... 19.04.2013, Dalmatina -- Croatia.
The A1 motorway is the longest motorway in Croatia, spanning 465.5 kilometers. It connects Zagreb, the nation's capital, to Split.
The motorway is currently being extended south of Split to the Port of Ploče and the city of Dubrovnik.
As a part of the road network of Croatia, it is a part of two major European routes: E65 Prague--Bratislava--Zagreb--Rijeka--Split--Dubrovnik and E71 Budapest--Zagreb--Karlovac--Bihać--Knin--Split.
The motorway route offers a scenic ride through rolling hills in the north, mountains in its central section, and along the Dalmatian coast in the south. It serves, either directly or via connecting roads, a large number of tourist destinations such as Bjelolasica in Gorski Kotar, a large number of Adriatic Sea resorts and several national parks and nature parks. In Lika region those are Plitvice Lakes National Park, Sjeverni Velebit National Park and Velebit Nature Park, while in Dalmatia the motorway serves Paklenica National Park, Telašćica Nature Park, Kornati National Park, Lake Vrana Nature Park, Krka National Park and Biokovo Nature Park. The route also provides links to a number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Plitvice Lakes, Cathedral of St. James in Šibenik, Palace of Diocletian in Split and the Historic City of Trogir.
As of September 2010, there are seven tunnels longer than 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) on the A1 motorway. The most notable among them are: the 5,821-meter (19,098 ft) long Mala Kapela Tunnel between Ogulin and Brinje interchanges and the 5,768-meter (18,924 ft) long Sveti Rok Tunnel between Sveti Rok and Maslenica interchanges. The Mala Kapela and Sveti Rok tunnels are not only the largest individual structures on the motorway but they are also the longest tunnels in Croatia. The tunnels separate three distinct climate zones. The Mala Kapela Tunnel spans between the continental climate of the central Croatia and the mountain climate of Lika, while the Sveti Rok Tunnel provides a link between Lika and its mountain climate and the Mediterranean climate of Dalmatia.
