Split-Dalmatia County ( ) is a central-southern
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
n county in
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 ...
. The administrative center is
Split. The population of the county is 455,242 (2011). The land area is 4.540 km
2, the total area is 14.106,40 km
2.
Split-Dalmatia County is Croatia's most rapidly urbanising and developing region, as economic opportunities and living standards are among the highest alongside capital
Zagreb
Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
and
Istria County
Istria County (; ; , "Istrian Region") is the westernmost Counties of Croatia, county of Croatia which includes the majority of the Istrian peninsula.
Administrative centers in the county are Pazin, Pula and Poreč. Istria County has the larg ...
.
Physically, the county is divided into three main parts: an elevated hinterland (''
Dalmatinska zagora'') with numerous
karst
Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...
fields; a narrow coastal strip with high population density; and the islands. Parts of the
Dinaric Alps, including
Dinara itself, form the border with
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
while the Kozjak, Mosor and
Biokovo mountains separate the coastal strip from the hinterland.
Important economic activities include agriculture, manufacturing and fishing, though the most important one is tourism.
The county is linked to the rest of Croatia by the newly built four-lane
Split-
Zadar-
Karlovac
Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. In the 2021 census, its population was 49,377.
Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located southwest of Zagreb and northeast of Rijeka, and is connected to them via the ...
-
Zagreb
Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
highway and the
Lika railway.
Split Airport is the busiest airport in the region.
In the hinterland, the larger towns are
Sinj (pop. 11,500 town, 25,373 with villages),
Imotski (4,350) and
Vrgorac (2,200).
Besides the largest city,
Split (189,000 city proper, 250,000 including
Kaštela and
Solin), the towns on the coast are
Trogir (11,000),
Omiš (6,500) and
Makarska (13,400).
On the islands, the populations are smaller due to high levels of emigration, but are still mostly urban in character. The main townships are:
Supetar (3,300) on the island of
Brač;
Hvar town (3,700) and
Stari Grad (1,900) on
Hvar; and
Vis town (1,800) and
Komiža (1,500) on
Vis.
History
The name ''Dalmatia'' comes from an
Illyrian tribe called the
Dalmatae who inhabited the area of the eastern
Adriatic coast in the 1st millennium BC. It was part of the
Illyrian kingdom from the 4th century BC until the
Illyrian Wars in the 220s BC and 168 BC when the
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...
established its protectorate south of the river
Neretva. Dalmatia as a geographical name was in use probably from the second half of the 2nd century BC for the area spanning the eastern Adriatic coast between the
Krka and Neretva rivers. It was slowly incorporated into Roman possessions until the province of
Illyricum was formally established c. 32–27 BC.
Dalmatia became part of the Roman province of
Illyricum. In 9 AD, the Dalmatians raised the final of
a series of revolts together with the
Pannonians, but it was finally crushed, and in 10 AD, Illyricum was split into two provinces,
Pannonia and
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
which spread into larger area inland to cover all of the
Dinaric Alps and most of the eastern Adriatic coast. Dalmatia was the birthplace of the Roman Emperor
Diocletian
Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...
, who constructed
Diocletian's Palace in the core of what is now Split.
Administrative division
Split-Dalmatia County is divided into 16 cities and 39 municipalities. Note that both cities and municipalities are administrative divisions immediately under the county, on the same level.
County government
Current
Župan (prefect):
Blaženko Boban (
HDZ)
The county assembly is composed of 47 representatives from the following parties:
*
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ): 18
*
The Bridge (Most): 7
*
Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP): 6
* Coalition "FOR" (ZA): 5
**
Croatian Social Liberal Party
The Croatian Social Liberal Party ( or HSLS) is a conservative-liberal political party in Croatia.
The HSLS were established in May 1989 in Zagreb
Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#Li ...
(HSLS)
**
Independent Youth List (NLM)
** Smart for Split and Dalmatia (Pametno)
*
Centre (CENTAR): 4
*
Croatian Civic Party (HGS): 4
*
Homeland Movement (DP): 3
(as of 2021)
Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Split-Dalmatia County has population of 454,798.
Croats
The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...
make up an absolute majority with 97.08% of the population.
Economy
Split-Dalmatia County has the 5th highest Human Development Index of any county in Croatia.
Before privatisation and accession to European Union, beside tourism the most notable branch was
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...
.
County now relies on tourism as main source of income.
Footnotes
External links
County web site
*
DalmatiaiNFO - Dalmatia travel portal
Split DalmatiaCounty tourist guide in English
{{Authority control
Counties of Croatia