Island of Hvar

Hvar (Italian Lesina, Latin Pharia, Greek Pharos) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast. The island is spread out from west to east to around 80 km.

Hvar is separated from the island of Brač by the Hvar Channel (Hvarski kanal), from Vis by the Vis Channel, from Korčula by the Korčula Channel, from Pelješac by the Neretva Channel, while the east cape of the island is located just three nautical miles away from the mainland.

The major divisions of the island include:

• the town of Hvar (population 4,138 in 2001), the site of the first public theatre in Europe, opened in 1611
• the town of Stari Grad, located on the north part of the island (population 2,817 in 2001), the site of one of the first human settlements on the Adriatic islands during the Antiquity
• Jelsa is a town in the central-northern part of the island (population 3,672 in 2001)
• Sucuraj is a picturesque small town (more than 2,300 years old) on the east cape of the island Hvar in Croatia. The population of 400 people exists by tourism and fishing. Thanks to the very mild climate and beautiful countryside, many tourists come to Sucuraj. The town is the official centre of the east part of the island.

Along the southern coast of the island there are several more smaller islands, notably the Paklenski otoci in the west and the Šćedro island in the south.

People of Hvar mostly live from fishing and tourism. It has a very mild Mediterranean climate, beautiful beaches and Meditarranean vegetation that attracts tourists.Hvar is administratively part of the Split-Dalmatia county of Croatia.