Hvar Island is 68 kilometers long, the longest Adriatic island of Cres and the fourth by total area (300 square meters). The road that runs the entire length of the island of Hvar to the eastern end of Sucuraj, is 84 km long. The high plateau of Mount St. Nicholas (626 m above sea level) and Hum (603 m), which extends from the Holy Sunday to Jelsa, partly covered with pine woods and partly arable land is marked by distinctive beauty and fresh air. The plain that extends between the Old Town, Vrboske and Jelsa is under vineyards, from which annually produces up to 50 000 hectoliters of wine.
Hvar is less known for its stone from the nearby islands of Brac and Korcula, Trogir or on land. Nevertheless, the so-called "Greek cave" near Mikićevice with the remains of ancient quarries, a few famous stone works, records of travel writers who have spoken on the island of Hvar as a "city of marble" and a number of renowned sculptor to the most famous Croatian sculptor of modern point to an almost forgotten tradition of processing stone. There are documents on the export of white limestone in Berlin for the construction of the Houses of Parliament, government buildings and palaces of the Federal Council.
The island is covered with evergreen oak (Orno-Quercetum ilicis) and pines (Pinus halapensis Mill. Dalmatica and Pinus nigra). Šćedro is particularly rich variety of Mediterranean trees and plants. Deciduous Oriental hornbeam (Carpinetum croaticum orientalis) occurs in the higher mountains, about 400 meters above sea level.
Wine, lavender and honey have long been the main agricultural products of Hvar. Hvar wine, along with other Dalmatian wines, successfully exported to France and Hungary in the period 1870-1894., When phylloxera devastated most of the Dalmatian vineyards. At that time, early 20 century, large numbers of islanders emigrated to North and South America. Locals have become pioneers of wine growing in California, and is still greatly involved in local wine production. In the 1880s the total production of rosemary oil on the island has reached 20 000 kg. Oil in the early 20th century exported to Trieste, where it was purchased perfume factory in England, France and Germany. Rosemary picked up on sunny days, usually from June to mid-August, sometimes to the end of September, in areas that are exploiting every three years. Unlike Spain, which is distilled the whole harvested plant, here in the distillation process uses only dry leaves.
Hvar is the waters of ancient times was known by the abundance of sardines and other pelagic fish, especially the part of the waters of the island to Paklenjaci Lukavac Šćedro and east of the peninsula. Hvar is one of the best studied of the Dalmatian islands in the area of natural science and zoology.
Powered by Google Translate