Elaphiti Islands
Encyclopedia
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
consisting of several islands stretching northwest of Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
, in the Adriatic sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
. The Elaphites have a total land area of around 30 square kilometers and a population of 850 inhabitants. The islands are covered with characteristic Mediterranean evergreen vegetation and attract large numbers of tourists during the summer tourist season due to their beaches and pristine scenery.
The name comes from the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
word for deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
(Doric
Doric Greek
Doric or Dorian was a dialect of ancient Greek. Its variants were spoken in the southern and eastern Peloponnese, Crete, Rhodes, some islands in the southern Aegean Sea, some cities on the coasts of Asia Minor, Southern Italy, Sicily, Epirus and Macedon. Together with Northwest Greek, it forms the...
: ἔλαφος; elaphos), which used to inhabit the islands in large numbers. Roman author Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
was the first to mention the islands by the name Elaphiti Islands ( or Deer Archipelago) in his work Naturalis Historia
Naturalis Historia
The Natural History is an encyclopedia published circa AD 77–79 by Pliny the Elder. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the Roman Empire to the modern day and purports to cover the entire field of ancient knowledge, based on the best authorities available to Pliny...
, published in the 1st century.
Main islands
Only the three main islands are permanently inhabited, each of which supports a modest tourist industry. They are connected with the mainland via daily ferry lines operated out of Dubrovnik.- ŠipanŠipanŠipan also Sipano is the largest of the Elaphiti Islands, 17 km northwest of Dubrovnik, Croatia; separated from the mainland coast by the Kolocepski Channel; area 16.22 km²; population 500 . It is the largest island in this group and its highest point is 243 m...
– The the farthest and largest island in terms of area (15.8 km2) and population of 436 inhabitants. It also has two settlements, Šipanska Luka and Suđurađ, both served by JadrolinijaJadrolinijaJadrolinija is a Croatian sea shipping company. It is a state-owned company and its main mission is connecting Croatian islands to the mainland by operating regular passenger and cargo transport services...
ferry lines.
- KoločepKolocepThe island of Koločep is one of the three inhabited Elaphiti Islands situated near the city of Dubrovnik. Koločep is the southernmost inhabited island in Croatia and is locally known as Kalamota.-Location and access:...
– It is the closest island to Dubrovnik, located 5 km from the Dubrovnik harbour at GružGružGruž is modern day neighborhood in the greater city of Dubrovnik, Croatia. The main port for Dubrovnik is in Gruž as well as its largest market and the main bus station "Libertas". Around 15,000 people currently live in Gruž...
. It used to be an important shipbuilding site in the Republic of RagusaRepublic of RagusaThe Republic of Ragusa or Republic of Dubrovnik was a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia , that existed from 1358 to 1808...
period. It is one of the most indented and the southernmost permanently inhabited Croatian island with a population of 294 inhabitants. It has seven pre-Romanesque churches dating back to the times of the Croatian kings, from the 9th to the 11th century.
- LopudLopudLopud is a small island off the coast of Dalmatia, southern Croatia. Lopud is one of the Elaphiti Islands, and can be reached by boat from Dubrovnik, Orasac and Zaton. The island is famous for its sandy beaches, in particular the bay of Šunj....
– Second in size and best known for its sandy beaches, it is located between Šipan and Koločep islands. It's well developed in terms of tourism infrastructure, including the Lafodia hotel in the town of Lopud.
Other notable islands
- CrkvinaCrkvina (island)Crkvina is an uninhabited islet in Croatia, part of the Elaphiti Islands archipelago off the coast of southern Dalmatia, near Dubrovnik. Its coastline is 1.5 km long....
- Uninhabited islet. - DaksaDaksa (Dubrovnik)Daksa is a small uninhabited island in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea. It is situated near Dubrovnik in front of Rijeka dubrovačka. The area of the island is about 0.07 km2, the highest point is 24 m above sea level....
– Uninhabited islet. It used to be home to a 13th century FranciscanFranciscanMost Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monastey of Saint SabinaSaint SabinaSaint Sabina, matron and martyr from Rome. The widow of Senator Valentinus and daughter of Herod Metallarius. After her female slave Saint Serapia was denounced as a witch and beheaded, Sabina rescued her slave's remains and had them interred in the family mausoleum where she also expected to be...
, which was abandoned at the time of Napoleon's conquest in the ealy 19th century. Later, it became infamous as the site of the Daksa massacre, in which the partisans had executed 48 prominent citizens of Dubrovnik in October 1944. - GolečGolečGoleč is an uninhabited islet in Croatia, part of the Elaphiti Islands archipelago off the coast of southern Dalmatia, near Dubrovnik. The total area of the island is 0.1 km²....
- Uninhabited islet. - JakljanJakljanJakljan is an uninhabited islet in Croatia, part of the Elaphiti Islands archipelago off the coast of southern Dalmatia. It is located northwest of Dubrovnik and west of the island of Šipan. Its area is 3.07 km2 and its coastline is 14.648 km long....
– It has children’s rest and a recreation center. - KosmečKosmečKosmeč is an uninhabited islet in Croatia, part of the Elaphiti Islands archipelago off the coast of southern Dalmatia, near Dubrovnik. Its area is 0.024 km² and its coastline is 0.57 km long....
- Uninhabited islet. - MišnjakMišnjak (Šipan)Mišnjak is an uninhabited islet in Croatia, part of the Elaphiti Islands archipelago off the coast of southern Dalmatia, near Dubrovnik. Its area is and its coastline is long....
- Uninhabited islet. - OlipaOlipaOlipa is an uninhabited islet in Croatia, part of the Elaphiti Islands archipelago off the coast of southern Dalmatia. It is the westernmost isle in the Elaphites. Olipa is mostly rocky and partially covered in forest. A stone square tower is located on the south side of the isle, which serves as a...
– The westernmost of the Elaphiti islands. It has a lighthouse located on its southern part. - RudaRuda (island)Ruda is an uninhabited islet in Croatia, part of the Elaphiti Islands archipelago off the coast of southern Dalmatia, near Dubrovnik. It is located between the islands of Lopud and Šipan. Its area is 0.296 km² and its coastline is 2.37 km long. The highest point on Ruda is 81 m high....
- Uninhabited islet. - Sveti AndrijaSveti Andrija (Dubrovnik)Sveti Andrija is an island in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea. It is part of Elaphiti Islands archipelago, Dalmatia and is situated from Dubrovnik, from Koločep, from Lopud and from Šipan. Sveti Andrija is 475 meters long, and its maximal width is 1300 m, length of shore is...
– Uninhabited rocky island with a rich fauna, has the status of a bird reserveBird ReserveA bird reserve is a wildlife refuge designed to protect bird species. Like other wildlife refuges, the main goal of a reserve is to prevent species from becoming endangered or extinct. Typically, bird species in a reserve are protected from hunting and habitat destruction...
. The island has a lighthouseLighthouseA lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
, which the Austro-Hungarian government had built in 1873. - TajanTajan (Jakljan)Tajan is an uninhabited islet in Croatia, part of the Elaphiti Islands archipelago off the coast of southern Dalmatia, near Dubrovnik. It is located near the island of Jakljan. Its area is 0.111 km2 and its coastline is 1.41 km long....
- Uninhabited islet.