Demographic characteristics of Lika region

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to review and point out the demographic situation and processes happening in Lika Region (Republic of Croatia) today, as well as to describe the changes in the population structure with particular emphasis on changes in the ethnic structure of the population that have occurred over the past two decades. For centuries, Lika has been inhabited by the population of dual religious structure with different socio-cultural and linguistic characteristics. The area where the diverse population of Lika’s variety lives today is characterized by clear and steady depopulation, changed population structure (age, ethnicity) and changed adiministative and territorial organization. Jovan Cvijic in his Balkan Peninsula and the South Slavic Countries in this group (Lika’s variety) places the population living “between the Velebit mountain on the west and Kapela and Pljesevica on the east”. This is the area of today’s southwestern Croatia, consisting of two towns (Gospic, Otocac) and eight municipalities (Brinje, Donji Lapac, Gracac, Lovinac, Perusic, Plitvice Lakes, Udbina, Vrhovine), belonging to two counties (Lika-Senj, Zadar).