Adriatic Sea stretches from the northwest to the southeast between the Apennine and Balkan peninsulas for 783 km, its average width being 170 km. Its average depth is 252 meters: northwestern part is shallow, maximum 23 meters in the Bay of Trieste and much deeper in the south 1200 m in the South Adriatic basin. Major rivers joining the Adriatic are the Reno, Po, Adige, Brenta, Piave, Soča, Neretva. The Adriatic Sea is situated largely between the eastern coast of Italy and Croatia.
The west shore is generally low, merging, in the northwest, into the marshes and lagoons on either hand of the protruding delta of the river Po, the sediment of which has pushed forward the coastline for several miles within historic times—Adria is now some distance from the shore.
The east coast is generally bold and rocky, with many islands. South of the Istrian Peninsula, from the Bay of Kvarner, the island fringe of the east coast extends as far south as Dubrovnik. The island of Cres is the largest island in the sea, slightly larger than nearby Krk.
The islands, which are long and narrow, rise rather abruptly to elevations of a few hundred feet, with the exception of a few larger islands like Brač or the peninsula Pelješac. There are over a thousand islands in the Adriatic, 66 of which are inhabited.
It is interesting to note the vast difference between the Italian and Croatian coasts on the Adriatic. Although only a small distance from each other, the Croatian Coast and beaches are generally many times clearer, cleaner and bluer than Italy's. Croatia is known for its Crystal clear water.
Major cities on the eastern coast Umag, Poreč, Rovinj, Pula, Opatija, Rijeka, Senj, Zadar, Biograd, Šibenik, Trogir, Split, Makarska, Ploče and Dubrovnik.
The prevailing winds are, the cold bura northeast wind, the humid jugo southern wind, the refreshing maestral western wind.
The east coast is generally bold and rocky, with many islands. South of the Istrian Peninsula, the island-fringe of the east coast extends as far south as Dubrovnik.
The islands, which are long and narrow, rise rather abruptly to elevations of a few hundred feet, with the exception of a few larger islands like Brač (Vidova gora, 778 m) or the peninsula Pelješac (St. Ilija, 961 m). There are over a thousand islands in the Adriatic, 66 of which are inhabited. Both coasts are popular tourist destinations and many consider this sea the most beautiful in the world.
The Adriatic Sea is situated largely between the eastern coast of Italy and Croatia, both major tourist attractions.
