List of lakes of Albania

Due to favorable weather conditions, significant tectonic subsidence, karst development, and coastal dynamics, Albania boasts numerous natural and human-made lakes, with varying geographical characteristics, from altitude to water flow, geology, and climate. These features contribute to the specific morphometric elements, water balance, hydrochemical and optical regime of each lake, making classification challenging. Lakes are typically classified based on the origin of the lake basin which plays a crucial role in determining its fundamental geographical characteristics. The country is home to 247 natural lakes and more than 800 artificial lakes. The natural lakes, mostly formed as a result of karstic or glacial processes,^[2] are classified as follows: 4 tectonic, 134 proglacial, 94 karst and 15 oxbow. Lagoons are present along the coastal region, covering an area of 150 km² (58 sq mi).^[3]

Hydrogeological Map of Albania^[1]

Natural lakes

  Ramsar wetland or a marine protected area

  Part of a national park

Tectonic lakes

No.	Image	Lake	Surface area	Max. depth	Water volume	Map
1		Shkodër	149 km2 (58 sq mi)	44 m (144 ft)
2		Ohri	111.2 km2 (42.9 sq mi)	295 m (968 ft)
3		Prespa	46.3 km2 (17.9 sq mi)	54 m (177 ft)
4		Small Prespa	4.3 km2 (1.7 sq mi)	7.7 m (25 ft)

Lagoons

No.	Image	Lagoon	Surface area	Max. depth	Water volume	Map
1		Karavasta	43.3 km2 (16.7 sq mi)	1.3 m (4 ft 3 in)
2		Narta	41.8 km2 (16.1 sq mi)
3		Butrint	16.3 km2 (6.3 sq mi)	21.4 m (70 ft)
4		Patok	4.8 km2 (1.9 sq mi)	0.7 m (2 ft 4 in)
5		Viluni	3.0 km2 (1.2 sq mi)

Other smaller natural or glacial lakes include Lura Lakes, Lake Sheep, Lake Gistova, Lake Gramë, Lake Buni Jezercë, Lake Dash, Lake Sylbicë, Lake Dhënve, Lake Sope and Lake Malik, which was drained by government's decision.

Artificial lakes

  Part of a nature park or nature reserve

No.	Image	Lake	Surface area	Max. depth	Water volume	Map
1		Fierza	70.14 km2 (27.08 sq mi)	128 m (420 ft)
2		Vau i Dejës	25 km2 (9.7 sq mi)	50 m (160 ft)
3		Ulëza	13.5 km2 (5.2 sq mi)	54 m (177 ft)
4		Koman	12 km2 (4.6 sq mi)	175.5 m (576 ft)
5		Shkopet	6 km2 (2.3 sq mi)
6		Bovilla	4.6 km2 (1.8 sq mi)	18 m (59 ft)

See also

• Biodiversity of Albania
• Climate of Albania
• Geography of Albania
• Protected areas of Albania

References

1. Ministry of Industry and Mines (1985)
2. "The quality of Albanian natural waters and the human impact". researchgate.net. p. 134.
3. Engineering Geology for Society and Territory - Volume 1: Climate Change and Engineering Geology (Giorgio Lollino, Andrea Manconi, John Clague, Wei Shan, Marta Chiarle ed.). Springer. 23 August 2014. p. 388. ISBN 9783319093000.