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Island of Vis
VIS is an
island in the Adriatic Sea, the furthest Croatian inhabited island. Area is
90.26 km², population 3,617; the highest peak of Vis is called Hum, 587
m high. The island of Vis is a one of biggest central-Dalmatian
islands, after island Brač,
island Hvar and island Korčula.
There are two towns on the island, Vis (1,960) and Komiža
(1,677), both located on the seacoast. There are smaller settlements on the
island's interior: Podselje, Marinje zemlje, Podspilje, and Podstrazje. Island Vis was inhabited by the time
of the Neolithic period. In the 4th century B.C., the tyrant of Siracuse,
Dionisius the Older, founded the colony Issa on the island. Later, it became
an independent city-state, and even minted its own money and founded its own
colonies elsewhere.
The vast Komiza Bay, with sandy bottom, is situated on the western
coast of the island. The southern coast is characterized by several smaller
inlets (Travna Vela, Travna Mala, Stiniva, Ruda, Teleska Vela, Ploce, etc.).
The town and the port of Vis lie on the northern coast of the island with
many cliffs, of which Gradac Cliff is most impressive (100 m). The islets of
Ravnik, Budihovac, Parzanj and Greben are situated off the south-eastern
shore.
Island Vis is exposed to the north-westerly and south-easterly winds.
The average air temperature in July is 24 °C, and in January 8.8 °C; the
annual rainfall reaches 557 mm (only around 40 mm in the summer). The island
has no fresh water sources, apart from several springs near Komiža. Water is supplied in
the summer by ships and kept in cisterns. Limestone crests used to be covered
with macchia. Fertile valleys, covered with red soils and interspersed with
sand dunes, are cultivated with vines. The main settlements on the island,
Vis and Komiza, are connected by a road and ship lines. Apart from
viniculture (modern wine production plants) and vegetables (early
vegetables), fishing (fish cannery in Komiza) is also important. The island
has a palm-tree nursery.
Tourism is increasingly gaining on importance. Good quality
accommodation in hotels or apartments, unpolluted environment with the
crystal clear sea and marine scenery as well as the local specialties -
seafood from the cleanest part of the Adriatic, various sports and recreation
opportunities, they all constitute the offer of Vis, an island which emerged
from a long period of isolation (tourists from abroad have been allowed to
visit the island since 1989).
In the first century B.C., the island was held by the Illyrian tribe of Liburni.
In 925, it was incorporated into the Medieval Croatian state under the crown
of King Tomislav. Vis was mentioned in the De Administrando Imperio of the
Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos from around 950 as Ies, an
island inhabited by the Neretvians. In the Middle Ages it often changed
rulers, and then for a long time it was under Venice, which founded the main
settlement, named Velo Selo. During Venetian domination, the island's name
was Lissa. Later, the larger settlements developed also on the coast (Komiza
and Luka of St. Juraj, the- present town of Vis). Administratively the island
of Vis was for centuries bound to the island of Hvar. During World War II, Vis
was at one point the main hideout of Josip Broz Tito, the leader of the
Yugoslav resistance movement. After the war, the Yugoslav People's Army used
the island as one of its main naval bases. After Croatia became independent,
its navy did not reclaim most of the facilities, and the many abandoned
buildings are being used for civilian purposes.
VIS, a town and port in the eastern part of the northern coast of the
island of Vis. Chief occupations are farming, wine production, fishing and
tourism. The town of Vis
is situated on the regional road. Ferry port, with ferry connections to
Split. Situated in a deep bay, whose eastern coast abounds with large pebble
beaches (Gusarica, Nova Posta, Velo Zalo), Komiza offers excellent visitor
opportunities: quality accommodation facilities - hotel, apartments, and a
number of cultural and historic sites - monastery, fortresses. It is famous
for its fishermen (fishermen from Komiza are also known in San Pedro,
California), so that fish and other seafood are traditionally served daily.
Famous are also Komiza wines and carobs.
KOMIŽA, a town and harbor at the foot of the Hum hill (587 m), on the
western coast of the island of Vis. An average air temperature in January is
8.9 °C. Economy is based on farming, vine and vegetable growing, fishing and
fish processing, seafaring and in recent times on tourism. On the eastern
coast of the bay are large sand and pebble beaches (Gusarica, Nova Posta,
Velo Zalo). Komiža has regular ferry connections with Split; the regional
road connects Komiza with Vis.
Main industries on the island are agriculture (mainly viticulture),
fishing, fish refinement and tourism. Around 20% of arable land on the island
is covered with vineyards. Autochthonous vine species cultivated on
the island are Plavac Mali, Kurteloška and Vugava. The sea around Vis is rich
with fish, especially blue fish (sardine, mackerel and anchovy).
Komiža fishermen of the 17th century developed their own type of fishing
boat, the Falkuša which was used even in the second half of the 20th century
because of its excellent features. On the island of Vis you can find accommodation in hotels,
apartments, holiday houses, luxury villas, rooms and camp-sites.
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