Croatia, Zadar

Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea, with a population of 72,718 (2006). It is the fifth largest Croatian city. 93% of its citizens are ethnic Croats (2001 census).
It is the centre of modern Croatia's Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Zadar is located opposite the islands of Ugljan and Pašman, from which it is separated by the narrow Zadar Strait.

The promontory on which the old city stands used to be separated from the mainland by a deep moat which has since become a landfill. The harbor, to the north-east of the town, is safe and spacious.

History

The entire district of present day Zadar was populated since prehistoric times. The earliest evidence of human life comes from the Late Stone Age, while numerous settlements have been dated as early as the Neolithic. Before the Illyrians, the area was inhabited by an ancient Mediterranean people.
Recent history
In the early 1990s the tragic Yugoslav wars began to devastate the country. Zadar became a part of the new Republic of Croatia.

The siege of the city lasted from 1991 until January 1993 when Zadar and the surrounding area came under the control of Croatian forces in Operation Maslenica. Attacks on the city continued until the end of the war in 1995.

Culture

The first university of Zadar is mentioned in 1396 and it was a part of the Dominican monastery. It closed in 1807.

Zadar was, along with Split and Dubrovnik, one of the centres of development of Croatian literature.

In the second half of the 19th century, Zadar was a centre of the movement for the cultural and national revivals in Dalmatia (Italian and Croatian).

Economy

Major industries include tourism, traffic, seaborne trade, agriculture, fishing and fish farming activities, metal manufacturing and mechanical engineering industry, chemicals and non-metal industry and banking.

Sports

The local basketball club is KK Zadar, and the football club NK Zadar. The bowling club Kuglački klub Zadar is also very successful.

Transportation

In the 20th century, roads became more important than sea routes, but Zadar remained an important traffic point. The main road along the Adriatic passes through the city.

Since 1966, a railroad has linked it with Knin, where it joins the main railroad from Zagreb to Split.

It has an international sea line to Ancona in Italy. The Zadar Airport is located in Zemunik, around 14 km to the east.