108,622108,622 2 Crikvenica Primorje-Gorski Kotar6,21810,004 3 Mali Lošinj Primorje-Gorski Kotar5,5777,565 5 Kostrena Primorje-Gorski Kotar4,4384,438 4 Senj Lika-Senj4,1455,978Sources: Croatian Bureau of Statistics, 2011 Census
Topography and geology
The foothills of mountains that form the northeast boundary of the region, as well as islands in the Kvarner Gulf, are part of the Dinaric Alps, linked to a fold and thrust belt continuously developing from the Late Jurassic to recent times. The thrust belt is a part of the Alpine orogeny and extends southeast from the southern Alps. Geomorphologically the region was formed as the Adriatic Plate is subducted under structural units comprising the Dinaric Alps. The process formed several seismic faults, with most significant among them being the Ilirska Bistrica – Rijeka – Senj fault, which was the source of several significant earthquakes in past centuries. The Dinaric Alps in Croatia encompass the regions of Gorski Kotar and Lika in the immediate hinterland of the Croatian Littoral, as well as considerable parts of Dalmatia. Their northeastern edge runs from Žumberak to the Banovina region, along the Sava River, and their westernmost landforms are the Ćićarija and the Učka mountains in Istria to the west of the Croatian Littoral region.
Karst topography makes up about half of Croatia and is especially prominent in the Dinaric Alps and the Croatian Littoral. Though most of the soil in the region developed from carbonate rock, flysch is significantly represented on the Kvarner Gulf coast opposite Krk. The karst topography developed from the Adriatic Carbonate Platform, where karstification largely began after the final raising of the Dinarides in the Oligocene and Miocene epochs, when carbonate rock was exposed to atmospheric effects such as rain; this extended to below the present sea level, exposed during the Last Glacial Maximum's sea level drop. It is surmised that some karst formations are related to earlier drops of sea level, most notably the Messinian salinity crisis.
Cres – Lošinj and Krk – Rab island chains divide the Kvarner Gulf into four distinct areas: Rijeka Bay, Kvarner (sensu stricto), Kvarnerić, and Vinodol Channel. The Cres – Lošinj group also includes the inhabited islands of Ilovik, Susak, Unije, Vele Srakane, and Male Srakane, as well as a larger number of small, uninhabited islands. The Zadar Archipelago extends to the southeast of the island group. The Krk – Rab island group includes only uninhabited islands in addition to Krk and Rab, the largest among them Plavnik, Sveti Grgur, Prvić, and Goli Otok. The Krk – Rab island group is usually thought to represent a single archipelago with the island of Pag (southeast of Rab) and islets surrounding Pag.
Data on the populated islands of Croatian Littoral as of 31 March 2001IslandPopulationAreaHighest pointPopulationdensityCoordinates Krk Rab Lošinj Cres Susak Ilovik Unije Vele Srakane Male Srakane Note: All the islands are located in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County.
Hydrology and climate
The availability of water varies significantly throughout the region. The area between Rijeka and Vinodol contains numerous freshwater springs that are largely tapped for water supply systems. Water significantly contributed to the geomorphology of the area, especially in the Bay of Bakar, a ria located between Rijeka and Kraljevica. At the seaward slopes of Velebit, in areas near Senj and Karlobag, surface watercourses are sparse. They form losing streams flowing to the sea, while springs of lower yield dry up during summer. The most significant watercourse in the region is the long Rječina River, flowing into the Adriatic Sea in the city of Rijeka. The islands of Cres, Krk, and Lošinj have significant surface water that is used as the primary water supply source on those islands. The most significant among them is Lake Vrana on the island of Cres, containing of water. The surface of the freshwater lake is at above sea level, while its maximum depth is . The Gulf of Kvarner is an especially significant area for the preservation of biodiversity.
The Kvarner Gulf islands and the immediate mainland coastal areas enjoy a moderately warm and rainy hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Cfa), although the southern part of the Lošinj Island enjoys hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa) as defined by the Köppen climate classification. Areas of the Croatian Littoral further away from the coast enjoy a moderately warm and rainy oceanic climate (Cfb), similar to the continental climate of most inland regions of Croatia. The mean monthly temperature varies throughout the region. On the mainland coast it ranges between (in January) and (in July). On the Kvarner Gulf islands the mean monthly temperature is somewhat higher; it ranges from (in January) to (in July), while at higher elevations, in the mountains found along the northern and eastern peripheral areas of the region, temperatures range between (in January) and (in July). The lowest air temperature recorded in the region, , was measured in Senj, on 10 February 1956. The islands of Lošinj, Cres, Krk, and Rab receive the most sunshine during the year—with 217 clear days per year on average. Seawater temperatures reach up to in summer, while dipping to in spring and autumn and as low as in winter. The predominant winter winds are the bora and jugo. The bora is significantly conditioned by wind gaps in the Dinaric Alps bringing cold and dry continental air—the point where it reaches its peak speed is at Senj, with gusts of up to . The jugo brings humid and warm air, often carrying Saharan sand that causes rain dust.
Climate characteristics in major cities in Croatian LittoralCityMean temperature (daily high)Mean total rainfall January July January July °C °F °C °F mm in days mm in days Rijeka 11.0 9.1Source:World Meteorological Organization
Secondary definition In modern times, the term Croatian Littoral is also applied to entire Adriatic coast of the Republic of Croatia in general terms, which is then divided into the Southern Croatian Littoral () comprising Dalmatia, and the Northern Croatian Littoral () comprising Istria and Croatian Littoral in the strict meaning of the term.
History
Middle Ages
In the Early Middle Ages, after the decline of the Roman Empire, the Adriatic coasts of the region were ruled by Ostrogoths, Lombards, and the Byzantine Empire. The Carolingian Empire arose in the last part of the period and subsequently the Frankish Kingdom of Italy took control of the Adriatic Sea's western coast extending to the Kvarner Gulf, while Byzantine control of the opposite coast gradually shrunk following the Avar and Croatian invasions starting in the 7th century. The region was gradually incorporated into the medieval Kingdom of Croatia by the 11th century, when the kingdom reached its territorial peak, and the city of Senj became the most important centre of the region. Items of significance to Croatian historical heritage originated from the region in that period. The most notable among them is the Baška tablet, one of the oldest surviving inscriptions in Croatian.
The region continued to be contested throughout the High Middle Ages as the Republic of Venice started to expand its influence and territory, gradually pushing back Croatia, which had been in a personal union of Croatia and Hungary since 1102. By 1420, Venice controlled Istria and Dalmatia, as well as all the Kvarner Gulf islands except Krk. The island became a part of the realm in 1481, but Venice never captured the region's mainland, which would have entirely linked Venetian possessions in the eastern Adriatic.
Habsburg era