Kornati
Encyclopedia
The Kornati archipelago
in Croatia
is located in the northern part of Dalmatia
, west from Šibenik
, in the Šibenik-Knin county
. With 35 km in length and 140 island
s, some large, some small, in a sea area of about 320 km², Kornati are the densest archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea
. From northwest to southeast (from the island of Balabra to Samograd), and from northeast to southwest (from Gangarol to Mana) they strech for 13 km. The name of the archipelago is the plural form of the name of the largest island, Kornat
.
and Dugi Otok
.
The islands known as Gornji Kornati include the northernmost island of Sit and the surrounding islets, divided by a channel from the Žut
and its surrounding islets to the south. Žut is the largest and most indented of these islands. None of these islands are covered by the National Park.
The area covered by the National Park mostly coincides with the Donji Kornati, which includes the island of Kornat and the surrounding islets, separated with a channel from the island of Piškera
and the surrounding islets.
The most important places on the Kornati islands, also known as the Stomorski islands, are: the shallow channel Mala Proversa, the oval-shaped Taljurič island, Špinuta Bay, Stivina Bay, the fourth largest island Levrnaka, the second largest karst rock-area Tarac, Svršata Vela island, Mana island, Piškera island, Panitula Vela island, the picturesque Lavsa Bay, the resort island Ravni Žakan, Smokvica Vela island, the Opat peninsula, Samograd island, the Purara reserve for marine life, Vrgada and Gangarol islands.
The names of the islands Babina Guzica and Kurba Vela, which in Croatian refer to buttocks
and prostitution
, offer an opportunity to explain the many vulgar names given to many places in the Kornati archipelago. When Austrian surveyors came to record the archipelago by the end of the 19th century, their local guides thought about making fun of them by making up vulgar names for the various locations.
In 1980, eighty-nine of the 140-odd islands, islets and reefs of the Kornati archipelago were declared a national park
.
Kornat, the biggest of the islands with a total area of 32,525,315 m², comprises two-thirds of the park's land area. Although the island is 25.2 km long, it is no wider than 2.5 km. The park is managed from the town of Murter, on the island of Murter
, and is connected to the mainland by a drawbridge.
which, in the distant geological past, arose from sediment from the sea. In the stone on the islands there are numerous fossils of crustaceans and fish. In the area there examples of all the typical forms of karst: bizarre shapes formed by the atmosphere, unexplored caves, areas of flat rock and, above all, cliffs. Karst rock is dry, and so therefore are the Kornati islands. Numerous cisterns supply water for people and animals.
Human presence on the Kornati islands appear to extend back to the Neolithic Age, and the remains of Illyrian settlements were found on the island of Kornat. Romans and early Christians inhabited the Kornat island
which has a small tower that was probably built in the 6th century AD. The island of Piškera was also inhabited during the Middle Ages
and served as a storage point for fish. Archeological sites in Stražišče and Tarac, and on Levrnaka and Lavsa provide evidence that during the Roman era life on Kornati was very active. There are many buildings and it is known that they were also stone quarries.
s, which are the most numerous, there are some lizards and ring-snakes, and 69 varieties of butterfly
, some amphibians and rodents. As regards marine life, the Kornati islands are typical of the Adriatic and the Mediterranean, but, due to the underwater relief, streams and special characteristics of the sea in this labyrinth, there are also some peculiarities: algae
, coral
and sponges. At one time the sea was the richest in the Adriatic for sponge hunters. The rare mollusc Pinna nobilis lives in the Kornati and is protected by law.
Not only the land but also the sea is within the protection of the National Park. Fishing is extremely limited in order to allow the regeneration of fish shoals that had been severely over-fished. According to tradition, the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus albiventur) once lived among these islands. The name of the southernmost point on Vela Kurka (Mendo) is connected with this almost extinct species.
, giving a fragrant spring, and during the years providing the best country for bees. Olive trees account for about 80% of the land under cultivation, followed by vineyards, figs, orchards and vegetable gardens. It is though that the Kornati islands were once covered with forests of Mediterranean holm oaks (Quercus ilex), but as open fires demanded a great deal of wood, the forests were slowly destroyed.
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...
in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
is located in the northern part of Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, west from Šibenik
Šibenik
Šibenik is a historic town in Croatia, with population of 51,553 . It is located in central Dalmatia where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea...
, in the Šibenik-Knin county
Šibenik-Knin County
Šibenik-Knin County is a county in Croatia, located in north-central Dalmatia. Its center is Šibenik; other notable towns are Knin, Drniš and Skradin....
. With 35 km in length and 140 island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s, some large, some small, in a sea area of about 320 km², Kornati are the densest archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. From northwest to southeast (from the island of Balabra to Samograd), and from northeast to southwest (from Gangarol to Mana) they strech for 13 km. The name of the archipelago is the plural form of the name of the largest island, Kornat
Kornat (island)
Kornat is an island in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea, in central Dalmatia. With an area of 32.44 km² it is the 16th largest island in Croatia and the largest island in the eponymous Kornati islands archipelago...
.
Settlement
There are no permanent settlements in Kornati. Simple houses in well-protected coves such as Vrulje, Kravjačica, Lavsa and others are used by land owners as temporary shelters. Most of the land owners are from the island of MurterMurter
Murter is name of the island in the Croatian part of the Adriatic sea, located in central Dalmatia at , as well as that of a small village on the north-western part of the island....
and Dugi Otok
Dugi Otok
Dugi otok is the seventh largest island in the Adriatic Sea, part of Croatia. It is located off the Dalmatian coast, west of Zadar. It is the largest and eastern-most of the Zadarian Islands, and derives its name from its distinctive shape...
.
Climate
The average monthly temperature for January is 7.3°C, in July it is 23.9°C, and the average sea temperature in winter is 14-15°C and in summer 22.8°C.Geography
Geographically speaking, the Kornati islands can be divided into two main groups - the Gornji Kornati or Upper Kornati, closer to the mainland, and the Donji Kornati or Lower Kornati, which are mostly facing the open sea in the southwest.The islands known as Gornji Kornati include the northernmost island of Sit and the surrounding islets, divided by a channel from the Žut
Žut
Žut is an uninhabited island in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea, in central Dalmatia. With an area of 14.83 km² it is the 28th largest island in Croatia and the second largest island in the Kornati islands archipelago, after Kornat...
and its surrounding islets to the south. Žut is the largest and most indented of these islands. None of these islands are covered by the National Park.
The area covered by the National Park mostly coincides with the Donji Kornati, which includes the island of Kornat and the surrounding islets, separated with a channel from the island of Piškera
Piškera
Piškera is a small uninhabited island in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the Kornati Islands in central Dalmatia and its area is 2.66 km². Its coastline is 10.64 km long....
and the surrounding islets.
National Park
The national park includes 109 islands, of which 76 are less than 1 hectare in size. Of the total land surface area of Kornati (62 km²), 85% is stony, and only 5% has been cultivated.The most important places on the Kornati islands, also known as the Stomorski islands, are: the shallow channel Mala Proversa, the oval-shaped Taljurič island, Špinuta Bay, Stivina Bay, the fourth largest island Levrnaka, the second largest karst rock-area Tarac, Svršata Vela island, Mana island, Piškera island, Panitula Vela island, the picturesque Lavsa Bay, the resort island Ravni Žakan, Smokvica Vela island, the Opat peninsula, Samograd island, the Purara reserve for marine life, Vrgada and Gangarol islands.
The names of the islands Babina Guzica and Kurba Vela, which in Croatian refer to buttocks
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
and prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, offer an opportunity to explain the many vulgar names given to many places in the Kornati archipelago. When Austrian surveyors came to record the archipelago by the end of the 19th century, their local guides thought about making fun of them by making up vulgar names for the various locations.
In 1980, eighty-nine of the 140-odd islands, islets and reefs of the Kornati archipelago were declared a national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
.
Kornat, the biggest of the islands with a total area of 32,525,315 m², comprises two-thirds of the park's land area. Although the island is 25.2 km long, it is no wider than 2.5 km. The park is managed from the town of Murter, on the island of Murter
Murter
Murter is name of the island in the Croatian part of the Adriatic sea, located in central Dalmatia at , as well as that of a small village on the north-western part of the island....
, and is connected to the mainland by a drawbridge.
Geology
Most of the terrain in the Kornati islands is karst-limestoneKARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
which, in the distant geological past, arose from sediment from the sea. In the stone on the islands there are numerous fossils of crustaceans and fish. In the area there examples of all the typical forms of karst: bizarre shapes formed by the atmosphere, unexplored caves, areas of flat rock and, above all, cliffs. Karst rock is dry, and so therefore are the Kornati islands. Numerous cisterns supply water for people and animals.
Human presence on the Kornati islands appear to extend back to the Neolithic Age, and the remains of Illyrian settlements were found on the island of Kornat. Romans and early Christians inhabited the Kornat island
Kornat (island)
Kornat is an island in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea, in central Dalmatia. With an area of 32.44 km² it is the 16th largest island in Croatia and the largest island in the eponymous Kornati islands archipelago...
which has a small tower that was probably built in the 6th century AD. The island of Piškera was also inhabited during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and served as a storage point for fish. Archeological sites in Stražišče and Tarac, and on Levrnaka and Lavsa provide evidence that during the Roman era life on Kornati was very active. There are many buildings and it is known that they were also stone quarries.
Fauna
The ichthyological fauna is also sparse, but interesting. Apart from sea-gullSea-Gull
The Tianjin Sea-Gull Watch Company is a Chinese company that manufactures watches. Originally founded in 1955, they are the largest watch industry group in China.- Further reading :...
s, which are the most numerous, there are some lizards and ring-snakes, and 69 varieties of butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
, some amphibians and rodents. As regards marine life, the Kornati islands are typical of the Adriatic and the Mediterranean, but, due to the underwater relief, streams and special characteristics of the sea in this labyrinth, there are also some peculiarities: algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
, coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
and sponges. At one time the sea was the richest in the Adriatic for sponge hunters. The rare mollusc Pinna nobilis lives in the Kornati and is protected by law.
Not only the land but also the sea is within the protection of the National Park. Fishing is extremely limited in order to allow the regeneration of fish shoals that had been severely over-fished. According to tradition, the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus albiventur) once lived among these islands. The name of the southernmost point on Vela Kurka (Mendo) is connected with this almost extinct species.
Flora
Vegetation on the islands is very sparse. There are 200 known varieties of Mediterranean plants, but they have degenerated. The most common plant form is a tough variety of grass, but there are many scented and medicinal herbs: sage, feather grass and xeranthemumXeranthemum
Xeranthemum is a flower of the genus Xeranthemum native to Southern Europe. It has silvery flower heads with purplish tubular flowers.It is a symbol of eternity and immortality....
, giving a fragrant spring, and during the years providing the best country for bees. Olive trees account for about 80% of the land under cultivation, followed by vineyards, figs, orchards and vegetable gardens. It is though that the Kornati islands were once covered with forests of Mediterranean holm oaks (Quercus ilex), but as open fires demanded a great deal of wood, the forests were slowly destroyed.
See also
- ŠibenikŠibenikŠibenik is a historic town in Croatia, with population of 51,553 . It is located in central Dalmatia where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea...
- Island PrvićPrvicPrvić is a small island in the Croatian part of Adriatic Sea. It is situated in the Šibenik archipelago, about half a mile from the mainland, in the vicinity of Vodice...
- TelašćicaTelašćicaTelašćica is a bay that is situated in the southeastern portion of the island of Dugi Otok, Croatia in the Adriatic Sea. It is a designated nature park, full of wildlife and sea creatures.-Geography:...
- Dugi OtokDugi OtokDugi otok is the seventh largest island in the Adriatic Sea, part of Croatia. It is located off the Dalmatian coast, west of Zadar. It is the largest and eastern-most of the Zadarian Islands, and derives its name from its distinctive shape...
- Tentative list of World Heritage Sites in Croatia