View source for Dalmatia

==Geography and climate==

{{See also|Geography of Croatia}}
[[File:Split center from the air 1.jpg|thumb|right|The ancient core of the city of [[Split, Croatia|Split]], the largest city in Dalmatia, built in and around the [[Diocletian's Palace|Palace of Emperor Diocletian]].]]
[[File:J32 654 Zlatni Rat.jpg|thumb|[[Zlatni Rat]] beach on [[Brač]] island ([[Croatia]]), in the [[Adriatic Sea]], during the summer.]]
[[File:Old Port and historical center of Dubrovnik, Croatia, a view from the south (48613003236).jpg|thumb|right|The historic core of the city of [[Dubrovnik]], in southern Dalmatia.]]
Most of the land area is covered by the [[Dinaric Alps]] mountain range running from north-west to south-east. The hills and mountains lie parallel to the coast, which gave rise to the geographic term [[Concordant coastline|Dalmatian concordant coastline]]. On the coasts the climate is [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]], while further inland it is moderate Mediterranean. In the mountains, winters are frosty and snowy, while summers are hot and dry. To the south winters are milder. Over the centuries many forests have been cut down and replaced with bush and brush. There is evergreen vegetation on the coast. The soils are generally poor, except on the plains where areas with natural grass, fertile soils, and warm summers provide an opportunity for tillage. Elsewhere, land cultivation is mostly unsuccessful because of the mountains, hot summers, and poor soils, although olives, grapes, and other [[Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub|Mediterranean flora]] flourish. Electricity is mainly produced by [[hydropower]] stations. 

The largest Dalmatian mountains are [[Dinara]], [[Mosor]], [[Svilaja]], [[Biokovo]], [[Moseć]], [[Veliki Kozjak]], and [[Mali Kozjak]]. The regional geographical unit of Dalmatia–the coastal region between [[Istria]] and the [[Bay of Kotor]]–includes the [[Orjen]] mountains with the highest peak in [[Montenegro]], 1894 m. In present-day Dalmatia, the highest peak is Dinara (1913 m), which is not a coastal mountain, while the highest coastal Dinaric mountains are on Biokovo (Sv. Jure, 1762 m) and [[Velebit]] (Vaganski vrh, 1757 m),<ref name="yearbook">{{Croatia Yearbook 2015|page=48|chapter=Geographical and Meteorological Data|author=}}</ref> although the Vaganski vrh itself is located in [[Lika-Senj County]].<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Croatian Mountaineering Association|url=https://www.hps.hr/info/hrvatski-vrhovi/vaganski-vrh/|title=Vaganski vrh|language=hr|trans-title=Vaganski peak|access-date=14 August 2012|archive-date=19 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419022403/http://www.hps.hr/info/hrvatski-vrhovi/vaganski-vrh/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The largest Dalmatian islands are [[Brač]], [[Korčula]], [[Dugi Otok]], [[Mljet]], [[Vis (island)|Vis]], [[Hvar]], [[Pag (island)|Pag]], [[Ugljan]] and [[Pašman]]. The major rivers are [[Zrmanja]], [[Krka (Croatia)|Krka]], [[Cetina]], and [[Neretva]].

The Adriatic Sea's high [[water quality]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/news/environment/110728_en.htm |title=Cyprus and Croatia top EU rankings for bathing water quality |date=July 28, 2011 |publisher=European Commission |access-date=2 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521055145/http://ec.europa.eu/news/environment/110728_en.htm |archive-date=21 May 2013 }}</ref> along with the immense number of [[cove]]s, [[List of islands of Croatia|islands]], and [[strait|channels]], makes Dalmatia an attractive place for nautical races, [[nautical tourism]], and tourism in general. Dalmatia also includes several [[National parks of Croatia|national parks]] that are tourist attractions: [[Paklenica]] [[karst]] river, [[Kornati]] [[archipelago]], [[Krka National Park|Krka river rapids]], and [[Mljet National Park|the northwest of the island of Mljet]].