Pag (island)

Infobox Islands
name = Pag

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image caption = Pag (town)
image size =
locator

native name =
native name link = Croatian
nickname =
location = Adriatic sea
coordinates = coord|44|29|N|14|58|E|display=inline,title
archipelago = north-Dalmatian
area = convert|305|km2|sqmi|abbr=on
length = convert|60|km|mi|abbr=on
width = convert|2|-|10|km|mi|abbr=on
coastline = convert|302.47|km|mi|abbr=on
highest mount = Sveti Vid
elevation = convert|348|m|ft|abbr=on
country = Croatia
country admin divisions title = Counties
country admin divisions = Lika-Senj; Zadar
country capital city =
country largest city = Pag
country largest city population = 4,138
country leader title =
country leader name =
population = 7,969
population as of = 2001
density = 26.13
ethnic groups =
additional info =

Pag (Latin "Pagus", village, Italian "Pago", German: "Baag") is an island in the northern Adriatic Sea, off the coast of Croatia. It is the fifth largest island on the Croatian coast, and the one with the longest coastline.

The population of Pag is 7,969 (2001). In addition to the two towns on island, Pag and Novalja, there are many smaller villages and touristic places. The island is administratively divided; the northern part belongs to Lika-Senj county and the southern part which belongs 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 305 km² and the coastline is 302.47 km. It is around 60 km long (from northwest to southeast), and between 2 and 10 km wide.

The southwestern coast of the island is low (the Pag Bay with the large "Caska" Cove), and the north-western is steep and high: ("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 is "Sveti Vid" (St. Vitus, 348 m).

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. From the southern part of the island a 300m-long arch bridge connects the island to the mainland. From the northern part of the island the "Prizna" - "Žigljen" ferry connects the island to the mainland. The island of Pag 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.

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

References and notes