Sea · Italy, Slovenia, Croatia
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is the long, narrow arm of the Mediterranean between Italy and the Balkan Peninsula. It is dotted with more than 1 300 islands, and Venice lies at its northern end.
Picture credit: Petar Milošević (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Sb2s3 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Adriatic Sea?
Part of: Mediterranean Sea.
Countries on its coasts: Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania.
The story behind it
The Adriatic Sea is about 800 km long but at most 200 km wide, like a long bathtub between Italy and the Balkans. Six countries share its coast: Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania. In the south, the Strait of Otranto is only 71 km wide and opens into the rest of the Mediterranean. The Croatian coast alone has 1 246 islands and islets, but only 47 of them have people living on them. Famous old harbour towns line the shores, such as Venice, Trieste, Split, Dubrovnik and Bari. In winter a cold, gusty wind called the bora rushes down from the mountains, and in Venice storms can push the sea into the streets, which people call acqua alta. Bottlenose dolphins swim in the water, and sometimes fin whales and sperm whales pass through.
Find it on the globe
Adriatic Sea is there as a name written across its water — tap the water and its card opens. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
Questions children ask
How big is the Adriatic Sea?
The Adriatic Sea covers about 138 600 km². It is about 800 km long and at most about 200 km wide.
Which countries lie on the Adriatic Sea?
Six countries have a coast on the Adriatic: Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania. Croatia has by far the most islands.
How many islands are in the Adriatic Sea?
There are more than 1 300 islands and islets, and 1 246 of them lie off the coast of Croatia. Only 47 of the Croatian islands have people living on them.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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