DELTAS OF ALBANIA (W BALKANS)

Abstract

Albania is situated in the west of Balkan Peninsula and in the eastern shores of Adriatic and Ionian Seas. The shoreline length of the country which has a surface area of 28.784 km 2 is 400 km. The country composed of relief mountains dominant lyhas coastal prairies with lengths changing between 8-35 km along the shores. These coastal prairies hosting about 50% of the total population (1.5 million) are also deltas with different characteristics formed by the prominent rivers of the country.From the north to the south, these are the deltas of Bojana-Buna, Drin, Mat, Ishm,Arzen, Shkumbin, Semeni, Vijose and Vlores rivers.The study aims to explain the general features of Albanian deltas with the help of 1/1.000.000 and 1/250.000 scale topography maps and Landsat satellite images supported by the related literature. In this framework, the related visual data was analyzed and interpreted with the help of Geographical Information Systems (GIS)and Remote Sensing (RS) methods and techniques.The questions "How many big deltas are present in Albania?", "How can these deltas can be classified according to their general characteristics?", "How arethese general features interpreted in detail?" and "Which of these deltas are similar in terms of their features?" are answered separately for each delta in theframework of the study.As a result, it was identified that the natural conditions dominant in the country ingeneral create a suitable environment for delta formation. The most dominant ofthese conditions is the high levels of erosion caused by geological and geomorphologic features. Due to this fact, the rivers of the country cause more sediment input compared to those of the neighboring countries. Consequently,Albanian Deltas are monogenic in terms of lithology, sediment provision, geomorphology and developmental process whereas they display polygenic characters in their geometries.