Shkumbin | |
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River Shkumbin between towns Librazhd and Elbasan. |
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Origin | Pogradec District, Albania |
Mouth | Adriatic Sea |
Basin countries | Albania |
Length | 181 km |
Shkumbin (Definite Albanian form: Shkumbini, Latin: Genusus) is a river in central Albania, flowing into the Adriatic Sea. It is considered the dividing line for the two dialects of the Albanian language: Tosk (to the south) and Gheg (to the north).
On various historical periods the river was considered the northernmost natural boundary of the geographic region of Epirus.[1] while during the 5th-6th centuries Shkumbin was the cultural border between the Illyrian and the Greek world.[2]
The river is 181 km (112 mi) long. The sources of the Shkumbin river are in the mountains southwest of Lake Ohrid, in the southwestern corner of the Pogradec District. and also in the Librazhd District at Valamra and the Guri i Topit Mountain. The Shkumbin is fed by the waters of the Dushna, Radicina, Bushtrica, Sheja, Hotolisht, and Dragostunja streams. The Shkumbin flows through the town of Librazhd. The Rrapun River joins the Shkumbin at Murrash.
The Shkumbin initially flows north, then northwest, through Qukës, Librazhd, where it turns west and continues through Polis, Elbasan, Cërrik, Peqin and Rrogozhinë. It flows into the Adriatic Sea northwest of Divjakë.
The two canals "Naum Panxhi" and "Ferras" stem out of the river in the Elbasan area and through an irrigation plan system satisfy the agricultural water needs of the Cërrik low plains.[3]
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