Zadar county

    Zadar county has an area of 7,486.91 km². The area of dry land is 3,641.91 km ² which makes 6,5% of the total Croatian territory. The area of the sea that belongs to the county is 3,845 km². County has a population of 162,045 which makes 3,65% of the total population of Croatia. As to its geographical position, the county covers the mountain area, as well as the littoral, and connects important regions of the Croatian littoral with the central Croatia.
    The Adriatic tourist road, the route of Zagreb-Split highway and an important railroad line passes through it, therefore its geographical and traffic position has great importance in connecting the south and the north of Croatia. The towns of Zadar county developed in the area suitable for life, in the very centre of the Croatian coast, surrounded with countless islands, a lake, a river, a rich hinterland, protected ports and a particularly favourable climate.
    For these reasons the area was invaded by many armies, destroyed and rebuilt over and over. Zadar has been populated for over three thousand years now. The first written document in which Zadar was mentioned dates from the 4th century and the first material traces date from the 9th century B.C. The first inhabitants belonged to the Liburni tribe. Conquered by the Romans, Zadar becomes a real city.
    From the beginning of the 7th century to 1918 Zadar was the capital of Dalmatia. In the 11th century it was the centre of the Byzantine theme. Beside Zadar as the centre of the county and the most important historical destination, we ought to mention Nin, the oldest Croatian royal town where the Croatian state was born. Nin is also the bishops’ residence.