Based on its geographic position, economic and demographic development, settlements structure and function, and distribution of political power, the Croatian archipelago can be classified as part of the Croatian periphery. However, within the area that comprises 50 settled islands, there are significant differences in development of various sized islands, particularly those with urban settlements. Out of a total of 321 island settlements, only 12 of them are administrative towns. _x000D_
For a long time, small rural island settlements have been exposed to the negative processes such as depopulation, aging, emigration, and economic decline. The recent census data shows that many small islands have experienced population growth while larger islands have recorded demographic decline. Therefore, the main objective of the research is to determine the cause of that paradoxical situation. Also, to see what is the strenght of the local towns for overall development of the islands and how resilient are island comunities to negative demographic trends. The focus of the study is on demographic development differences between urban and rural island settlements, as well as an analysis of recent trends affecting the sensitive island environments. _x000D_

Anica Cuka
Department of Geography, University of Zadar, Croatia

 
ID Abstract: 728