| Lake Skadar | |
|---|---|
| Primary inflows | Morača |
| Primary outflows | Bojana |
| Basin countries | Albania Montenegro |
| Max. length | 48 km (30 mi) |
| Max. width | 14 km (8.7 mi) |
| Surface area | 370 km² – 530 km² |
| Max. depth | 44 m (144 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 6 m (20 ft) |
Lake Skadar, also called Lake Scutari and Lake Shkodër (Albanian: Liqeni i Shkodrës, pronounced [liˈcɛni i ˈʃkɔdrəs]; Serbian: Skadarsko jezero / Скадарско језеро, pronounced [skâdarskɔː jɛ̂zɛrɔ]) is a lake on the border of Montenegro with Albania, the largest lake in the Balkan Peninsula. It is named after the city of Shkodra in northern Albania (Albanian: Shkodra or Shkodër, Serbian: Скадар/Skadar, Italian: Scutari).
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Its surface, 6 m (20 ft) above sea level, can vary between 370 km2 (140 sq mi) and 530 km2 (200 sq mi), of which 2/3 is in Montenegro. The lake is a cryptodepression, filled by the river Morača and drained into the Adriatic by the 41 km (25 mi) long Bojana, which forms the international border on the lower half of its length. There are additionally some fresh water sources at the lake bottom. Some small islands like Beška, with two churches on it and Grmožur, a former fortress and prison can be found on the southwest side of the lake.
| Lake Shkodra National Park | |
|---|---|
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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Lake Shkodra and surrounding area |
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| Location | Albania & Montenegro |
| Area | 400 km2 (150 sq mi) (40.000 ha) |
| Established | 1983 |
The Montenegrin part of the lake and its surrounding area were declared a national park in 1983. The Albanian part has been designated as a Managed Nature Reserve. It is one of the largest bird reserves in Europe, having 270 bird species, among which are some of the last pelicans in Europe, and thus popular with birders. The lake also contains habitats of seagulls and herons and is abundant in fish, especially in carp, bleak and eel.
In 1996, by Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, it was included in the Ramsar list of wetlands of international importance.[1]