Hvar

Hvar (khvär) [key], Gr. Pharos, Ital. Lesina, island, 112 sq mi (290 sq km), in the Adriatic Sea off the Dalmatian coast, Croatia. Fruit growing, cattle raising, and fishing are the chief occupations. The island is also a leading tourist center. The chief town, Hvar, was long a Croatian cultural center. Its architecture exemplifies its long history: it has a 12th-century Byzantine cathedral, a 15th-century Franciscan church, and a 16th-century Venetian fort.