Sveti Andrija (, meaning " Saint Andrew"), often called Svetac (, meaning " saint"), is an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

in the

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 ...

n part of the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the 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) to t ...

. It is situated from

Komiža Komiža (; it, Comisa) is a Croatian coastal town lying on the western coast of the island of Vis in the central part of the Adriatic Sea. As of 2011 Komiža proper has a population of 1,397 while the entire municipality has 1,526 residents. Ko ...

(a town on the island of Vis). It is uninhabited, although it used to have permanent residents. Svetac was inhabited in prehistoric era, as evidenced by archeological remains, the oldest of which were found in Tovorski bod, a cave in the south part of the island. A Benedictine monastery built on the island was abandoned in late 15th or early 16th century. In 1760, a small pine tar factory was opened. After the pine forest on the island was completely cut down, the factory was closed, and Svetac was acquired by members of Zanki family, who settled there. The population census on Svetac from 1951 was around 60, all members of Zanki family. The last one of the group who lived there all year round was Antonija Zanki, an elderly woman who died in 2001. Now members of Zanki family effectively live there four to six months a year, from late spring to autumn, still keeping up the houses of their grandfathers, fishing, making red wine and olive oil. Most of members of Zanki family who own this, biggest private island in Adriatic, live in Komiža now (14 nm east). Taking the fact that island is in open seas, without any natural protected bay, gives even greater respect to members of this family who managed to survive there for centuries, and furthermore created a special kind of living, especially today. Approximately 300 meters off the south-west coast of the island there is the islet of Kamik, and farther on the open sea there is the

volcanic island Geologically, a high island or volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, which are formed from sedimentation or the uplifting of coral reefs (which have often formed ...

called Jabuka. About to the southeast there is the small volcanic island of Brusnik. Svetac is a breeding ground for a small number of

Eleonora's falcon Eleonora's falcon (''Falco eleonorae'') is a medium-sized falcon. It belongs to the hobby group, a rather close-knit number of similar falcons often considered a subgenus ''Hypotriorchis''. The sooty falcon is sometimes considered its closest re ...

s, a rare bird with only c. 40–80 nesting pairs estimated to live on the outer Croatian Adriatic islands. The falcons migrate to

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

every September and return to their nests in April.

References

Bibliography

* *Mithad Kozličić, Josip Faričić:
The Significance of Sv. Andrija Island (Svetac) on a Sailing Route Across the Adriatic Presented on Old Geographical Maps
{{Authority control Uninhabited islands of Croatia Islands of the Adriatic Sea Landforms of Split-Dalmatia County Private islands of Croatia

See also

References

Bibliography