 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Croatian. (November 2024)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
TheDalmatian Hinterland (Croatian:Dalmatinska zagora,Italian:La Morlacca orZagora dalmata) is the southern inlandhinterland in the historicalCroatian region ofDalmatia. The namezagora means 'beyond (the) hills', which is a reference to the fact that it is the part ofDalmatia that is not coastal and the existence of theconcordant coastline where hills run parallel to the coast.
Dalmatian Zagora, in the strict sense, spans from the hinterland east ofŠibenik to the border withBosnia and Herzegovina and continues south toVrgorac, just north of theNeum corridor. Its borders are present in two counties:Split-Dalmatia andŠibenik-Knin.
The terrain in Zagora is fairly rugged: in the region immediately bordering the coastline, it is mostly flat but dry, mainly covered withmakija (maquis, macchia). More inland, greener pastures can be seen, as the climate and elevations change.Karst topography dominates the landscape. The land is interspersed with river canyons, ofKrka,Čikola,Cetina and others.
One national park is located in Zagora, theKrka National Park.
The aforementioned geographical and climate conditions influenced the life patterns of the historically importantshepherd population: in the wintertime, they were moving their numerous flocks from the mountains to the coast. Historic population of Zagora has included theIllyrians and theVlachs.
The area has had diminishing human settlement in the last few centuries, although many towns and villages remain scattered all over Zagora. The larger towns includeKnin,Drniš,Vrlika,Sinj,Vrgorac,Trilj andImotski. Villages includeBiskupija,Kistanje,Kijevo,Unešić,Oklaj,Ružić,Aržano,Dicmo,Muć,Cista Provo,Prgomet,Hrvace,Lovreć,Šestanovac,Zmijavci, etc.
Two major roads intersect Zagora – theD1 state road which comes fromZagreb, crosses fromLika through Knin and Sinj, down toSplit, and the recently builtA1 highway, which meanders nearZadar and Benkovac, passing throughout Zagora, via the Dugopolje exit (to Split) and on toPloče.
The railway links Zagreb withKnin, from Knin to Zadar, from Knin to Perković, where the line splits to Šibenik or to Split.
| Principal historical regions |  | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smaller regions |
| ||||||||
43°42′42″N16°17′02″E / 43.7117987°N 16.28400123°E /43.7117987; 16.28400123
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
