Plitvička Jezera is a municipality (općina) in central Croatia, in the eastern part of the Plitvice Lakes National Park, divided by the main road D1 (Zagreb - Split). Its total area is 539.08 km². The main city 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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The sixteen lakes are separated into an upper and lower set formed by the flow of the mountains. The lakes collectively cover an area of ​​about two km², with water coming out of the lower lake to form the Korana River.
The Plitvice Lakes are located in a karst rock basin, mainly dolomite and limestone, which gave rise to their most distinctive feature. The lakes are separated by natural travertine dams, which are deposited by the action of moss, algae and bacteria. Encrusted plants and bacteria accumulate on top of each other, forming travertine barriers that grow at a rate of about 1 cm per year.
The lakes are famous for their distinctive colors, ranging from blue to green, gray or blue. Colors change constantly depending on the amount of minerals or organisms in the water and the angle of sunlight.
The lakes are divided into 12 Upper Lakes (Gornja jezera) and four Lower Lakes.

Plitvice Lakes National Park is heavily wooded, mainly with beech, spruce and pine trees, and features a mix of Alpine and Mediterranean vegetation. It has a remarkably wide variety of plant communities, due to its range of microclimates, different soils and varying levels of altitude.
The area is also home to an extremely wide variety of animal and bird species. Rare fauna such as the European grizzly bear, wolf, eagle, owl, lynx, wild cat and capercaillie can be found there, along with many more common species.

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On average, the annual precipitation rate on Plitvice Lakes is 1,500 mm (59.06 in). Typically, in spring and fall, the highest amounts of rainfall are measured. The average relative humidity is 81.8%. In January, the average temperature is 2.2 ° C (36 ° F). During the summer months of July and August, the temperature rises to 17.4 ° C (63 ° F). The average annual temperature is 7.9 ° C (46 ° F). The snow falls from November until March. Usually the lakes are frozen during December and January.

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