The island of Rab i situated on the north of the Adriatic Sea as a part of the Kvarner archipelago. There is 7 towns on the Island: Lopar, Barbat, Banjol, Palit, Kampor, Mundanije, Supetarska Draga and the city of Rab. There is a population of about 9000 people on the island whose activities are tourism, farming, animal husbandring and fishing. The local people are in organized tourism from almost 110 years ago.A lot of tourists visit this island because of its pleasant air which, according to some scientific researches, has a healthy effect on heart and respiratory diseases. A long touristic tradition and the hospitality of the hosts allows a high class service offer. The home atmosphere present on the island allows you to feel like you are a part of the society for a long time.
The Climate
The island of Rab has a very pleasant mediterranean climate, which is characterized by mild winters and pleasant summers, thanks to the massif Kamenjak which shelters the island from the cold winter Bura. This winter mainly blows in winter and early spring. Except the Bura, from the southeast, mainly in autumn, blows the Jugo, a hot and wet wind that carries rain. During the summer months blows the Maestral wind, a pleasant breezy wind. During the year Rab has an average of 91 sunny days and is one of the sunniest parts of Europe with only 9 cloudy days during the summer. The average number of sunny hours per year is 2,479 or 6 hours per day. In July the average number of sunny hours per day is 12. There is about 1042mm of precipitations during the year. The sea temperature is relatively high that helps the development of turism because you can swim from May till October. The average sea temperature during the year is 15, 75 °C, from May to October is above 20 °C and during the winter is 12 °C. The average air temperature during the year is 16,8°C, during the summer is 26 °C and during the winter is 8 °C.
The Winds
The Bura and the Jugo are the main winds that blows on the Adriatic. They prevail from September till May. The prevailing wind in summer is the Maestral. The Bura is a cold northeastern wind that blows from the inland to the sea and brings nice weather. The Jugo is a wet southwestern wind that brings rain and heavy clouds and doesn’t start immediately like the Bura, but takes 36-38 hours to develop. The Maestral is a local wind that blows from the sea, mostly during the summer. It starts blowing around 11 in the morning, raises to it’s highest power at 3 hours in the afternoon and calms down with the dusk. It is followed by white clouds. There are also other winds like the Burin, a northeastern wind that blows during the summer from the inland. The Tramontana and th eastern Levante are easier versions of the Bura.
The Landscape
The unusual beauty of the island is made by a rhythm of hills and valleys. The uplift that begins with the peninsula Kalifront, through the Kampor valley, merges with higher hills that are stretched from northwest to southeast, from Gonar to Kaldanac in Rab and Banjol. The highest point of the island is the massif Kamenjak which direction is parallel to the Velebit massif and is 408m high. The Kamenjak slopes steeply merges with the Velebit canal’s sea. These slopes acts like a natural barrier against the cold northern wind – Bura. The Lopar peninsula has a lot of sandy beaches in its numerous bays. There are two major bays on the island, the Supetar bay and the Kampor bay. Between the cape Kamenjak and the cape Frkanj there is a sequence of small bays perfect for enjoying your vacation. In direction to east are situated the Saint Eufemija bay and the Rapska luka bay and also the Prva, Druga and Treća Padova beaches. There are a lot of small islands around the island of Rab, that together with the numerous bays contribute to the beauty of this island.
The History
The first data about the island of Rab can be found in the works of antique writers, but it’s sure that the man lived on the island a lot of time earlier. The founds of late paleolithic tools on the Lopar area proves that there lived the paleolithic man. Then came the neolithic man and after that the Liburninans settled down on this area. The assumption that in that period starts to appear todays port and town of Rab, is real. The oldest data about Rab can be found in the writings of various Greek and Roman geographers. In those writings Rab is mentioned under the names of Arba, Arva, Arbia, Arbitana. The origins of that name can’t be determinated for sure, but in the indo-european translation Arb should mean something like dark, woody that are some of the characteritics of the island untill today. That name was translated by the Croats to suit their language and became Rab.
