Geographical Bases for Modern Development of Ploča Island (Drvenik Mali)

Abstract

Ploča Island, as it is called by its inhabitants and the inhabitants of the local area, or Drvenik Mali, as it is usually called in official records and on the maps (3.43 sq. km, 54 inhabitants in 2001) is a part of Trogir Islands in central Dalmatian archipelago. It is located near Drvenik (Veli) Island and the adjacent islets and rocks, and together they make a specific insular area with certain problems concerning spatial development and survival both in the past and in modern times, at the dawn of the 21st century. Within the project titled Geographical Bases of the Development of Small Croatian Islands we did a field research in 2003 and analyzed different data sources in order to investigate the basic natural-geographic features of the island, particularly for the purpose of its modern and future socio-economic development. In order to realize and define the modern valorization of the island, we took particular interest in geographic position, geomorphologic, vegetational and hydrographic features, as well as in demographic and economic structures.