Korčula  is an island in the Adriatic Sea, in the Dubrovnik-Neretva county of Croatia. The island has an area of 279 km² — it is 46.8 km long and on average 7.8 km wide — and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 16,182 (2001) inhabitants make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk. 96.77% of the population are ethnic Croats