# Mali Lošinj

Mali Lošinj (Italian: Lussinpiccolo, Venetian: Lusinpicolo) is a town in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, on the island of Lošinj, in western Croatia. At the time of the 2021 census, there were 7,537 inhabitants, of whom 86% were Croats. The town of Mali Lošinj itself had an urban population of 5,561.
The favourable climatic conditions, the construction of hotels and resorts, foresting, and maintenance of beaches have led to the intensive development of tourism. The town is located in the most protected part of the Lošinj bay, on the eastern, sunny side of the island.
The asteroid 10415 Mali Lošinj is named after this town.

## History

The town was first mentioned in 1398, under the name Malo selo ("small village"). In 1868, it experienced its golden year. There were as many as eleven shipyards, and it became the place with the largest and most developed merchant marine in the Adriatic Sea, even ahead of cities like Rijeka, Trieste and Venice. American author Kenneth Roberts observed that the little town, like some in southern Maine, seemed to have "produced a hundred seamen for each one produced elsewhere." Writing in 1938, Roberts said there were currently "four hundred sea captains living on Lussinpiccolo, which is about the size of Monhegan Island- captains of all sorts of vessels, from thirty thousand ton liners to hundred ton merchant brigs."
With the invention of the steam engine a stagnation in development ensued, and with the outbreak of the grapevine disease peronospora. Previously part of the Venetian Republic, Mali Lošinj passed under Austrian-Hungarian rule in 1797 with the Treaty of Campo Formio. The isle remained under Austrian-Hungarian rule until 1918. After World War I, under the provisions of the Treaty of Rapallo it was given to the Kingdom of Italy. In 1947, it was incorporated into Yugoslavia. Its incorporation into socialist Yugoslavia led to mass emigration of the autochthonous Italian population. After World War II there were only 2,200 residents left. In 1991, it became part of present-day Croatia.

## Population

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### Settlements

Administratively, the town of Mali Lošinj comprises 14 settlements, of which several are islands. Each of them is listed below, with their respective population as of 2021.
* Belej - 40
* Ćunski - 198
* Ilovik - 106
* Male Srakane - 2
* Mali Lošinj - 5,561
* Nerezine - 397
* Osor - 26
* Punta Križa - 46
* Susak - 139
* Sveti Jakov - 74
* Unije - 66
* Ustrine - 21
* Vele Srakane - 4
* Veli Lošinj - 857

## Climate

Since records began in 1961, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station at an elevation of 53 metres (174 ft) was 39.0 °C (102.2 °F), on 6 August 2017. From 1981 to 2011, the highest temperature recorded at the Čikat weather station was 36.6 °C (97.9 °F), on 2 August 1998. The coldest temperature was −8.6 °C (16.5 °F), on 4 March 1987. The coldest temperature was −6.7 °C (19.9 °F), on 23 January 1963.
Climate data for Mali Lošinj (1971–2000, extremes 1961–2014) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 17.4 (63.3) | 20.4 (68.7) | 23.3 (73.9) | 26.1 (79.0) | 34.5 (94.1) | 35.6 (96.1) | 36.3 (97.3) | 37.4 (99.3) | 32.4 (90.3) | 29.2 (84.6) | 23.1 (73.6) | 18.9 (66.0) | 37.4 (99.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 10.2 (50.4) | 10.7 (51.3) | 13.2 (55.8) | 16.3 (61.3) | 21.3 (70.3) | 25.2 (77.4) | 28.4 (83.1) | 28.4 (83.1) | 24.2 (75.6) | 19.6 (67.3) | 14.6 (58.3) | 11.4 (52.5) | 18.6 (65.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 7.9 (46.2) | 7.9 (46.2) | 9.9 (49.8) | 12.8 (55.0) | 17.4 (63.3) | 21.2 (70.2) | 24.1 (75.4) | 24.0 (75.2) | 20.3 (68.5) | 16.4 (61.5) | 12.0 (53.6) | 9.2 (48.6) | 15.3 (59.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 5.9 (42.6) | 5.8 (42.4) | 7.5 (45.5) | 10.0 (50.0) | 14.2 (57.6) | 17.8 (64.0) | 20.6 (69.1) | 20.7 (69.3) | 17.5 (63.5) | 14.1 (57.4) | 10.0 (50.0) | 7.3 (45.1) | 12.6 (54.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −6.7 (19.9) | −4.4 (24.1) | −3.8 (25.2) | 2.9 (37.2) | 6.3 (43.3) | 9.7 (49.5) | 12.7 (54.9) | 10.0 (50.0) | 9.7 (49.5) | 5.0 (41.0) | 1.1 (34.0) | −5.2 (22.6) | −6.7 (19.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 75.0 (2.95) | 69.4 (2.73) | 66.1 (2.60) | 69.2 (2.72) | 59.5 (2.34) | 67.9 (2.67) | 30.9 (1.22) | 57.0 (2.24) | 105.7 (4.16) | 109.1 (4.30) | 125.1 (4.93) | 95.8 (3.77) | 930.5 (36.63) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 10.1 | 8.4 | 9.3 | 10.3 | 10.0 | 8.3 | 5.4 | 6.0 | 8.6 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 108.3 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 1.0 cm) | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 74.1 | 70.6 | 70.9 | 70.8 | 70.7 | 67.9 | 63.5 | 65.6 | 71.2 | 72.7 | 72.8 | 73.5 | 70.4 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 108.5 | 158.1 | 182.9 | 216.0 | 282.1 | 315.0 | 356.5 | 325.5 | 246.0 | 182.9 | 114.0 | 99.2 | 2,586.7 |
| Percentage possible sunshine | 40 | 53 | 53 | 56 | 64 | 71 | 79 | 77 | 67 | 56 | 43 | 39 | 61 |
| Source: Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service ||||||||||||||

## Mayors

| No. | Name | Term of office | Term of office | Political Affiliation |
| 1 | Mario Hofmann | 1991 | 1993 | HNS-LD |
| 2 | Dragan Balija | 1993 | 2005 | PGS |
| 3 | Gari Cappelli | 2005 | 2016 | HDZ |
| 4 | Ana Kučić | 2017 | Incumbent | HDZ |

## Notable people

* Matteo Martinolich
* Gari Cappelli
* Josip Kašman