Plitvička Jezera (Plitvice Lakes, in English) is a municipality (općina) in central Croatia, in the eastern part of the Lika-Senj county. It is crossed by the Zagreb–Split main road. Its total area is 539.08 km². The main town and seat of the municipality is Korenica. Other smaller towns and villages are Bjelopolje, Jezerce, Gornji Vaganac, Ličko Petrovo Selo, Plitvice and Smoljanac.
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According to 2001 census, its total population was 4,668. The ethnic composition of Plitvička Jezera is 67.3% Croatian and 30.5% Serbian.
During the Croatian War of Independence and the Krajina uprising, many areas were mined to stop enemy advances. The area around Korana Bridge has recently been demined<ref>http://www.hcr.hr/index.php?link=aktualnosti-opsirnije&aid=375&lang=en Mine Action in Croatia</ref>, but there are still some others still suspected to be mine contaminated, as for reports from the local NGO Croatian Mine Action Centre<ref>http://www.hcr.hr/index.php?link=karta-LSzup&lang=en Croatian Mine Action Centre (HCR) minefields in Ličko-Senjska county.</ref>.
Many local inhabitants of Serb ethnicity left the municipality during the war, with around 1,500 - 2,000 of them returning once the situation improved.<ref>http://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/croatia0903/9.htm Human Rights Watch (2003): Broken Promises: Impediments to Refugee Return. New York, USA.</ref>
It is most famous for the Plitvice Lakes National Park, a major tourist destination and its main source of income, together with arable lands, grazing lands and woods. Due to the Plitvice Lakes National Park unique geological evolution and beauty, it was entered in the UNESCO world heritage list in 1979.
According to Human Rights Watch, many of the ethnic Serbian returnees were experiencing a higher unemployment rate, and were also being "excluded from work in municipal or town-run services and institutions, including the National Park".<ref>Human Rights Watch (2003): Ibid.</ref>
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| Cities and Municipalities of Lika-Senj county | |
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Brinje | Donji Lapac | Gospić | Karlobag | Lovinac | Novalja | Otočac | Perušić | Plitvička Jezera | Senj | Udbina | Vrhovine |
