THE ISLAND OF LOVE?

It’s time to get out your globe! You need to know about the imaginary lines on globes and maps. These lines are called lines of latitude and longitude, and they tell a pilot or ship’s captain exactly where in the world a certain place is located. Basically, latitude lines (also called parallels) are the horizontal lines on your map. Lines of longitude (also called meridians) are the vertical lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole. This mapping system is written in degrees and uses the symbol °. Get ready to travel the world!

On your globe, find longitude of 15ºE and latitude of 45ºN, and you'll find the country of Croatia. It is located in Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea. Croatia is located between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia. It also borders the countries of Hungary, Serbia and Montenegro.

The climate of Croatia is Mediterranean and continental. It mostly has a "continental" climate, with hot summers and cold winters. However, it enjoys mild winters and dry summers along the coast. This nice weather makes it a popular tourist destination. Croatia is the 18th most popular tourist destination in the world.

So why is this the perfect country to learn about in February?

Off the coast of Croatia is a tiny island that is shaped like a heart!

Galesnjak is an uninhabited island located in Zadarski Kanal between Zadar and the Island of Pasman. The unusual shape was originally recorded by a cartographer in 1806. However, the owner of the island didn't realize how perfectly shaped it was until it was highlighted on Google Earth in 2009. Couples started contacting him, wanting to visit for Valentine's Day! The island is now known as the Island of Love or Lovers' Island.

The land that is now Croatia was part of the Austro - Hungarian Empire until the end of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known Yugoslavia. Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, but it took several years of fighting before it was totally independent.

Photo, left: The heart-shaped Island of Love, off the coast of Croatia.

Source: "Croatia," The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/hr.html; The Telegraph, http://www.telegraph.

co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4588838/Heart-shaped-island-highlighted-by-Google-Earth-becomes-hit-with-lovers.html; http://www.ilovegalesnjak.com.