According to the 2011 census the total population of the town was 8,065, whereas only 437 lived in the titular settlement (naselje).

Rab, the settlement, is located on a small peninsula on the southwestern side of the island.

The town has a long history that dates back to 360 BC when it was inhabited by the Illyrians.

The church of St. Justine is now a museum of sacred arts, while the chapel of St. Christopher (dedicated to the patron saint of the island) is nowadays called the Lapidarium.

Saint Marinus, the Christian founder of San Marino, was a native of Rab who is said to have fled the island under Diocletian's persecution in AD 301.