Lika-Senj County (, hr, Ličko-senjska

županija ''Županija'' (singular; plural ''županije'') or ''Župnija'' (singular; plural ''župnije'') is a South Slavic administrative subdivision. For the etymology, see Župa. The term Županija is used in: * Croatia: counties of Croatia *Cantons of ...

) is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

that includes most of the

Lika Lika () is a traditional region of Croatia proper, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the Plješevica mountain from the northeast. On the north-west end Lika is bounded by Ogulin-Plaški basin, and on the south-east by ...

region and some northern coastline of the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...

near the town of Senj, including the northern part of the Pag island. Its center is Gospić. The county is the least populated (44.625 in mid-2019) and among the least prosperous ones, though it is the largest county in the country by area and includes the Plitvice Lakes National Park and Sjeverni (North) Velebit National Park, some of Croatia's major tourist attractions.

Geography

The county has a total area of 5353 km².

Administrative division

Lika-Senj County is administratively subdivided into 12 units of local government: * Town of Gospić (county seat) * Town of

Novalja Novalja () is a town in the north of the island of Pag in the Croatian part of Adriatic Sea. In recent times, Novalja has become famous because of the Zrće Beach. History The earliest settlers on the island were an Illyrian tribe that came to ...

* Town of Otočac * Town of Senj * Municipality of

Brinje Brinje is a municipality in Lika-Senj County, Croatia, located about 35 miles from Gospić. The town is formed around a castle called ''Sokolac'', which contains one of the most well preserved Gothic chapels in Croatia, St. Marys, which dates b ...

* Municipality of Donji Lapac * Municipality of Karlobag * Municipality of Lovinac * Municipality of

Perušić Perušić is municipality (''općina'') in Lika-Senj County, Croatia. The municipality has 2,638 inhabitants, while the settlement itself has 852. The municipality is within the mountainous Lika region of central Croatia. The Kosinj valley region s ...

* Municipality of Plitvička Jezera (''Plitvice Lakes'') * Municipality of Udbina * Municipality of Vrhovine

Demographics

Lika-Senj County Population Pyramid Census 2011 ENG

Since the early 20th century the county's population has been shrinking. As of the 2021 census, the county had 42.893 residents. As of 2011 census, the county had 50,927 residents. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

is 9.5/km². Croatian State Bureau of Statistics estimated population of the county to stand at 45,493 in 2017, 45,184 in 2018, and 44,625 in 2019.

Ethnic composition

Ethnic

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, G ...

form the majority with 84.15% of the population, followed by

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

at 13.65%. Serbs form majority in municipalities of Vrhovine, Donji Lapac, and Udbina. In 1991, before the outbreak of the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...

and the

Breakup of Yugoslavia The breakup of Yugoslavia occurred as a result of a series of political upheavals and conflicts during the early 1990s. After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...

, Croats comprised 59.7% of the population, while

comprised 37%. The area of the county used to have a significant Serb population, mostly located in the eastern part of the county, where they formed a majority. The entire former

Lika-Krbava County Lika-Krbava County ( hr, Ličko-krbavska županija; sr, Личко-крбавска жупанија; hu, Lika-Korbava vármegye) was a historic administrative subdivision of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. Croatia-Slavonia was an autonom ...

, loosely overlapping with the area of the modern Lika-Senj county, in censuses of 1900 and 1910 even registered Serb majority (51.2% and 50.8%, respectively).

County government

The current

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

of Lika-Senj County is

Ernest Petry Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People * Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor * Ernest, ...

(

HDZ The Croatian Democratic Union ( hr, Hrvatska demokratska zajednica, lit=Croatian Democratic Community, HDZ) is the major conservative, centre-right political party in Croatia. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Cro ...

). The county assembly is composed of 27 representatives from the following political parties:

References

External links

* {{Coord, 44.707, N, 15.174, E, display=title, source:dewiki Counties of Croatia