The island Lastovo is one of the sunniest island on the Adriatic. There live 1230 inhabitants on it, It is rich with woods. Its coasts are steep, and the sea around the island is deep and rich with fish. It is suitable for ship anchoring. On the southern part there is a deeper gulf, and on the eastern part there is the so-called Skrivena luka (Hidden port) with the sandy beach. The bays called Velo and Malo jezero are on the western side. The island Lastovo had once been called Ladesta. Here the traces of Ilirs, Greeks and Romans have been kept. Since the 12th century the island Lastovo has been a constituent part of the Dubrovnik Republic. The islanders were engaged in coral processing, olive growing and fruit-growing. After the dominance of Dubrovnik Republic, it fell under the domain of Italy, and after the second world war it was returned to Croatia. On the island there existed the strong base of naval forces.