Adriatic Sea

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Lore & Background

The origins of the name Adriatic are linked to the Etruscan settlement of Adria, which probably derives its name from Illyrian adur 'water, sea'. In classical antiquity, the sea was known as Mare Adriaticum (Mare Hadriaticum, also sometimes simplified to Adria) or, less frequently, as Mare Superum '[the] upper sea'. The two terms were not synonymous, however. Mare Adriaticum generally corresponds to the Adriatic Sea's extent, spanning from the Gulf of Venice to the Strait of Otranto. That boundary became more consistently defined by Roman authors—early Greek sources place the boundary between the Adriatic and Ionian seas at various places ranging from adjacent to the Gulf of Venice to the southern tip of the Peloponnese, eastern shores of Sicily and western shores of Crete. During the early modern period, the entire sea was also known as the Gulf of Venice (Italian: golfo di Venezia), although that name is now informally applied only to the northern area of the sea, from Maestra Point in the Po Delta to Cape Kamenjak on the Istrian Peninsula. The Adriatic Sea sits on the Apulian or Adriatic Microplate. In the Late Oligocene, the Italian Peninsula first formed, separating the Adriatic Basin from the rest of the Mediterranean. The western coast is alluvial or terraced, while the eastern coast is highly indented with pronounced karstification. The prevailing currents flow counterclockwise from the Strait of Otranto. The Adriatic's salinity is lower than the Mediterranean's because it collects a third of the fresh water flowing into the Mediterranean, acting as a dilution basin. Early settlements on the Adriatic shores were Etruscan, Illyrian, and Greek. By the 2nd century BC, the region was under Rome's control. In the Middle Ages, the sea was controlled, to a varying extent, by a series of states—most notably the Byzantine Empire, the Croatian Kingdom, the Republic of Venice, the Habsburg monarchy and the Ottoman Empire. The Napoleonic Wars resulted in the Austrian Empire gaining control of most of the eastern Adriatic shore and the Po Valley, while the Kingdom of Italy gradually took control of the remaining Italian coast during the 19th century. Following the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918, control of the eastern coast passed to Yugoslavia and Albania, which agreed on their maritime boundaries with Italy in 1975 and 1992 respectively. After Yugoslavia's dissolution during the 1990s, its four coastal successor states—Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro—continued to recognise the previous maritime border with Italy, but have disputed the borders between themselves.

Reader's Guide

The Adriatic Sea's shores are populated by more than 3.5 million people; the largest cities are Bari, Venice, Trieste and Split. Fisheries and tourism are significant sources of income along the Adriatic coast. Maritime transport is also a significant branch of the area's economy—there are 19 seaports in the Adriatic that each handle more than a million tonnes of cargo per year. The largest Adriatic seaport by annual cargo turnover is the Port of Trieste, while the Port of Split is the largest by passengers served per year. The Adriatic contains more than 1,300 islands and islets, most along the Adriatic's eastern coast—especially in Croatia, with 1,246 counted. The Croatian islands include the largest—Cres and Krk, each covering about the same area of 405.78 square kilometres (156.67 sq mi)—and the tallest—Brač, whose peak reaches 780 metres (2,560 ft) above sea level. The Croatian islands include 47 permanently inhabited ones, the most populous among them being Krk, Korčula and Brač. The islands along the Adriatic's western (Italian) coast are smaller and less numerous than those along the opposite coast; the best-known ones are the 117 islands on which the city of Venice is built. There are dozens of marine protected areas in the Adriatic, designed to protect the sea's habitats and biodiversity—more than 7,000 species are identified as native to the Adriatic, many of them endemic, rare and threatened ones. The surface water temperatures generally range from 30 °C (86 °F) in summer to 12 °C (54 °F) in winter, significantly moderating the Adriatic Basin's climate. Tidal movements in the Adriatic are slight, although larger amplitudes occur occasionally.

Did You Know?

• The Adriatic's salinity is lower than the Mediterranean's because it collects a third of the fresh water flowing into the Mediterranean, acting as a dilution basin.
• The maximum depth of the Adriatic Sea is 1,233 metres (4,045 ft), found in the South Adriatic Pit.
• The name 'Adriatic' is linked to the Etruscan settlement of Adria, which probably derives from Illyrian 'adur' meaning 'water, sea'.
• The Croatian islands of Cres and Krk are the largest in the Adriatic, each covering about 405.78 square kilometres (156.67 sq mi).
• The Port of Trieste is the largest Adriatic seaport by annual cargo turnover, while the Port of Split is the largest by passengers served per year.