Island of Pag

Pag (Latin: Pagus, Italian: Pago, German: Baag) is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea. It is the fifth-largest island of the Croatian coast, and the one with the longest coastline.

In the 2001 census, the population of the island was 7,969. There are two towns on the island, Pag and Novalja, as well as many smaller villages and tourist places. The island is administratively divided between two counties. Its northern part belongs to Lika-Senj County, while the central and southern parts belong to Zadar County.

Pag belongs to the north-Dalmatian archipelago and it extends northwest-southeast along the coast, forming the Velebit channel. The island has an area of 305 km² and the coastline is 302.47 km. It is around 60 km long (from northwest to southeast), and between 2 and 10 km wide.

The southwestern coast of the island is low (the Pag Bay with the large Caska Cove), and the north-western is steep and high: (Stara Novalja Bay). Most of the island is rocky; smaller areas are covered with Mediterranean shrubs. The southeast of the island contains karst lakes Velo Blato and Malo Blato. The island's highest peak is Sveti Vid (St. Vitus, 348 m).

Grapes (the authentic žutica), vegetables and fruit are grown in the valleys and fields. The northern area of the Lun peninsula is mostly under olive-groves. Most communities on the island are connected by a road. From the southern part of the island a 300m-long arch bridge connects the island to the mainland. From the northern part of the island the Prizna - Žigljen ferry connects the island to the mainland. The island of Pag has two towns, Pag and Novalja, and many smaller villages and communities including Lun, Stara Novalja, Gajac, Kolan, Mandre, Šimuni, Metajna, Dinjiška, Vlašiči, Povljana and others.