Vis, Italian Lissa, Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, the outermost major island of the Dalmatian archipelago. Its area is 35 square miles (90 square km), and its highest point is Mount Hum, at 1,926 feet (587 m). Its climate and vegetation are Mediterranean and subtropical, with palms, Mediterranean pines, citrus, eucalyptus, cacti, and early vegetables. Fishing and canning are economically important. Wine making is also important, and Vis has a long history of fine wines.

The town of Vis itself contains the ruins of the Greek colony of Issa, founded in 390 BC. The people were allied with Rome during several of its wars and became part of the empire in 47 BC. Slav settlers began arriving in the 8th century AD, and during the Middle Ages, Byzantium held sway over the island. Thereafter, it was ruled by Venice, Austria, Napoleon’s short-lived Illyrian Provinces, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It became part of the new Yugoslav state in 1918 and of independent Croatia in 1991.
