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Archipelago

    Galešnjak

    Galesno, Otok ljubavi

    43°59′N 15°23′E

    Galešnjak (also called Island of Love, Lover's Island, Otok za zaljubljene, Love Island) is located in the Pašman Canal of the Adriatic, between the islands of Pašman and the town of Turanj on mainland Croatia. It is one of the world's few naturally occurring heart-shaped objects.

    Galešnjak seen from the mainland of Croatia.
    Galešnjak seen from the mainland of Croatia.

    Tristan Surtel / CC BY-SA 4.0

    Terrain

    43°59′N 15°23′E

    Terrain exaggerated for relief. Drag to look around.

    Overview

    Galešnjak (also called Island of Love, Lover's Island, Otok za zaljubljene, Love Island) is located in the Pašman Canal of the Adriatic, between the islands of Pašman and the town of Turanj on mainland Croatia. It is one of the world's few naturally occurring heart-shaped objects. The island has a surface area of 0.132 km2, with its beach measuring 1.55 km in length. The island features two peaks, the highest of which is 36 m high above sea level. Galešnjak is privately owned by the Jureško family who reside in Mrljane on the island of Pašman, and it contains only wild plants and trees as well as a colony of small rabbits and wild pigeons. Human activity recorded on this island is three known Illyrian burial mounds and remains of an ancient building's foundations. The island's unusual shape was first recorded in the early 19th century by Napoleon's cartographer Charles-François Beautemps-Beaupré, who included it in his 1806 atlas of the Dalmatian coast (kept today at the National and University Library in Zagreb). The island was highlighted on Google Earth in February 2009, which brought the island to worldwide attention. Recent activity on the island has created two large scars across the heart, one spanning the island from a pier on the north to the south, and the other to the west of it where the olive and fig trees are planted. The island provides facilities for engagements and small wedding parties. Daily private and organised tour departs from Tkon.

    From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Chart

    Nearest islands

    Also in Dalmatian

    • Cres

      406 km²▲ 648 m

      Major islands

    • Krk

      405 km²▲ 568 m

      Major islands

    • Brač

      396 km²▲ 780 m

      Major islands

    • Hvar

      298 km²▲ 628 m

      Major islands

    • Pag

      284 km²▲ 349 m

      Major islands

    • Korčula

      272 km²▲ 569 m

      Major islands

    • Dugi Otok

      113 km²▲ 337 m

      Major islands

    • Mljet

      97.8 km²▲ 514 m

      Major islands

    Sources

    Facts

    • Geometry, areas and high points: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Copernicus GLO-30, via Talus.
    • Talus
    • Wikidata
    • Wikipedia

    Photographs