Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is an extremely rich source of phenolic compounds, which are responsible for its high bioactivity. In recent years, this plant has been extensively studied as a source of natural bioactive compounds due to its strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, antibacterial and antimutagenic properties and chemopreventive action. In Dalmatia, which has been rich in autochthonous medicinal plants since ancient times, rosemary is very common. Insufficient intake of antioxidants has consequences for the human body. The phenomenon of the so-called "Oxygen Paradox", which is discussed below, explains the danger posed by reactive oxygen species to living organisms. The implementation of new extraction methods with higher energy and raw material utilization and the use of "green" solvents contribute significantly to environmental protection and energy efficiency. Water as the main solvent in combination with microwaves offers numerous advantages to achieve these goals.The aim of this work was to optimize the extraction parameters and to find the most suitable conditions for the application of microwave extraction. In addition, the next task was to characterize the extracts, i.e. to determine the total phenols and antioxidant activity using spectrophotometric methods. Based on the results from 7 different locations in Dalmatia, conclusions were drawn about the influence of the geographical location, the micro-location and the habitat of the plant on the aforementioned properties. The data analysis showed that the samples from Makarska had high concentrations of total phenols and the highest antioxidant activity (1858,4 μM Fe 2+ ). The sample from Milna (Brač) has the highest content of total phenols (947,8 mg GAE/L). The samples from Split (Kampus) and Sinj had slightly lower values of total phenols. Extraction assisted by microwaves significantly affects the properties of the extract.The close proximity to the sea and exposure to sunlight most likely contribute to an increase in the proportion of bioactive molecules. It can therefore be concluded that exposure to the sea and sunlight are the most important factors for the high antioxidant activity of rosemary. So, the information mentioned at the beginning about the origin of the name rosemary, Rossamaris, which is made up of the Latin words, is therefore not surprising.