Sociology and Space, No. 107-108, 1990.
Original scientific paper
Demographic transformation of the island of Brač
Đuro Fabjanović
Abstract
The article presents the results of
research into more recent
demographic movement changes
on Brač, an insland on which
depopulation started at the
beginning of the 20th century
because of a crisis in wine
growing, at that time the most
important branch of the economy.
Other economic activities could
not absorb the resulting labour
surplus and the depopulation of the
island has been going on until
the present.
Longlasting emigration left great
changes in the biological and
economic structure, population
reproduction and way of life. It
is reflected in the distorted age
and sex structure, and directly
results in aging and a decreasing
birth rate. Island sttlements have
a very aged population. The
censuses of 1961 and 1971,
showed the marked depopulation
of the island of Brač. The
same trend was observed
betveen 1971 and 1981,
whens as many a,s 15
settlements were on the road to
extinction. Between the two last
censuses the rate of emigration
was milder than in the preceding
period, which is the result of the
revitalization of the island of Brač,
primarily because of tourist
development. Tourism was a
turning-point tha brought about
the revitalization of island
settlements, coastal ones in the
first place, but also those inland
settlements that became part of
modern processes.
Unlike the eighty-year-long process
of emigration, after the last
population census in 1981 a
tendency was noticed of population
migration from the mainland to the
island. The number of inhabitants
registered in 1989 (about 13,000)
indicates a slight population
increase which will probably be
confirmed in the 1991 census.
Since the further economic and
demographic development of the
island are intertwined and closely
influence each other, Brač is now
on another important
socio-demographic turning point.
If demographic revitalization
is realised, this w'ill bring about
new demographic and economic
prosperity on the island by the end
of the twentieth century.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
119723
URI
Publication date:
8.6.1990.
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