Pag (island)

Pag

Island landscape
Geography
Location	Adriatic Sea
Coordinates	44°29′N 14°58′E / 44.483°N 14.967°ECoordinates: 44°29′N 14°58′E / 44.483°N 14.967°E
Archipelago	north-Dalmatian
Area	284.56 km^2 (109.87 sq mi)[1]
Length	60 km (37 mi)
Width	2–10 km (1.2–6.2 mi)
Coastline	269.2 km (167.27 mi)[1]
Highest elevation	349 m (1,145 ft)[1]
Highest point	Sveti Vid
Country
Croatia
Counties	Lika-Senj; Zadar
Largest settlement	Pag (pop. 3,846)
Demographics
Population	9,059 (as of 2011)
Density	26.13 /km^2 (67.68 /sq mi)

Pag (pronounced [pâːɡ]; Latin: Pagus, Italian: Pago, German: Baag) is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea. It is the fifth-largest island of the Croatian coast, and the one with the longest coastline.

In the 2011 census, the population of the island was 9,059.^[1] There are two towns on the island, Pag and Novalja, as well as many smaller villages and tourist places. Pag is the only Croatian island that is administratively divided between two counties. Its northern part belongs to Lika-Senj County, while the central and southern parts belong to Zadar County.

Geography

Pag belongs to the north Dalmatian archipelago and it extends northwest-southeast along the coast, forming the Velebit channel. The island has an area of 284.56 square kilometres (109.87 sq mi) and the coastline is 269.2 kilometres (167.27 mi).^[1] It is around 60 kilometres (37 miles) long (from northwest to southeast), and between 2 and 10 kilometres (1.2 and 6.2 miles) wide.

The southwestern coast of the island is low (including the Pag Bay with the large Caska Cove), and the northwestern is steep and high (including Stara Novalja Bay). Most of the island is rocky; smaller areas are covered with Mediterranean shrubs. The southeast of the island contains karst lakes Velo Blato and Malo Blato. The island's highest peak, at 349 metres (1,145 feet),^[1] is Sveti Vid (St. Vitus).

Grapes (the authentic žutica), vegetables and fruit are grown in the valleys and fields. The northern area of the Lun peninsula is mostly under olive groves. Most communities on the island are connected by a road. A 300 m (980 ft)-long arch bridge connects the southern part of the island to the mainland. The Prizna - Žigljen ferry connects the northern part of the island to the mainland. The island has two towns, Pag and Novalja, and many smaller villages and communities, including Lun, Stara Novalja, Gajac, Kolan, Mandre, Šimuni, Metajna, Dinjiška, Vlašiči, Povljana and others.

Ravne 1 wind farm

Economy

The first Croatian wind farm was constructed on Pag island, just northeast of Pag town. The 5.95 MW "Vjetroelektrana Ravna 1" wind farm is composed of seven Vestas V52 wind turbines and has operated since 2004.^[2]

Throughout its history, the economy of Pag has been connected to salt production, a traditional activity that has been practiced for more than a thousand years. While the earliest historical records of salt production on the island date to 999, it is believed salt was produced on Pag in Roman times.^[3] The origin of the town of Pag is connected with the exploitation of natural suitably shallow coves within the closed bay (the so-called “Valle di Pago”) for salt manufacturing.

The island of Pag is most famous for its production of Paški sir, a distinctive cheese made from the milk of the island's autochthonous breed of sheep.

Pag is quickly earning a reputation as a party destination due to its increasingly bustling nightlife, a good deal of which is centered on Zrće beach.

See also

• Pag lace
• Pag Triangle

References and notes

1. Ostroški, Ljiljana, ed. (December 2015). Statistički ljetopis Republike Hrvatske 2015 [Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Croatia 2015] (PDF). Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Croatia (in Croatian and English) 47. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. p. 47. ISSN 1333-3305. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
2. Adria Windpower
3. Portada, Josip (28 April 2011). "Proizvodnja soli ovisi o suncu, vjetru i tržištu". Zadarski list (in Croatian). Retrieved 2 September 2012.