What Are the Kornati Islands and Why They Are Unique

Question

Accepted Answer

Kornati National Park encompasses 89 islands, islets, and reefs covering 220 km² of sea and land in the northern Dalmatian archipelago. Established in 1980, the park protects the densest concentration of islands in the entire Mediterranean — 89 islands within an area just 36 km long and 13 km wide. The islands are geologically part of a submerged Dinaric limestone range: the same mountains that form the coastal peaks continue underwater, and only the highest ridges remain above sea level. The resulting landscape is starkly beautiful — bare white limestone with almost no soil, sparse Mediterranean scrub (rosemary, sage, immortelle), and sheer cliffs called 'crowns' (krune) that drop vertically into the sea. The largest island, Kornat (32 km long), gives the archipelago its name. The famous 'crowns' on the western faces of the larger islands rise 80–130 metres directly from the sea to horizontal cliff tops — from a boat, the visual impact is extraordinary. George Bernard Shaw described the Kornati as 'the most beautiful thing I have seen in all my travels.' The islands are largely uninhabited outside summer, when around 200 fishermen's cottages and konobe (small restaurants) operate. The marine environment is exceptionally rich — Kornati is considered one of the top 10 diving destinations in the Mediterranean, with underwater visibility regularly exceeding 40 metres.