Geography of Albania

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Albania
Continent Europe
Subregion Southeast Europe
Geographic
coordinates
4100N 2000E41.000N
20.000E
Area
- Total
- Water
Ranked 143rd
28,748 km
2
(11,100 sq mi)
1,350 km
2
(520 sq mi)
(2.30%)
Coastline 611 km (380 mi)
Land boundaries 720 km (450 mi)
Countries
bordered
Greece 282 km (175 mi),
Montenegro 172 km
(107 mi),
Macedonia 151 km (94 mi),
Kosovo
[a]
115 km (71 mi)
Maritime claims 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)
Highest point
Mount Korab, 2,754 m
(9,035 ft)
Lowest point Adriatic Sea, 0 m
Longest river Drin River, 335 km (208 mi)
Largest inland
body of water
Lake Shkodr 530 km
2

(200 sq mi)
Land Use
- Arable land

- Permanent
crops

- Other

20.1 %

4.21 %

75.69 % (2005 est.)
Irrigated Land 3,530 km
2
(1,360 sq mi)
Climate: Mild temperate to cool
Albania has a total area of 28,748 km
2

(11,100 sq mi). It shares a 172 km (107 mi)
border with Montenegro to the northwest, a
115 km (71 mi) border with Kosovo
[a]
to the
northeast, a 151 km (94 mi) border with
Macedonia to the north and east, and a 282 km
(175 mi) border with Greece to the south and
southeast. Its coastline is around 476 km
(296 mi) long. The lowlands of the west face
the Adriatic Sea and the strategically important
Strait of Otranto, which puts less than 72 km
(45 mi) of water between Albania and the heel
of the Italian "boot" (links Adriatic Sea to
Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea).
Albania has coastline on the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea.
Contents
[hide]
1 Borders
2 Climate
3 Terrain
4 Drainage
5 Extreme points
6 See also
7 Notes and references
8 Further reading
9 External links
Borders[edit]
Terrain:
Mountains, hills, small
plains
Natural
resources
petroleum, natural gas,
bauxite, chromite, copper,
iron ore, nickel, salt, timber,
hydropower
Natural hazards
earthquakes, tsunamis,
floods, drought
Environmental
issues
deforestation, soil erosion,
water pollution

Satellite image of Albania.
With the exception of the coastline, all Albanian borders are artificial. They were established in
principle at the 1912-1913 conference of ambassadors in London. The country was occupied by
Italian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Austro-Hungarian, Greek, and French forces during World War I, but
the 1913 boundaries were essentially reaffirmed by the victorious states in 1921. The original
principle was to define the borders in accordance with the best interests of the Albanian people
and the nationalities in adjacent areas. The northern and eastern borders were intended, insofar as
possible, to separate the Albanians from the Serbs and Montenegrins; the southeast border was to
separate Albanians and Greeks; the valuable western Macedonia lake district was to be divided
among the three statesAlbania, Greece, and Yugoslaviawhose populations shared the area.
When there was no compromise involving other factors, borderlines were chosen to make the
best possible separation of national groups, connecting the best marked physical features
available.
Allowance was made for local economic situations, for example, to prevent separation of a
village from its animals' grazing areas or the markets for its produce. Political pressures also
were a factor in the negotiations, but the outcome was subject to approval by powers having
relatively abstract interests, most of which involved the balance of power rather than specific
economic ambitions.
Division of the lake district among three states required that each of them have a share of the
lowlands in the vicinity. Such an artificial distribution, once made, necessarily affected the
borderlines to the north and south. The border that runs generally north from the lakes, although
it follows the ridges of the eastern highlands, stays sixteen to thirty-two kilometers west of the
watershed divide. Because negotiators at the London conference declined to use the watershed
divide as the northeast boundary of the new state of Albania, the Albanian population of Kosovo
was incorporated into Serbia.
In Albania's far north and the northeast mountainous sections, the border connects high points
and follows mountain ridges through the largely inaccessible Prokletije, and further south
Bjeshkt e Namuna (The Accursed Mountains). For the most part, there is no natural boundary
from the highlands to the Adriatic, although Lake Shkodr and a portion of the Buna River south
of it were used to mark Albania's northwest border. From the lake district south and southwest to
the Ionian Sea, the country's southeast border goes against the grain of the land, crossing a
number of ridges instead of following them.
There are four main geographical regions in Albania: the Northern Mountain Range (Albanian:
Krahina Malore Veriore) (the Albanian part of the Prokletije), the Southern Mountain Range, the
Western Lowlands (Albanian: Ultsira Bregdetare), and the Central Mountain Range (Albanian:
Krahina Malore Qendrore).
[1]

Climate[edit]
See also Climate of Albania
With its coastline facing the Adriatic and Ionian seas, its highlands backed upon the elevated
Balkan landmass, and the entire country lying at a latitude subject to a variety of weather
patterns during the winter and summer seasons, Albania has a high number of climatic regions
for so small an area. The coastal lowlands have typically Mediterranean weather; the highlands
have a Mediterranean continental climate. In both the lowlands and the interior, the weather
varies markedly from north to south.

Coastline in southern Albania.
The lowlands have mild winters, averaging about 7 C (45 F). Summer temperatures average
32 C (90 F), humidity is low. In the southern lowlands, temperatures average about 5 C
(41 F) in the winter and 30 C (86 F) during the summer.
Inland temperatures are affected more by differences in elevation than by latitude or any other
factor. Low winter temperatures in the mountains are caused by the continental air mass that
dominates the weather in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Northerly and northeasterly winds
blow much of the time. Average summer temperatures are lower than in the coastal areas and
much lower at higher elevations, but daily fluctuations are greater. Daytime maximum
temperatures in the interior basins and river valleys are very high, but the nights are almost
always cool.
Average precipitation is heavy, a result of the convergence of the prevailing airflow from the
Mediterranean Sea and the continental air mass. Because they usually meet at the point where the
terrain rises, the heaviest rain falls in the central uplands. Vertical currents initiated when the
Mediterranean air is uplifted also cause frequent thunderstorms. Many of these storms are
accompanied by high local winds and torrential downpours.
When the continental air mass is weak, Mediterranean winds drop their moisture farther inland.
When there is a dominant continental air mass, cold air spills onto the lowland areas, which
occurs most frequently in the winter. Because the season's lower temperatures damage olive trees
and citrus fruits, groves and orchards are restricted to sheltered places with southern and western
exposures, even in areas with high average winter temperatures.
Lowland rainfall averages from 1,000 millimeters (39.37 in) to more than 1,500 millimeters
(59.06 in) annually, with the higher levels in the north. Nearly 95% of the rain falls in the winter.
Rainfall in the upland mountain ranges is heavier. Adequate records are not available, and
estimates vary widely, but annual averages are probably about 1,800 millimeters (70.87 in) and
are as high as 2,550 millimeters (100.39 in) in some northern areas. The seasonal variation is not
quite as great in the coastal area.
The higher inland mountains receive less precipitation than the intermediate uplands. Terrain
differences cause wide local variations, but the seasonal distribution is the most consistent of any
area.