 Some sources indicate that Croatia has 67 inhabited islands, which is the number of islands that have a settlement on them, but 20 of these islands have lost all of their permanent population as a result of the population decline occurring throughout the Croatian islands due to insufficient economic activity.The islands of Croatia have been populated at least since the time of Ancient Greece.For example, Hvar was already populated between 3500 BC and 2500 BC and Dionysius I of Syracuse founded a colony on Hvar and Vis in the 4th century BC.