The 45th parallel passes through the island, whilst its longest part is 38 km and its widest 20 km long. Its coast is around 190 km long. The closest mainland is only about a hundred metres away and its neighbouring islands are the islands of Cres, Goli and Rab; a few smaller islands also pertain to it (the largest being Plavnik, which has 17 km of coast, and the smaller Školjić with just 400 m of coast); it has an unusual and varied relief, climbing from the north-western part to the south-eastern part – from picturesque gentle coves and lagoons, along fertile fields and dense forests with sub-mediterranean vegetation, to the parts of bare limestone and real mountain landscape. On the island of Krk there are three streams and two lakes.

On the highest mountain top, Obzovi (570 m), visitors may forget that they are actually on an island. Here some very specific phenomena can be found – such as the flora in Krk which includes around 1400 species of land plants, which are almost half of the total in Croatia. Its unique plant the “Barbašova lazarkinja” is one of the world's rarities and it only grows in the Baška lagoon.

Amongst its fauna, we can count rare species too, bird species, for example, vary from eagles/vultures to the oriental steppe "vrški tić". To all this complex contrast of natural characteristics we should add a Mediterranean climate – hot summers and mild winters, a cold continental wind that blows from the north-east-the bura and the humid jugo, and a pleasant summer wind, the maestral that blows from the west.

Literally all roads lead to the island of Krk: from the land – over theKrk bridge; from the sea – by boats into the ports or small marinas, and by ferry to the Valbiska harbour, from the air – by plane to Rijeka's airport which is located close to Omišalj.

The island of Krk is just 30 kilometres away from the city of Rijeka – which is the traffic, business, commercial, university and cultural centre of Kvarner. No matter which road you choose, on your arrival to the island of Krk, you will certainly find that the golden island has been honoured with the uniqueness of variety – and is a connection between present and past, modernity and the antiquated, legend and reality.

Since ancient times it is believed that the destiny of the island of Krk is connected to the number seven: it was inhabited by the Croatian people in the 7th century, it has survived attacks by pirates seven times, the seventh nobleman from the Frankopan family was the last Prince of Krk. Today the island of Krk has seven centres.

Discover our island – uncover its charms and treasures in every season: cruise through its beautiful and varied landscapes, visit its thousand year-old monuments, museums and galleries. Breathe in the feeling of wellbeing whilst walking along the romantic pathways by the sea or along the wild shepherd's rock paths. Enjoy the magical tastes of Krk cuisine and delightful home-made wine. Take advantage of your stay by enjoying the delights the entire island is offers in the solidity of its rich and varied accommodation, and tourist and catering offer.

Geography
The island of Krk is the most northerly island on the Mediterranean and is located in the Kvarner bay. It is the largest island on the Adriatic with a surface area of 409.9 km2. Around twenty small islands, cliffs and reefs are located around the island. Krk is the island with the highest number of inhabited villages, 68 in total. The number of inhabitants on the island today is 17,860.

Climate, flora and fauna: The island of Krk is located in a moderate and mild Mediterranean climate zone. The average summer temperature is 23 oC, the average sea temperature in the period from June to September is 20 oC. The most frequent winds are the bura, jugo and maestral. So on the north and south-eastern part of the island the jugo blows more frequently, and in part of the central and northern part of the island the bura prevails.
There is no rain in July, and only small amounts fall in June, August and September. November is the month with the highest number of rainy days. The island of Krk is included amongst the sunniest parts of Europe with 2500 hours of sun per year. The variety of relief and favourable climatatic conditions have contributed to the development of almost 1400 different plant species. In the central and western part of the island forests and cultivated cultures of Mediterranean fruit and vegetables prevail, with vineyards and olive groves. The north and south part of the island is marked with rocky land and pasture. The specificity of Krk’s landscape is its terrace shaped walls (gromače) and shepherd's mrgar which have been conserved on the limestone plateaus above the Baška valley.

The relief is limestone, and has interesting shapes; caves and grottos (Biserujka close to Dobrinj), karst sink-holes and karrens.
The central part of the island is marked with fertile fields. The shore is indented, with a number of lagoons, bays and pebbled beaches.

Ornithology reserves: the island of Prvić and the north-eastern steeper part of the island of Krk's coast is where the Griffin vulture's habitat is located.

Text taken from www.krk.hr