Velebit is the largest mountain in Croatia and is a part of a bigger mountain chain of Dinarides stretching form the Alps, across Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro to Albania. The area of Velebit Mountain comprises 2.359 square kilometres.
The mountain stretches in the form of slightly bended arch along the Adriatic coast in the northwest-southeast direction, between the Vratnik pass and the river Zrmanja valley. The mountain is approximately 145 km long, its width varying form 30 km at the northern parts to 10 km at its southern parts. On its western parts, Velebit Mountain chain raises sharply from the sea, dominating over the landscape. Towards the east, its slopes descend more mildly into the plateau of Lika, situated between 425 and 600 meters above the sea level. The highest peak of the Velebit Mountain is Vaganski vrh (1757 m/asl) in Paklenica National Park. Geographically, Velebit can be divided roughly into four parts. Mountain passes Vratnik, Veliki Alan, Baške Oštarije and Prezid divide northern, middle and southern parts. In southeastern parts, mountain massif stretches towards the inland along the river Zrmanja canyon.
Because of its special position, Velebit is influenced by a variety of climates and geographical areas, as reflected in the flora or the plant life covering the mountain. Velebit hosts plants characteristic of coastal, inland and mountain habitats. So far over 950 species and subspecies have been recorded in the Park.