
National Park Kornati
The Kornati National Park covers the bigger part of the Kornati waters. Because of their exceptional landscape beauty, interesting geomorphology, highly jagged and indented coast as well as because of rich communities of the submarine eco-system, the islands were made a national park in 1980.

Kornati – Geographic Data
The Kornati archipelago, as a separate and special island group located between Šibenik and Zadar islands, covers the area of about 320 km2 and includes about 150 land units, located either permanently or frequently above the sea. The archipelago makes 12% of all the islands in the Croatian Adriatic – 1264 islands, 67 of them inhabited. It has been long attracting the attention of yachtsmen, divers, mountaineers and other nature lovers. From Balabra to Samograd, distance of 35 km or 19 nautical miles (between Long Island and Žirje islets), and from Mana to Gangarol, distance of 13 km or 7 nautical miles (between the open sea and Pašman, Vrgada and Murter) there are four island chains in two groups. One of them is the Upper Kornati – Sit and Žut island chains with 51 land unit, and the other one is the Lower Kornati with 98 land units.
The northernmost island of the archipelago is the Mala Balabra islet (43° 56′ 50” N, 15° 17′ 00” E), the southernmost one is Južnji Opuh (43° 40′ 29” N, 15° 30′ 08” E), Vela Alba is westernmost (43° 52′ 14” N, 15° 12′ 42” E), while the easternmost island is Samograd (43° 41′ 15” N, 15° 33′ 42” E).
The average area of a Kornati island is only 0.55 km2, but you have to take into account that Kornat (32.5 km2) and Žut (14.8 km2) cover about 70% of the land area. If we add Piškera, Levrnaka, Lavsa and Sita, we get 88% of the total land area of the Kornati archipelago (69,452,963 m2). Only nine islands is larger than one square kilometre and 76 of them is smaller than one hectare. According to some measurements, the coast of the island of Kornat is 66 km long, while the Lower Kornati (that is, the Kornati National Park) have the coast 238 kilometres long.


Kornati – List Of Islands
Name of the island (According to Excursions map NP “Kornati”) |
Name of the island – nautical map | Latitude | Longitude | Area (m2) | |
1. | Aba V. | – | 43°52,00’N | 15°13,00’E | 383.042 |
2. | Arapovac | – | 43°47,75’N | 15°18,30’E | 9.918 |
3. | Babina Guzica | – | 43°42,65’N | 15°30,10’E | 11.176 |
4. | Balun | – | 43°48,40’N | 15°15,50’E | 49.553 |
5. | Bisaga | – | 43°48,55’N | 15°17,20’E | 92.237 |
6. | Bisaga | – | 43°44,75’N | 15°25,60’E | 6.084 |
7. | Blitvica | – | 43°46,35’N | 15°21,65’E | 5.329 |
8. | Borovnik | – | 43°48,70’N | 15°15,50’E | 273.219 |
9. | Crnikovac | Šilo | 43°50,75’N | 15°14,45’E | 20.691 |
10. | Desetinjak | – | 43°42,40’N | 15°28,00’E | 2.324 |
11. | Desetinjak D. | – | 43°42,55’N | 15°27,80’E | 1.260 |
12. | Desetinjak G. | – | 43°42,65’N | 15°28,00’E | 1.210 |
13. | Dragunarica M. | – | 43°51,70’N | 15°13,40’E | 50 |
14. | Dragunarica V. | – | 43°51,70’N | 15°13,55’E | 17.344 |
15. | Garmenjak | Garmenjak V. | 43°42,15’N | 15°27,90’E | 131.858 |
16. | Golić | – | 43°48,80’N | 15°16,80’E | 10.275 |
17. | Gominjak | – | 43°43,30’N | 15°24,90’E | 253.298 |
18. | Grego | Garmenjak M. | 43°42,50’N | 15°28,10’E | 50.204 |
19 | Gustac | – | 43°46,60’N | 15°21,25’E | 284.502 |
20. | Gustac | – | 43°44,85’N | 15°23,30’E | 284.450 |
21. | Janjčar | Jančar | 43°43,20’N | 15°26,15’E | 59.309 |
22. | Kalafatin | Hrid Prišnjak | 43°50,20’N | 15°14,45’E | 77 |
23. | Kalafatin (Hrid Kamičić) | Hrid Kamičić | 43°47,60’N | 15°17,20’E | 844 |
24. | Kalafatin D. | Hrid Kamičić | 43°47,55’N | 15°17,20’E | 72 |
25. | Kalafatin od Gustaca (Hrid Gizela) | Hrid Grislac | 43°46,50’N | 15°21,55’E | 26 |
26. | Kalafatin od Piškere | Hrid Kamičić | 43°46,15’N | 15°21,40’E | 41 |
27. | Kalafatin od Ropotnice | Hrid Kalafatin | 43°46,65’N | 15°21,90’E | 4 |
28. | Kasela | – |
43°44,50’N
|
15°23,70’E | 342.384 |
29. | Kaselica | – | 43°44,25’N | 15°23,95’E | 2.469 |
30. | Kolobučar | Klobučar |
43°44,40’N
|
15°23,25’E | 110.003 |
31. | Koritnjak | – | 43°46,95’N | 15°20,55’E | 116.600 |
32. | Kornat | – | 43°48,10’N | 15°20,00’E | 32.463.820 |
33. | Kurba | Kurba Vela | 43°41,80’N | 15°29,85’E | 1.736.793 |
34. | Lavsa | – | 43°45,10’N | 15°22,50’E | 1.756.113 |
35. | Levrnaka | – | 43°49,30’N | 15°15,30’E | 1.833.883 |
36. | Lučmarinjak | – | 43°41,00’N | 15°29,30’E | 100.503 |
37. | Lunga | – | 43°43,75’N | 15°25,40’E | 617.814 |
38. | Mana | – | 43°48,10’N | 15°16,50’E | 395.627 |
39. | Maslinjak | – | 43°48,00’N | 15°18,00’E | 65.363 |
40 | Mrtenjak | Mrtovnjak |
43°42,50’N
|
15°32,40’E | 97.928 |
41. | Mrtvac | Mrtovac |
43°49,55’N
|
15°14,10’E | 48.875 |
42. | Obručan M. | – | 43°50,15’N | 15°13,50’E | 4.618 |
43. | Obručan V. | – | 43°50,10’N | 15°13,90’E | 96.552 |
44. | Okjuč | – | 43°41,70’N | 15°28,65’E | 358.291 |
45. | Opuh Južni | Puh G. | 43°40,50’N | 15°30,20’E | 7.175 |
46. | Opuh Kameni | Kameni Puh | 43°40,60’N | 15°31,35’E | 9.290 |
47. | Opuh Vodeni | Vodeni Puh | 43°40,70’N | 15°30,95’E | 6.766 |
48. | Opuh Zmorašnji | Puh |
43°40,60’N
|
15°29,95’E
|
13.625 |
49. | Oršjak (Krpejina) | Krpeljina | 43°45,30’N | 15°24,65’E | 13.449 |
50. | Panitula M. | – | 43°45,30’N | 15°21,50’E | 30.699 |
51. | Panitula V. | – | 43°45,50’N | 15°20,90’E | 147.762 |
52. | Piškera (Jadra) | Piškera |
43°46,05’N
|
15°20,60’E | 2.668.046 |
53. | Plescina | – |
43°48,50’N
|
15°16,50’E | 39.846 |
54. | Prduša | Prduša V. | 43°42,85’N | 15°27,40’E | 48.779 |
55. | Prišnjak V. (Crnikovac) | Prišnjak V. |
43°44,30’N
|
15°24,45’E | 91.812 |
56. | Prišnjak M. | – | 43°44,20’N | 15°24,65’E | 6.464 |
57. | Purara M. | Hrid Klint | 43°41,60’N |
15°26,90’E
|
2.288 |
58. | Purara V. | Purara |
43°41,85’N
|
15°26,50’E | 24.423 |
59. | Rašip | Rašip V. | 43°46,70’N | 15°18,60’E | 246.069 |
60. | Rašip M. | – | 43°47,35’N | 15°17,75’E | 154.559 |
61. | Rašipić | – | 43°47,05’N | 15°18,20’E | 10.872 |
62. | Samograd | – |
43°41,30’N
|
15°33,65’E | 44.894 |
63. | Sika Ravna | – | 43°44,80’N | 15°25,80’E | 40.210 |
64. | Sikica D. | Bubuljaš V. | 43°47,95’N | 15°17,30’E | 5.710 |
65. | Sikica G. | Bubuljaš M. | 43°48,05’N |
15°17,55’E
|
3.585 |
66. | Sikica Plitka | Bisagica |
43°48,20’N
|
15°17,70’E | 2.594 |
67. | Skrižanja M. | Skrižanj M. |
43°42,10’N
|
15°31,40’E | 12.694 |
68. | Skrižanja V. | Skrižanj V. | 43°41,95’N |
15°31,70’E
|
71.701 |
69. | Smokica M. | Smokvica M. | 43°43,45’N |
15°29,50’E
|
9.285 |
70. | Smokica V. | Smokvica V. | 43°43,70’N | 15°28,80’E | 1.054.430 |
71. | Smokvenjak | – |
43°51,00’N
|
15°14,60’E
|
79.108 |
72. | Strižnjak | – | 43°49,15’N |
15°17,10’E
|
26.778 |
73. | Sušica | – | 43°49,70’N |
15°15,35’E
|
58.431 |
74. | Svršata | Svršata Vela | 43°51,65’N |
15°16,85’E
|
270.089 |
75. | Svršata Mala | – |
43°51,55’N
|
15°17,50’E
|
15.159 |
76. | Šilo | Šilo Velo | 43°51,30’N | 15°14,05’E | 676.758 |
77. | Škanj Mali | Hrid Škanj | 43°45,35’N |
15°21,35’E
|
683 |
78. | Škanj V. | Hrid Škanj |
43°45,35’N
|
15°21,25’E
|
2.015 |
79. | Škuj | Škulj |
43°43,30’N
|
15°27,60’E
|
881.017 |
80. | Tovarnjak (V. Prišnjak) | Prišnjak V. |
43°50,30’N
|
15°14,70’E
|
23.841 |
81. | Vesejuh | Veseljuh | 43°45,90’N |
15°22,20’E
|
14.888 |
82. | Vodenjak | – | 43°43,75’N |
15°24,20’E
|
80.964 |
83. | Vodenjak (Prduša M.) | Prduša M. | 43°42,60’N |
15°27,40’E
|
25.333 |
84. | Vodenjak M. (Žakanac) | Žakanac | 43°43,30’N |
15°25,90’E
|
7.343 |
85. | Volić Hr. | – | 43°42,10’N | 15°26,10’E | 950 |
86. | Vrtlić | – |
43°41,60’N
|
15°33,00’E | 13.525 |
87. | Zornik | – | 43°51,20’N | 15°14,50’E | 6.635 |
88. | Žakan Kameni | – | 43°43,15’N |
15°26,60’E
|
320.008 |
89. | Žakan Ravni | – | 43°43,65’N | 15°26,35’E | 301.058 |
Total area: 49.667.648


History of Kornati National Park
1965. First written proposal for the establishment of Kornati National Park (Sven Kulušić: “Kornati Island Group”, Geography Herald, 27, 215-245, Zagreb, 1965): “… Kornati island group will present a priceless national treasure in modern tourism only under condition that it remains as it was a few years ago: a beautiful, untouched and unspoiled image of the past, a monument to the human labour and a witness of a difficult life struggle. Whether it’s attainable, it’s the question that can only be answered by the community, not excluding the possibility of establishing a national park…”
1967. The Executive Council of the Parliament of SR Croatia announces the passage of the Decision to Proclaim the Kornati Islands (all four island chains) and the southeast part of Long Island with the Telašćica Bay for a natural area reservation as described in the Nature Conservation Act, articles 20 and 22 (Decision Nr. 3178/2-238-1967, 30. June 1967., “Narodne Novine” 31/67). With that decision, Kornati received one of the lowest forms of protection, one that didn’t provide for the reservation’s own management.
1976. A study created as a proposal for a discussion of the new Spatial Plan for the areas with special purposes. That is, a proposal to create a national park of the Kornati Islands and the southeast part of Long Island.
1980. The Parliament of SR Croatia enacted Kornati National Park Act (“Narodne novine” 31/80) which came into force on August 13, 1980. Kornati National Park included the so-called Lower Kornati (Kornat Island and Piškera island chains) as well as the southeast part of Long Island with the Telašćica Bay.
1981. Management for a part of Kornati National Park founded in Šibenik.
1982. Management for a part of Kornati National Park founded in Zadar.
1983. County councils of Šibenik and Zadar signed the Agreement on common promotion, conservation and protection of Kornati National Park.
1985. In April, after the county councils in Šibenik and Zadar couldn’t agree on the management of Kornati National Park, the council of County Group in Split passed the Decision to establish pre-incorporated Work Organization Kornati National Park ((“Službeni glasnik Zajednice općina Split” 3/85) which was then registered at the County Court in Split in September.
1986. In May, a court finally dissolves the two managements of parts of the national park.
1986. In July, Ordinance on Order in Kornati National Park published. (“Službeni vjesnik općina Drniš, Knin i Šibenik” 20/86)
1988. Because of divergent approaches to the park management by the two counties covering parts of the park, Act on Changing the Kornati National Park Act was enacted in April (“Narodne novine” 14/88). The northwest part of the existing Kornati National Park was marked off and established as Telašćica Nature Park, while the bigger part of the national park in the area covered by Šibenik County retained the status and the name of Kornati National Park (223.75 km2 with 91 islands, islets and reefs).
1990. The Decision to Establish Spatial Plan of Kornati National Park (“Narodne novine” 2/90) enacted in the Parliament of SR Croatia at the session of the Council of Counties (27. 12. 1989), and then at the session of the Council of Workers (11. 01. 1990).
1994. Croatian Parliament enacted Nature Conservation Act. (“Narodne novine” 30/94 and 72/94)
1996. Ordinance on Order in Kornati National Part brought into force. (“Narodne novine” 38/96)
1997. Act on the Changes to the Kornati National Park Act enacted (“Narodne novine” 13/97). The boundaries of the Park were changed so the Park subsequently covered 217 km2 with 89 islands, islets and reefs.
2003. Croatian Parliament brought into force a new Spatial Plan for the Kornati NP (Narodne novine 118/03)
2003. Croatian Parliament enacted a new Nature Conservation Act. (“N.N.” 162/03)
2005. Croatian Parliament enacted a new Nature Conservation Act. (“N.N.” 70/05).
2008. Croatian Parliament enacted Changes and Amendments to the Nature Conservation Act. (“N.N.” 139/08).
2010. A new Ordinance on Order in Kornati National Park enacted and was put into effect on January 1, 2011. (“N.N.” 141/10)
2011. Changes and Amendments to the Ordinance on Order in Kornati National Park enacted. (“N.N” 53/11)
2011. Croatian Parliament enacted Changes and Amendments to the Nature Conservation Act. (“N.N.” 57/11)


Kornati – Geographic Data
The Kornati archipelago, as a separate and special island group located between Šibenik and Zadar islands, covers the area of about 320 km2 and includes about 150 land units, located either permanently or frequently above the sea. The archipelago makes 12% of all the islands in the Croatian Adriatic – 1264 islands, 67 of them inhabited. It has been long attracting the attention of yachtsmen, divers, mountaineers and other nature lovers. From Balabra to Samograd, distance of 35 km or 19 nautical miles (between Long Island and Žirje islets), and from Mana to Gangarol, distance of 13 km or 7 nautical miles (between the open sea and Pašman, Vrgada and Murter) there are four island chains in two groups. One of them is the Upper Kornati – Sit and Žut island chains with 51 land unit, and the other one is the Lower Kornati with 98 land units.
The northernmost island of the archipelago is the Mala Balabra islet (43° 56′ 50” N, 15° 17′ 00” E), the southernmost one is Južnji Opuh (43° 40′ 29” N, 15° 30′ 08” E), Vela Alba is westernmost (43° 52′ 14” N, 15° 12′ 42” E), while the easternmost island is Samograd (43° 41′ 15” N, 15° 33′ 42” E).
The average area of a Kornati island is only 0.55 km2, but you have to take into account that Kornat (32.5 km2) and Žut (14.8 km2) cover about 70% of the land area. If we add Piškera, Levrnaka, Lavsa and Sita, we get 88% of the total land area of the Kornati archipelago (69,452,963 m2). Only nine islands is larger than one square kilometre and 76 of them is smaller than one hectare. According to some measurements, the coast of the island of Kornat is 66 km long, while the Lower Kornati (that is, the Kornati National Park) have the coast 238 kilometres long.

Kornati – List Of Islands
Name of the island | Area (m2) | |
1. | Aba V. | 383.042 |
2. | Arapovac | 9.918 |
3. | Babina Guzica | 11.176 |
4. | Balun | 49.553 |
5. | Bisaga | 92.237 |
6. | Bisaga | 6.084 |
7. | Blitvica | 5.329 |
8. | Borovnik | 273.219 |
9. | Crnikovac | 20.691 |
10. | Desetinjak | 2.324 |
11. | Desetinjak D. | 1.260 |
12. | Desetinjak G. | 1.210 |
13. | Dragunarica M. | 50 |
14. | Dragunarica V. | 17.344 |
15. | Garmenjak | 131.858 |
16. | Golić | 10.275 |
17. | Gominjak | 253.298 |
18. | Grego | 50.204 |
19 | Gustac | 284.502 |
20. | Gustac | 284.450 |
21. | Janjčar | 59.309 |
22. | Kalafatin | 77 |
23. | Kalafatin (Hrid Kamičić) | 844 |
24. | Kalafatin D. | 72 |
25. | Kalafatin od Gustaca (Hrid Gizela) | 26 |
26. | Kalafatin od Piškere | 41 |
27. | Kalafatin od Ropotnice | 4 |
28. | Kasela | 342.384 |
29. | Kaselica | 2.469 |
30. | Kolobučar | 110.003 |
31. | Koritnjak | 116.600 |
32. | Kornat | 32.463.820 |
33. | Kurba | 1.736.793 |
34. | Lavsa | 1.756.113 |
35. | Levrnaka | 1.833.883 |
36. | Lučmarinjak | 100.503 |
37. | Lunga | 617.814 |
38. | Mana | 395.627 |
39. | Maslinjak | 65.363 |
40 | Mrtenjak | 97.928 |
41. | Mrtvac | 48.875 |
42. | Obručan M. | 4.618 |
43. | Obručan V. | 96.552 |
44. | Okjuč | 358.291 |
45. | Opuh Južni | 7.175 |
46. | Opuh Kameni | 9.290 |
47. | Opuh Vodeni | 6.766 |
48. | Opuh Zmorašnji | 13.625 |
49. | Oršjak (Krpejina) | 13.449 |
50. | Panitula M. | 30.699 |
51. | Panitula V. | 147.762 |
52. | Piškera (Jadra) | 2.668.046 |
53. | Plescina | 39.846 |
54. | Prduša | 48.779 |
55. | Prišnjak V. (Crnikovac) | 91.812 |
56. | Prišnjak M. | 6.464 |
57. | Purara M. | 2.288 |
58. | Purara V. | 24.423 |
59. | Rašip | 246.069 |
60. | Rašip M. | 154.559 |
61. | Rašipić | 10.872 |
62. | Samograd | 44.894 |
63. | Sika Ravna | 40.210 |
64. | Sikica D. | 5.710 |
65. | Sikica G. | 3.585 |
66. | Sikica Plitka | 2.594 |
67. | Skrižanja M. | 12.694 |
68. | Skrižanja V. | 71.701 |
69. | Smokica M. | 9.285 |
70. | Smokica V. | 1.054.430 |
71. | Smokvenjak | 79.108 |
72. | Strižnjak | 26.778 |
73. | Sušica | 58.431 |
74. | Svršata | 270.089 |
75. | Svršata Mala | 15.159 |
76. | Šilo | 676.758 |
77. | Škanj Mali | 683 |
78. | Škanj V. | 2.015 |
79. | Škuj | 881.017 |
80. | Tovarnjak (V. Prišnjak) | 23.841 |
81. | Vesejuh | 14.888 |
82. | Vodenjak | 80.964 |
83. | Vodenjak (Prduša M.) | 25.333 |
84. | Vodenjak M. (Žakanac) | 7.343 |
85. | Volić Hr. | 950 |
86. | Vrtlić | 13.525 |
87. | Zornik | 6.635 |
88. | Žakan Kameni | 320.008 |
89. | Žakan Ravni | 301.058 |


History of Kornati National Park
1965. First written proposal for the establishment of Kornati National Park (Sven Kulušić: “Kornati Island Group”, Geography Herald, 27, 215-245, Zagreb, 1965): “… Kornati island group will present a priceless national treasure in modern tourism only under condition that it remains as it was a few years ago: a beautiful, untouched and unspoiled image of the past, a monument to the human labour and a witness of a difficult life struggle. Whether it’s attainable, it’s the question that can only be answered by the community, not excluding the possibility of establishing a national park…”
1967. The Executive Council of the Parliament of SR Croatia announces the passage of the Decision to Proclaim the Kornati Islands (all four island chains) and the southeast part of Long Island with the Telašćica Bay for a natural area reservation as described in the Nature Conservation Act, articles 20 and 22 (Decision Nr. 3178/2-238-1967, 30. June 1967., “Narodne Novine” 31/67). With that decision, Kornati received one of the lowest forms of protection, one that didn’t provide for the reservation’s own management.
1976. A study created as a proposal for a discussion of the new Spatial Plan for the areas with special purposes. That is, a proposal to create a national park of the Kornati Islands and the southeast part of Long Island.
1980. The Parliament of SR Croatia enacted Kornati National Park Act (“Narodne novine” 31/80) which came into force on August 13, 1980. Kornati National Park included the so-called Lower Kornati (Kornat Island and Piškera island chains) as well as the southeast part of Long Island with the Telašćica Bay.
1981. Management for a part of Kornati National Park founded in Šibenik.
1982. Management for a part of Kornati National Park founded in Zadar.
1983. County councils of Šibenik and Zadar signed the Agreement on common promotion, conservation and protection of Kornati National Park.
1985. In April, after the county councils in Šibenik and Zadar couldn’t agree on the management of Kornati National Park, the council of County Group in Split passed the Decision to establish pre-incorporated Work Organization Kornati National Park ((“Službeni glasnik Zajednice općina Split” 3/85) which was then registered at the County Court in Split in September.
1986. In May, a court finally dissolves the two managements of parts of the national park.
1986. In July, Ordinance on Order in Kornati National Park published. (“Službeni vjesnik općina Drniš, Knin i Šibenik” 20/86)
1988. Because of divergent approaches to the park management by the two counties covering parts of the park, Act on Changing the Kornati National Park Act was enacted in April (“Narodne novine” 14/88). The northwest part of the existing Kornati National Park was marked off and established as Telašćica Nature Park, while the bigger part of the national park in the area covered by Šibenik County retained the status and the name of Kornati National Park (223.75 km2 with 91 islands, islets and reefs).
1990. The Decision to Establish Spatial Plan of Kornati National Park (“Narodne novine” 2/90) enacted in the Parliament of SR Croatia at the session of the Council of Counties (27. 12. 1989), and then at the session of the Council of Workers (11. 01. 1990).
1994. Croatian Parliament enacted Nature Conservation Act. (“Narodne novine” 30/94 and 72/94)
1996. Ordinance on Order in Kornati National Part brought into force. (“Narodne novine” 38/96)
1997. Act on the Changes to the Kornati National Park Act enacted (“Narodne novine” 13/97). The boundaries of the Park were changed so the Park subsequently covered 217 km2 with 89 islands, islets and reefs.
2003. Croatian Parliament brought into force a new Spatial Plan for the Kornati NP (Narodne novine 118/03)
2003. Croatian Parliament enacted a new Nature Conservation Act. (“N.N.” 162/03)
2005. Croatian Parliament enacted a new Nature Conservation Act. (“N.N.” 70/05).
2008. Croatian Parliament enacted Changes and Amendments to the Nature Conservation Act. (“N.N.” 139/08).
2010. A new Ordinance on Order in Kornati National Park enacted and was put into effect on January 1, 2011. (“N.N.” 141/10)
2011. Changes and Amendments to the Ordinance on Order in Kornati National Park enacted. (“N.N” 53/11)
2011. Croatian Parliament enacted Changes and Amendments to the Nature Conservation Act. (“N.N.” 57/11)