ALBANIAN NATIONAL PARKS The List of national parks

ALBANIAN NATIONAL PARKS The List of national parks in Albania includes the following: Contents National ( 15 national Parks) Archaeological Regional The protected areas of Albania include 15 national parks, 5 Protected Landscape Areas, 4 Strict Nature Reserves, 26 Managed Nature Reserves, and other protected areas. The largest national park of Albania is Llogara National Park which covers an area of 1, 010 hectares.

Winter in Lake Ohrid near Pogradec

Remains of a theatre and part of the agora Buthrotum was a city of the Greek tribe of the Chaonians, later a Roman colony and a bishopric. It entered into decline in Late Antiquity, before being abandoned during the Middle Ages after a major earthquake flooded most of the city.

Mount Dajti It is a mountain in central Albania, to the east of Tirana. Its highest peak is at 1, 613 m (5, 292 ft). In winter, the mountain is often covered with snow, and it is a popular retreat to the local population of Tirana that rarely sees snow falls. Its slopes have forests of pines, oak and beech. Dajti Mountain declared “National Park” is today an area of about 3333 ha. It is under the jurisdiction and administration of Tirana Forest Service Department.

The Karavasta Lagoon is the largest lagoon in Albania and one of the largest in the Mediterranean Sea. It is separated from the Adriatic Sea by a large strip of sand. The lagoon is part of the Divjake-Karavasta National Park. It was elected as an area of international importance, protected by the Ramsar Convention of 29 November 1995.

Llogara or Llogora National Park is a national park in Albania declared since 1966 by the Albanian Government. The park covers an area of 1, 010 hectares and protects the forests on the north side of the Llogara Pass between a height from 470 to 2, 018 m above sea level. In the park can be found many black pine (Pinus nigra) trees, Bosnian Pines (Pinus heldreichii), Bulgarian fir, (Abies borisii-sign) and ash trees (Fraxinus). Air currents around the area have caused trees to bend in many interesting shapes, like the Pisha e Flamurit.

Theth National Park is a national park in extreme northern Albania declared by government decree in 1966. It covers an area of 2, 630 hectares and is located along the Theth River. The main attractions in the park are the Grunas Waterfall and the Lock-in Tower.

Valbona Valley National Park is a national park in Albania declared by government decree in 1996. It covers an area of 8, 000 hectares and is located along the Valbona Valley. A main attraction is the Valbona River flowing in the middle of the valley. Theth National Park is adjacent to it and was declared a national park in 1966. It is proposed that the two parks, along with the areas in Montenegro and Kosovo form a tri -border Bjeshket e Nemuna National Park.

Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park proclaimed in 2010 is the only national marine park of Albania. The park covers a marine area stretching 1 -nautical-mile (1. 9 km) along the coastlines of Karaburun Peninsula and Sazan Island near the Bay of Vlora. The marine park is 16 kilometres (9. 9 mi) long and covering 12428 ha of surface in total. Karaburun Peninsula itself is a Managed Nature Reserve while Sazan Island is a military zone in Albania.

The site of Apollonia lay on the territory of the Taulantii, a cluster of Illyrian tribes that remained closely involved with the settlement for centuries and lived alongside the Greek colonists. The city was said to have originally been named Gylakeia after its founder, Gylax, but the name was later changed to honor the god Apollo. ( God of sun, art, music, poetry, plague, oracles, medicine, lyre, light and knowledge,

According to other historians, Lezhë is considered as the site of the League of Lezhë where Skanderbeg united the Albanian princes in the fight against the Ottoman Empire. Skanderbeg was buried in the cathedral of Lezhë which was dedicated to Saint Nicholas. Lezhë has also been known by the Italian form of its name, Alessio and in the 19 th century as Alise, Lesch, Eschenderari, or Mrtav (Catholic Encyclopedia).

Rozafa castle is a castle near the city of Shkodër, in northwestern Albania. It rises imposingly on a rocky hill, 130 metres above sea level, surrounded by the Bojana and Drin rivers. The fortifications, as they have been preserved to date, are mostly of Venetian origin. The castle has been the site of several famous sieges, including the siege of Shkodra by the Ottomans in 1478 and the siege of Shkodra by the Montenegrins in 1912. The castle and its surroundings form an Archaeological Park of Albania.