The Dalmatian Hinterland (Croatian: Dalmatinska zagora, Italian: La MorlaccaorZagora dalmata) is the southern inland hinterland in the historical Croatian region of Dalmatia. The name zagora means "beyond (the) hills", which is a reference to the fact that it is the part of Dalmatia that is not coastal and the existence of the concordant coastline where hills run parallel to the coast.
The terrain in Zagora is fairly rugged: in the region immediately bordering the coastline, it is mostly flat but dry, mainly covered with makija (maquis, macchia). More inland, greener pastures can be seen, as the climate and elevations change. Karst topography dominates the landscape. The land is interspersed with river canyons, of Krka, Čikola, Cetina and others.
The aforementioned geographical and climate conditions influenced the life patterns of the historically important shepherd population: in the wintertime, they were moving their numerous flocks from the mountains to the coast. Historic population of Zagora has included the Illyrians and the Vlachs.
Two major roads intersect Zagora – the D1 state road which comes from Zagreb, crosses from Lika through Knin and Sinj, down to Split, and the recently built A1 highway, which meanders near Zadar and Benkovac, passing throughout Zagora, via the Dugopolje exit (to Split) and on to Ploče.
The railway links Zagreb with Knin, from Knin to Zadar, from Knin to Perković, where the line splits to Šibenik or to Split.
