Geographical characteristics of the Cres-losinj archipelago

99 km long Kvarner islands Cres and Losinj extend from north-west toward south-east with total area covering 513 km2 or 16 % of the entire surface of Jadran archipelago. In the ancient history Cres and Losinj were one island, until the Illyrians excavated canal next to Osor.

Losinj group of island consists of islands Losinj (74, 68 km2), Unije (16, 77 km), Ilovik (5, 88 km2), Susak (3, 76 km2), Vele Srakane (1, 17 km2) and number of uninhabited islands and reefs. Island Losinj is 11th largest island in Jadran, 33 km long, with width that varies between 4.70 km on the middle of the island and 0, 25 km near Mali Losinj. Total coast length of Island Losinj is 112.7 km with index of relative indebtedness of 3.7.

Structure of the island is consisted of chalk limestone and dolomites of variant compositions. In the relief of Losinj we can distinguish two types of relief – 10 km long calcareous massif Osorscica with highest peaks Televrina (588 m) and St. Mikul (557 m) and slopes on its west side, and second type with characteristics of dinaric structures with several peaks over 200m - Kriška (217m) and St. Ivan (234m).

Island Losinj has mild climate, evergreen vegetation (myrrh, laurel, common oak, pine, cypress) and 2600 sunny hours per year. Average humidity amounts 70%, and average temperatures are 29 °C in summer and 7 °C in winter