Lošinj (pronounced [lɔ̌ʃiːɲ]; Italian: Lussino; Venetian: Lusin, earlier Osero; German: Lötzing; Latin: Apsorrus; Ancient Greek: Ἄψωρος) is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, in the Kvarner Gulf.

[1][2] The island has a mild climate and evergreen vegetation (like myrtle, holm oak, and laurel).

Veli Lošinj, Čikat and the south-west facing shores are ringed by pine forests, while the highest elevations in the north of the island have more sparse vegetation.

Around 2600 sunshine hours a year make the island a popular tourist destination in the summer months, especially for nearby Slovenian, German and Italian visitors.

The Bura is a north-easterly wind that brings low temperatures and dry air masses from the continent, sometimes the gusts are strong enough to turn over heavy vehicles.

[4] The Jugo is a southerly wind that originates in the Sahara, however, over the relatively long fetch over the warm waters of the Mediterranean it becomes moisture-laden, and typically brings much cloud and stormy weather.

Traditionally, it is reputed to cause headaches, melancholy and even bouts of madness in the inhabitants of the coastal areas, especially Dalmatians.

Settlement on nearby Cres is known to date back around 12,000 years,[7] and the island of Lošinj is also thought to have been inhabited since prehistoric times.

[9][10] After the fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797, Lošinj became part of the Austrian province (crown land) of Istria under the Treaty of Campo Formio.

According to the last census the number of Italian-speaking citizens in Lošinj were 557 (6.64% of the total official resident population).

Due to its temperate climate, and non-withstanding the occasional episode of high winds, Losinj started becoming a tourist destination of international renown.