Island of Krk - Geography

The Island of Krk is in the Bay of Kvarner or Quarnero. It is the biggest island in the Adriatic, with an area of 409.9 square kilometres. The highest peak is Obzova, at 569 m. There are some twenty little islands, islets, rocks and reefs around the main island: Prvić, Galun, Zec, Plavnik, Kormati, Košljun and Sv. Marko (St Mark’s). The population of the island, at the last count, was 16,402, distributed among 68 settlements.

The relief is of the karst or limestone variety, with caves and caverns (Biserujka near Dobrinj), with sinkholes and dolines. The central part of the island is occupied by fertile fields called, Omišalj, Dobrinj, Vrbnik and Baška poljes.

The coast is highly indented, with a great many bays, coves and naturally pebbly beaches. The biggest of the bays are Soline (with its medicinal mud) and Puntarska Draga.

Climate: The island boasts a pleasant and mild Mediterranean climate. The average summer air temperature is 22.8°C, and the sea water temperature is 23 - 25°C.The main winds come from the north-east, the south and the west - the bora, sirocco and maestral. In terms of insolation, Krk is one of the most favoured parts of Europe, with over 2,500 hours of sun a year.

Water features: There are two lakes on the island, called Jezero and Ponikva, and three rivers: the Veli or Dobrinja Brook, the Vretenica and the Vela Rika.

Plant life: In the central and western part of the island there are predominantly woods, along with cultivated Mediterranean fruit and vegetables, vineyards and olive groves. Northern and southern Krk are given over to stony areas and rough pasture land.

Forest reserves: There are Quercus ilex, or holm or evergreen oak, at Glavotok and on the little island of Košljun.

Bird sanctuaries: The island of Prvić and the north east steep slopes of the coast, where the griffon vulture resides (Gyps fulvus Habl).

A particular feature of the Krk landscape consists of the thick drystone walls or gromače, and the shepherds’ stone-built folds on the plateau area above the Baška valley.

Care about the preservation and conservation of the environment is ongoing and systematic. Proof of this is given by the two blue pennants in the Punat Marina, the Big Beach at Baška, auto camp Ježavac, Lukobran beach, FKK Politin and Koralj beach.

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