Coastal Town of Zadar

The Italian and Balkan coasts, each on opposite sides of the narrow Adriatic Sea, are strikingly different. The emergent Italian coast of the Adriatic Sea is straight and unbroken, and its western waters are shallow. In contrast, the submergent Balkan coast is irregular and indented by fjord-like inlets, such as those near Zadar, in Dalmatia, a region of Croatia. Scores of oblong islands off the Croatian coast are aligned parallel to the shore. Here, the water is relatively deep. These differences result from the collision of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates. The collisions produce volcanoes, mountain ranges, and submergence.

Hubertus Kanus/Photo Researchers, Inc.

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Adriatic Sea; Zadar; Dalmatia

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