Prvić (pronounced , or Parvić in the
Chakavian dialect; ''Pervicchio'' in
Italian) is an uninhabited
island
An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
in the
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
n part of the
Adriatic Sea
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 Se ...
, located in the
Kvarner Gulf. It is the largest of the so-called Senj Islands, a group of small islands and islets located off the coast of the mainland city of
Senj
Senj is a town on the upper Adriatic coast in Croatia, in the foothills of the Mala Kapela and Velebit mountains.
The symbol of the town is the Nehaj Fortress () which was completed in 1558. For a time this was the seat of the Uskoks, who were ...
, lying between the larger islands of
Krk and
Rab. Other significant islands in the Senj group are
Sveti Grgur and
Goli Otok, along with a number of islets and rocks, which are all uninhabited. Prvić has an area is ,
which makes it the largest uninhabited Croatian island
and
30th largest overall.
Geography

Prvić is located southeast of Krk, separated from it by an 800 m wide Senj Passage (''Senjska vrata'') and it is geomorphologically considered part of the same
landform
A landform is a land feature on the solid surface of the Earth or other planetary body. They may be natural or may be anthropogenic (caused or influenced by human activity). Landforms together make up a given terrain, and their arrangement ...
as the Obzova hill, Krk's highest peak (578 meters above sea level), which forms the southwestern part of the Baška cove with the coastal town of
Baška.
Prvić's southernmost cape Šilo is away from the mainland
as the crow flies and it is the point closest to mainland. Harbours nearest to Prvić are Sveti Juraj, a hamlet near Senj at the foot of the
Velebit, and Baška on the island of Krk. The island itself is shaped like a steep cliff stretching northwest-southeast and is long. Its westernmost point is called Debeli Art and its northernmost point is cape Brezonjin, where the automatic
Stražica Lighthouse is located.
Three km () southwest of Prvić is the island of
Sveti Grgur (or ''Saint Gregory'', also known as ''Šagargur'', its name in the Chakavian dialect), separated from Prvić by the ''Grgurov kanal'' (Eng: Gregory's Channel). In addition, three kilometres to the south of Prvić's southernmost point, cape Šilo, is
Goli otok (lit. ''Barren Island''). Like Prvić, both ''Sveti Grgur'' and ''Goli otok'' are today uninhabited.
Prvić's highest peak is Šipovac (357 meters above sea level).
Although most of the island is inaccessible as its coastal areas are made up of steep barren cliffs 250–300 m high, the western slope where the lighthouse is located has several
gullies through which the island's plateau can be reached. The western side also has several coves which are suitable for swimmers, and near the beach called Njivice on the southwestern part of the island the remains of a medieval settlement owned by the
House of Frankopan were found. The sea around the island is on average 70–90 meters deep, with the deepest point being at cape Šilo, where a depth of 107 meters has been recorded.
Climate and natural history
The island is also notable for the
bora wind (locally known as ''bura'') which blows in gusts on average 203 days per year, and even reaches force of 11-12 on the
Beaufort scale
The Beaufort scale ( ) is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale. It was devised in 1805 by Francis Beaufort a hydrographer in the Royal Navy. It ...
(indicating a violent storm or hurricane-force winds) 73 days per year, according to weather records which used to be kept by the lighthouse crew.
Because of this, Prvić is considered the windiest Croatian island.
Although the island is uninhabited, it is frequently used by shepherds for pasture and by local
beekeeper
A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees, a profession known as beekeeping. The term beekeeper refers to a person who keeps honey bees in beehives, boxes, or other receptacles. The beekeeper does not control the creatures. The beekeeper ow ...
s who keep
apiaries on the island. Prvić and parts of the nearby island of Krk are areas with the highest concentration of
Common sage (''kadulja'') shrubs in the entire Croatian Adriatic, and honey produced by bees feeding on the plant's nectar is prized for its quality.
Griffon vultures, a protected bird species, are known to breed at Prvić, and their colony on the island is second in size only to their main breeding ground on the island of
Cres, to the south of Prvić.
The island marks the northern boundary of their coastal habitat.
In addition, there are 17 species of
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
plants which grow on the island. Because of this the island of Prvić is legally protected as a botanical and bird reserve.
Luftaufnahmen Flug Hamburg Malta 2019 by-RaBoe 045.jpg, Aerial view
Bag (Krk).jpg, View from Bag on Krk
Prvic, from Krk.jpg, View from Krk after rain
Otok prvic.jpg, View of Prvić from Velebit
See also
*
List of islands of Croatia
This is a list of islands of Croatia. There are over a thousand islands in Croatia, the exact number varying by definitions, and they cover a total area of about . The number and classification of islands in Croatia varies over time and by differ ...
References
External links
Article about Stražica lighthouseoriginally published in ''
Novi list
''Novi list'' () is the oldest Croatian daily newspaper published in Rijeka. It is read mostly in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County of Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeas ...
''
Stražica lighthouseat Plovput.hr
Stamp depicting the Stražica lighthouseissued by the
Croatian Post in September 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prvic (Krk)
Krk
Islands of Croatia
Islands of the Adriatic Sea
Uninhabited islands of Croatia
Landforms of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County