Nin is located on a small islet surrounded by the shallow Bay of Nin and the outlet to the open Adriatic Sea (Miljasic Jaruge). The essential determinants of its geographical position are the Ravni Kotari region, the Velebit mountain range, and the maritime routes of the Zadar Channel and the Sea of Vir.

 

The first settlement on the island was founded by the Iron Age Liburni tribe in the 9th century BC. With the arrival of the Romans, Liburnian Aenona acquired the status of a Municipium. In the early medieval period, Nin was the religious and political center of Dalmatian Croatia. The emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus mentioned Nin in the mid 10th century under the name of Nona. In that period, Nin was already a prominent episcopal and county seat.

 

Nin was the occasional residence of Croatian princes and kings, where state councils were held and numerous documents and deeds were issued. Nin recognized the rule of the Hungarian-Croatian kings from the 12th century, and existed as an independent urban commune. It was rules by Venice from 1409 to 1797.

 

The first Turkish invasions in the mid 15th century, and the Venetian-Turkish Wars were responsible for the systematic destruction of the city. By a decision of the Venetian Council, the population was evacuated and the city was demolished by artillery shelling from a galley on April 28, 1646. The Venetian government renovated the city and settled it with new inhabitants during the 17th and 18th centuries. The urban medieval form of the city was never restored, and the only surviving institution of the medieval city, the Diocese of Nin, was abolished in 1828.