KORČULA

The island of Korcula is in the central part of Dalmatia. It spreads parallel with the nearby mainland in a westerly direction. This island, with the most sumptuous flora in the Adriatic, is a singular ecological paradise in the Mediterranean. With hundreds of differently smelling Mediterranean plants covered by expanded forests, Korcula was called in earlier times Korkyra Melaina, which meant black and wooded, Korcula.  Fir is by far the most common tree on the island. The island is 46.8 km long and from 5.3 to 7.8 km wide, with a surface area of 270 km2; it is the sixth largest island of the Adriatic. The island of Korcula is very dramatic with a series of gulfs and bays. The climate on this island is very mild and Mediterranean. The average temperatures are exceptionally high; the overall yearly average is 16.8ºC. In the coldest month of January it is 9.1ºC, while in that warmest month it is 26.9ºC.
The city of Korcula, in the centre of the island, is in an extraordinarily beautiful location on the channel of Pelješac. It has numerous buildings and cultural monuments as well as a rich tradition for navigation, shipbuilding and stone-cutting handicraft. The city is the centre of municipal administration for Korcula which includes the entire island, with its five towns (Korcula, Zrnovo, Punat, Cara and Racisce) and approximately 6,000 inhabitants. In Korcula can be found many social, cultural, economic and sanatorium institutions, as well as the following institutions:  a kindergarten, a primary school and a secondary school (gymnasium), a museum, a library, a public medical centre, tourist agencies, banks, a pharmacy, hotels and a shipyard carrying out restoration and the sale of boats.