Description

Lake Shkoder is the largest lake in the Balkan Peninsula with a surface area that seasonally fluctuates between 370 km2 (140 sq mi) and 530 km2 (200 sq mi). Lake Shkodër itself is located on the western Balkan.

The lake is located in the border area between Albania and Montenegro, the Montenegrin share of the area of the lake is slightly larger than the Albanian. The lake’s water level also varies seasonally from 4.7 to 9.8 m above sea level. The lake extends in the NW-SE direction, and it is approximately 44 km long.

The Buna River connects the lake with the Adriatic Sea, and the Drin River provides a link with the Ohrid Lake The lake is a cryptodepression, filled by the river Morača and drained into the Adriatic by the 41 km (25 mi) long Buna, which forms the international border on the lower half of its length. The largest inflow is from the Morača, which provides about 62% of the lake’s water. Total drainage area is 5,490 km2 (2,120 sq mi).

There are additionally some fresh water sources at the lake bottom. A characteristic feature of Lake Shkoder’s water balance is the high inflow from a number of temporary and permanent karstic springs, some of which are sublacustrine in cryptodepressians (so-called ‘oko’). The Southern and southwestern sides of the lake are rocky, barren and steep, having bays in which the sublacustrine springs, are usually to be found. On the northern side there is an enormous inundated area, the boundaries of which change as water levels fluctuate.