Goli otok, a small island between the islands of Rab, Sveti Grgur and Prvic, opposite of Velebitsko Prigorje, covering an area of 4.7 sq km. Together with theneighbouring island of Sveti Grgur, it is an integral part of the interrupted limestone anticlinal range which extends parallel with Kamenjak on the island of Rab (408 m) and Prvic (356 m).
Along the northern coast there are no bays, coves or shelters; the sea reaches the depth of over 30 m quite closely to the coast. The milder southern and south-eastern coast is well-indented; there is a number of smaller, dry coves and smaller bays, the largest and most important of them being Tatinja. Southern and especially south-western slopes are sparsely covered by shrub-like vegetation.
All until recently there were no permanent habitations on the island. It was occasionally used by the inhabitants of Lopar on the island of Rab for sheep grazing. During the First World War Goli Otok was used as a detention camp of prisoners of war. After 1949 the island was the infamous Yugoslav prison for political convicts, which makes it today an interesting destination for numerous
visitors. |
