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The sea area of the county comprises a large part of
the Bay of Kvarner with the Bay of Rijeka, Velebit and
Vinodol channels, Kvarnerić and Kvarner as separate
parts, and the four large islands – Krk, Rab, Cres and
Lošinj with their surrounding small islands.
In addition to these four large islands (Cres 405.78 km
2
,
Krk 405.78 km
2
, Rab 90.84 km
2
, Lošinj 74.68 km
2
), there
are some more small islands and a number of islets,
rocks and reefs. There are as many as 55 islands in the
County of Primorje-Gorski kotar, while the number of
rocks and reefs can only be guessed at, but certainly
more than sixty rocks and more than a dozen reefs. Each
of them is a world of its own and a miniature valuable
ecosystem.
The only Mediterranean dolphin reserve is located in the
waters off the islands of Cres and Lošinj. This is a unique
habitat for the population of bottlenose dolphins, and
with a little luck and patience, visitors will have an
opportunity to enjoy watching these lovely marine
mammals. But dolphins are not the only natural
particularity of this area – rare sea turtles also visit
here, and the extensive undersea meadows of posidonia
flowering plant provide shelter for many fish species and
other sea creatures.
The littoral part and the islands in the County of
Primorje-Gorski kotar abound in natural wonders, which
have in the course of time become intertwined with the
area’s distinctive cultural heritage. The long tradition
of dwelling in this area and the intensive way of life on
the islands and the coast have left permanent traces on
Kvarner’s landscape. Some parts of the islands and the
coast have remained desolated and deforested down to
the rocky ground even to the present day, whereas once
upon a time these areas were full of life.
There were more cattle here in the past than today,
and many isolated hamlets and shepherds’ huts; today
they are all in ruins or even unrecognisable – we can
only guess about some of their former locations. Dense
networks of terraces and small valleys bordered with dry-
stone walls attest to the continuous battle with nature in
the attempt to grow vines, olives and other cultures in
this area. People worked hard to bring fertile soil into
ISLANDS