Beautiful island

Mljet island

Mljet  is the most bsutherly and easterly of the larger Adriatic islands of the Dalmatia region of Croatia with a population of around 2,000.

                                Mljet lies south of the peljesac pensula, from which it is divided by the Mljet channel . It’s lenth  is 37km and its average breadth 3.2 km . It is of volcanic origin, with numerous chasms and gorges, of which the longest, the Babino Poloje, connects the north and south of the islands.

                The northwestern part of the island includes an inland sea as well as a small island within it. It has been a national park since November 12, 1960. Over 72 per cent of the island of 98.01 square kms is forest. The island’s geological structure consists of limestones and dolomite forming ridges, crests and slopes. A few depressions on the island of Mljet are below sea level and are known as blatine (“mud-lakes”) or slatine (“salt-lakes”).

                Ancient Greeks called the island “Melita” or “honey” which over the centuries evolved to become the Slavic name, Mljet. Mljet was discovered by ancient Greco-Roman geographers, who wrote the first records and descriptions.

                The island was first described by Scylax of Caryanda in the 6^th century BC. Mljet is mentioned around 950 by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos inhis of ruling an empire as one of the islands held by the Neretvians. The climate is Mediterranean; an average air temperature in January is 9 C and in july about 24 C.