Gashi (river)

River in Albanian Alps and a tourist attraction in Albania

Gashi

Gashi River

Location
Country| Albania
County| Kukës
Physical characteristics
Mouth| Valbona

• coordinates

| 42°22′37″N 20°5′47″E﻿ / ﻿42.37694°N 20.09639°E﻿ / 42.37694; 20.09639
Length| 27 km (17 mi)
Basin features
Progression| Valbona→ Drin→ Adriatic Sea

The Gashi (Albanian: Lumi i Gashit) is a 27-kilometre-long (17 mi) river located in Tropojë, northern Albania. It was a nature reserve, spanning an area of 3,000 ha (7,400 acres).[1] The nature reserve forms a part of the European Green Belt and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site within the Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe.[2] In 2022, the protected area was amalgamated to form the Alps of Albania National Park.

The river is located in the eastern part of the Albanian Alps at 2,175 m (7,136 ft) above sea level. It originates at the Dobërdol Pass 2,238 m (7,343 ft) and flows along numerous peaks including the Trekufiri 2,354 m (7,723 ft) in the north, Maja Bogiçaj 2,405 m (7,890 ft) in the northeast and Maja e Shpatit 2,199 m (7,215 ft) in the northwest. The various streams, flowing first to the north and northwest, merge with the Dobërdol pasture in the northwest, then leaving the basin westward. A few kilometres further, the river changes its course southwards and stops the direction in the sequence. It passes the Maja e Shkëlzenit 2,405 m (7,890 ft) on its western side. Farther south, the river passes through a narrow gorge and valley to the Tropoja basin, where the river below flows into the Valbonë river.

The climate is subarctic and oceanic, having cool summers and generally cold winters. Forests occupy the majority of the region's area. The region falls within the Balkan mixed forests and Dinaric Mountains mixed forests terrestrial ecoregion of the Palearctic temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome. The river is particularly known for the diversity of flora and fauna and is surrounded by swamps and canals that drain the whole local basin such as the region of Malësia e Gashit within the Albanian Alps into the Adriatic sea. Forests occupy the majority of the total area.

The diverse flora is characterized with high endemism due to the combination of southern geographic latitude and high altitude variation. The forests are host to several plants such as beech, Macedonian pine, Bosnian pine, Norway spruce, and silver fir. The fauna is represented by 64 species of mammals, such as the brown bear, gray wolf, chamois, lynx, roe deer, wild boar, western capercaillie, golden eagle, Eurasian otter and 14 species of amphibians.[3][4]

## See also

[edit]

* Geography of Albania
* Protected areas of Albania
* World Heritage Sites in Albania
* Central Mountain Range
* Valbonë river
* Rivers of Albania

## References

[edit]

1. ^ PPNEA. "Protect nature Invest for the future - Gashi" (PDF). ppnea.org. p. 8\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
2. ^ "PËRSHKRIMI I RRJETIT AKTUAL TË ZONAVE TË MBROJTURA" (PDF). mjedisi.gov.al (in Albanian). p. 2\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-29. Retrieved 2019-12-24. "PËRSHKRIMI I RRJETIT AKTUAL TË ZONAVE TË MBROJTURA"
3. ^ "mjedisi.gov.al" (PDF). mjedisi.gov.al (in Albanian). p. 2\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-29. Retrieved 2019-12-24. "mjedisi.gov.al"
4. ^ "Extension to the Joint World Heritage Property "Primeval Beech forests of the Carpathians (Slovak Republic and Ukraine) and the Ancient Beech forests of Germany (Germany)"". whc.unesco.org. "There are 81 species from different taxas. There are 14 species of amphibians, 67 mammals."

Topics related to the Gashi River

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Rivers in Albania

* Drin (285 km)
* Vjosë (272 km)
* Devoll (196 km)
* Shkumbin (181 km)
* Osum (161 km)
* Mat (151 km)
* Erzen (109 km)
* Fan (94 km)
* Seman (85 km)
* Drino (85 km)
* Ishëm (62 km)
* Cem (58 km)
* Valbonë (51 km)
* Bunë (44 km)
* Gashi (27 km)

* v
* t
* e

World Heritage Sites in Albania

* Butrint
* Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastër
* Gashi River and Rrajca part of Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe1
* Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region2

Flag of Albania

1 with Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine
2 This is the extension of the site that has been inscribed in North Macedonia since 1979. The area around the town of Pogradec at the shores of Lake Ohrid was inhabited by the Illyrians in the 5th century BC, followed by the Romans and the Slavs. Traces of the Roman road Via Egnatia are evidence of an important passage route in the region. The ruins of the paleo-christian church of Lin together with its floor mosaics reveal the presence of Christianity. The historical centre of Pogradec represents an example of 19th to 20th century Albanian vernacular architecture.

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Protected areas of Albania

Archaeological parks|

* Amantia
* Antigonea
* Apollonia
* Byllis
* Lissus
* Oricum
* Phoenice
* Shkodër

Biosphere reserves|

* Ohrid-Prespa

Bird areas|

* Butrint Lagoon
* Drin
* Drin Gulf
* Karavasta Lagoon
* Narta Lagoon
* Ohrid Lake
* Patok Lagoon
* Prespa Lake
* Sazan
* Viluni Lagoon
* Vlorë Bay

National parks|

* Alps of Albania
* Butrint
* Dajti
* Divjakë-Karavasta
* Fir of Hotovë-Dangëll
* Karaburun-Sazan
* Llogara
* Lurë-Dejë
* Prespa
* Shebenik
* Tomorr
* Vjosë

Nature reserves|

* Blue Eye
* Bogovë
* Gashi Valley
* Karaburun Peninsula
* Korab-Koritnik
* Kunë-Vain-Talë-Patok-Fushëkuqe-Ishëm
* Mali me Gropa-Bizë-Martanesh
* Shkodër Lake
* Shtamë Pass
* Ulza Lake

Protected landscapes|

* Buna River-Velipojë
* Fir of Drenovë-Sinicë
* Guri i Nikës-Lenie-Valamarë

Ramsar sites|

* Buna
* Butrint Lagoon
* Shkodër Lake
* Small Prespa Lake

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