RIVERS
The total inland water surface is 1350 km2, composed by natural lakes, artificial lakes, coastal lagoons and river network. Island surface 95.8 km2 is constituted of sandy islands, parts of coastal lagoons, rocky
islands, which are separated from the lad. Albania is rich in rivers (721 km) and streams. The regime of the rivers and streams is torrential with great differences in the amount of water they carry from season to season, a fact that explains their eroding capacity. The rivers are very important for the irrigation of the land and for the production of hydroelectric power. The most important rivers are Drin in the north, Shkumbin and Seman in the south. The Drin River has two springs, one coming from Lake Ohrid and the other from Kosova. The longest river in Albania is Seman, which is 281 km and is divided into two separate branches, Devoll and Osum. The river Vjosa, 272 km long, originates from Smolika mountain, which is the most torrent in Albania. Other rivers to mention are Erzen, Mat and Ishem, however the only navigable river is Buna in the north of the country.
LAKES
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Lakes Area in square km2 Altitude above Maximum
Sea level in meters Depth in meters
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Natural lakes
Shkoder 149 4.5 9.0
Ohri 111.4 695.0 287.0
Prespa 49.5 853.0 35.0
Butrinti 16.3 0.0 21.4
Artificial lakes
Fierza 72.5 295.0 128.0
Vau i Dejes 24.7 74.0 52.0
Ulza 12.5 128.5 61.0
Komani 13.0 170.0 96.0
There are four natural freshwater lakes 9326km), Shkodra, Ohri, Prespa, Butrinti, all of which share borders with Greece and former Yugoslavia. Lura Lakes (12 lakes) situated in the northern part of Albania cover a square of 100 hectare. There are also numerous artificial lakes (9174 km) created as a result of hydroelectric power stations damming key rivers. The largest artificial lakes are concentrated in the North, around Tropoja, Kukes and across to Shkodra. Five lake zones are potentially available for tourism development, mainly hotels, holiday villages and individual leisure facilities. |