Zadar County (Croatian: Zadarska županija [zâdarskaː ʒupǎnija]) is a county in Croatia, it encompasses northern Dalmatia and southeastern Lika. Its seat is the city of Zadar.

Zadar County
Zadarska županija
Flag of Zadar County
Coat of arms of Zadar County
Zadar County within Croatia
Zadar County within Croatia
Country Croatia
County seatZadar
Government
 • ŽupanBožidar Longin (HDZ)
 • County Assembly
42 members[1]
Area
 • Total3,646 km2 (1,408 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[3]
 • Total170,017
 • Density47/km2 (120/sq mi)
Area code023
ISO 3166 codeHR-13
HDI (2019)0.832[4]
very high · 7th
Websitewww.zadarska-zupanija.hr
County Government Palace

Geography edit

Among the largest towns in the county of Zadar are: Zadar, Benkovac, Bibinje, Biograd, Nin, Obrovac and Pag.

The county of Zadar includes the islands of Dugi otok, Ugljan, Pašman, Molat, Lavdara, Zverinac, Vir and most of Pag, as well as a number of other, smaller islands. It also features the Paklenica national park.

The county's area is 7,854 km2, 3,646 km2 is land, which accounts for 6.4% of the territory of Croatia. The sea area of the county is 3,632 km2 (around 12% of the territorial waters) and the insular area is 580 km2, with more than 300 smaller and larger islands (Zadar Archipelago). The length of its coastline (including the islands) is 1,300 km.[5][6]

Administrative division edit

Zadar County is divided into:

County government edit

See organization of Croatian counties.

As of 2014, the Župan is Božidar Longin of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ),[7] and the county assembly's 42 representatives are affiliated as follows:[8]

Minority councils and representatives edit

Directly elected minority councils and representatives are tasked with consulting tasks for the local or regional authorities in which they are advocating for minority rights and interests, integration into public life and participation in the management of local affairs.[9] At the 2023 Croatian national minorities councils and representatives elections Albanians and Serbs of Croatia fulfilled legal requirements to each elect their own 25 members minority councils of the Zadar County while Bosniaks and Slovenes of Croatia elect individual representatives and with Hungarian, German and Italian representatives remaining unelected due to the absence of candidatures.[10] Some municipalities and towns in the county elected their own local minority councils as well but disproportionally high number of local minority elections were not held due to the absence of candidatures.[10]

Demographics edit

 
Zadar County Population Pyramid (2011)

According to the 2011 census, Zadar County has population of 170,017, accounting for 4.0% of the total Croatia's population.[3] Croats make up the majority with 93.54% of the population, while Serbs, Bosniaks, Albanians and Italians form the remainder.[11]

Zadar County: Population trends 1857–2021
population
84091
94156
98063
108330
123375
136522
146375
149855
154026
162682
174957
190356
194098
214777
162045
170017
160340
18571869188018901900191019211931194819531961197119811991200120112021

Infrastructure edit

The County of Zadar plays a leading role in road and railway traffic links between northern and southern Croatia.

The Adriatic Highway, the main road along the Adriatic Sea passes through the county, as does the A1 motorway, completed as far as Split in 2005. The Zagreb-Knin-Split railway line with branch-lines to Zadar and Šibenik pass through the county.

Maritime traffic is carried by the coastal route of the Adriatic Sea, by the Zadar-Ancona international car ferry route which is the shortest link between Central Europe and Italy, via Zagreb and Zadar to Rome and southward. Another route by which intensive traffic is carried is Zadar - Maslenica Bridge - St. Rok Tunnel - Zagreb.

The Zadar Airport has recently been reconstructed and modernised. With runway improvements still to be undertaken it will eventually have the capacity to handle jumbo-jets.

There is also a very frequent maritime passenger port in the town of Zadar and the cargo maritime port in the Gaženica area whose current manipulative capacity amounts to one million tonnes per year. A construction of a wharf would raise this significantly. The port's manipulative and warehouse capacities are used only in part.

Economy edit

 
Krupa River in Velebit nature park

The Ravni Kotari area constitutes the greater part of the county's inland, containing most of the cultivated farmland and towns having industry, crafts, trade and traffic development potential.

Tourism is one of the county's most important industries, owing to its geographical position, mild climate, indented coast, clear sea, numerous bays, inlets and beaches on 1,300 km of the sea coast and islands. Tourist amenities of the Zadar County are also the areas of outstanding natural beauty: the Velebit, Telaščica and Paklenica and adjacent Krka and Kornati national parks in the south and the Plitvice Lakes national park in the north.

Acknowledgements edit

Honorary citizens

Following Croatia national football team's silver medal at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, County Committee declared in 2019 Croatian representatives Luka Modrić, Danijel Subašić, Šime Vrsaljko and Dominik Livaković County's honorary citizens.[12]

References edit

  1. ^ VIJEĆNICI/E ŽUPANIJSKE SKUPŠTINE ZADARSKE ŽUPANIJE 2017.-2021
  2. ^ 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). Vol. 47. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. p. 62. ISSN 1333-3305. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Population by Age and Sex, by Settlements, 2011 Census". Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. December 2012.
  4. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  5. ^ "International Student Guide" (PDF). University of Zadar. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2011.
  6. ^ "Tourism" (PDF). Zadar County. p. 20. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  7. ^ "Župan Stipe Zrilić". zadarska-zupanija.hr (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  8. ^ "Vijećnici Županijske skupštine Zadarske županije" (PDF). zadarska-zupanija.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 27 March 2014.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "Manjinski izbori prve nedjelje u svibnju, kreću i edukacije". T-portal. 13 March 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Informacija o konačnim rezultatima izbora članova vijeća i izbora predstavnika nacionalnih manjina 2023. XIII. Zadarska ŽUPANIJA" (PDF) (in Croatian). Državno izborno povjerenstvo Republike Hrvatske. 2023. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Population by Ethnicity, by Towns/Municipalities, 2011 Census". Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. December 2012.
  12. ^ "Počasni građani Zadarske županije" [Honorary citizens of the Zadar County] (in Croatian). Zadar County. Retrieved 29 June 2023.

External links edit

44°01′05″N 15°53′42″E / 44.018°N 15.895°E / 44.018; 15.895