Drin (river)

Etymology

The name of the river is recorded in Ancient Greek as Drilon (Δρίλων) and in Latin as Drinus. The name is considered to be of Illyrian origin. The form Drin- has been evidenced by Pliny the Elder ( 1st century AD) and is most likely primary. The ancient name Drinus has undergone sound changes reaching the current Albanian form Drin through the evolution of Albanian sound changes. The Macedonian name of the river is Дрим, Drim. Homonym rivers are Drino between southern Albania and northwestern Greece, and Drina between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.

Geography

After the confluence of its two tributaries, near the town of Kukës in the northeast Albania, Drin flows west, passing through the Albanian Alps and Fierzë then upon reaching the Dukagjini highlands, flowing then to the south through Apripë e Gurit, Toplanë, Dushman, Koman, Vjerdhë Mazrrek, Rragam, and Pale Lalej. At Vau i Dejës, it enters the low Shkodër Field and splits into two distributaries. One empties into the Gulf of Drin into the Adriatic Sea southwest of Lezhë, forming the Mouth of Drin. The other empties into the Bojana River near the Rozafa Castle.

The Black Drin flows out from the Lake Ohrid near Struga through western North Macedonia and then eastern Albania. The White Drin originates from the Žljeb mountain, north of the town of Peja in the Dukagjin region of Kosovo, and flows from there through to Albania.

The basin encompasses the transboundary subbasins of Lake Shkodër (largest lake in Southern Europe), Lake Ohrid (one of the most ancient lakes in the World), Lake Prespa and Small Prespa Lake and also the tributaries, namely Black Drin, White Drin and Bojana River. All these subbasins and tributaries are home to numerous species of mammals, vascular plants, insects, amphibians, fish and birds.

Economy

Drin river contains the largest hydroelectric power station group in the Balkans regarding the installed capacity and reservoir capacity. The Drin is extremely important for the Albanian economy, especially for its electrical production. The three largest hydropower facilities produce 70.6% of Albania's electricity (approx. 1400MW of total installed capacity). North Macedonia has built two hydropower plants – Globocica (42 MW) and Spilje Hydro Power Plant (84 MW) on the Black Drin.

The artificial Lake Fierza created by the dam at Fierzë is the largest artificial lake in Albania with its surface of 73 km2. The second largest artificial lake is also built on this river. Vau i Dejës lake has an area of 25 km2. Construction of the Fierza power station caused some controversy in the 1980s. Without reaching any agreement, the Albanian government ordered the reservoir to be filled with water, which flooded some border areas of Kosovo, then part of Yugoslavia. The Yugoslav government protested, but no solution was agreed on. Thus, today, Lake Fierza is shared by Albania and Kosovo.

Watershed basin

| located within North Macedonia | located within Kosovo

Drin

Black Drin

• , Zalli i Bulqizës river
  • (L): Banjë, Deshat, Gramë, Tepuz, Veleshicë, Prillushë and Tershan streams
  • (R): Mur, Setë, Mollë and Lurë streams

History

The ancient name of the river was Drilon. The valley of the river was inhabited by several Illyrian peoples. It was probably dominated at some point and to some extent by the Enchele. The tribal territory of the Taulantii and of the Labeatae was most likely located near the river.

Annotations

Bibliography

References

References

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4. "HYDROLOGY OF THE TRANSBOUNDARY DRIN RIVER BASIN".
5. "Drin".
6. "Internationally Shared Surface Water Bodies in the Balkan Region".
7. "Drin Basin".
8. Elsie, Robert. (2010). "Historical Dictionary of Albania". [[Scarecrow Press]].
9. Kabo, Mevlan. (1990). "Gjeografia Fizike e Shqipërisë 1". Akademia e Shkencave e RPS të Shqipërisë.
10. "The natural wealth and legacy of the Drin River Basin: inspiring our collective actions".
11. "Drin River Basin The blue heart of the Balkans".
12. "Drini Delta".
13. (31 January 2009). "Rivers of Europe". Academic Press.
14. (2013). "A new freshwater snail genus (Hydrobiidae, Gastropoda) from Montenegro, with a discussion on gastropod diversity and endemism in Skadar Lake". ZooKeys.
15. "Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region".
16. "Albania Upgrades Electrical Grid in the Balkans".
17. (October 5, 2022). "Sustainable Nexus solutions for Drin river basin".
18. Wilkes, J. J.. (1995). "The Illyrians". Blackwell Publishing.
19. Tom Streissguth. (2011). "Albania in Pictures". Twenty-First Century Books.