Global InformationList of mountains in Albania information
Source: Ministry of Mines and Energy Resources (1999)
Albania is mostly mountainous, with the first alpine regions forming towards the end of the Jurassic period. During the Cenozoic era, the malformation of the Albanides accelerated, causing the subterranean landscape to take its present form.[1][2] The average altitude of the country is 714 m (2,343 ft), almost three times that of Europe. The highest summits are situated in the Albanian Alps and the eastern mountain range, with Korab being the highest peak, at 2,764 m (9,068 ft) above sea level.
The country's geography is unique due to its location and varied relief, with landscapes ranging from mediterranean in the west to a more continental influence in the east, and mountainous terrain in the interior and east. This combination of plains, hills, and mountains has resulted in a diverse range of geographical features, extending horizontally and vertically. However, this complexity has made regionalization challenging, as different authors have used alternating criteria and methods. In the 1920s, Herbert Louis proposed a scheme that divided Albania into two large regions: Inner Albania and Coastal Albania, each with specific subdivisions. Louis' scheme was widely used until 1964, when it was replaced by Pandi Geço's proposed scheme which divided the country into four physiographic regions, listed as follows: Albanian Alps, Central Mountain Region, Southern Mountain Region, Coastal Lowlands and its hills. In 1990, Geço's scheme was improved through further research and consideration of ecological concerns, recapping all regions into 67 constituent subunits.[3][4][5]
The earliest written accounts on the mountains of Albania can be attributed to German geographer Kurt Hassert, who explored the northern region of the country in June 1897, and carried out his first expedition to Mount Cukal.[6]
Distaptur Editions published in 1941 a mountain guidebook titled "Montagne d'Albania", authored by renowned Italian alpinist Piero Ghiglione and printed by the "Geographical Institute De Agostini of Novara". The guidebook includes a study of the rhapsodes of Albanian mountains by Nicola Lo Russo Attoma and contains 118 pages, featuring 60 black and white illustrations from photographs taken by Ghiglione.[7]
The first post-war mountaineering expedition in Albania was organized by the Committee of Physical Culture and Sports and was held at Mount Tomorr on July 27-28, 1949. A different expedition in the same mountain took place the following year on May 21, 1950, with Minella Kapo, a delegate from the highest forum leadership of the Committee, and an experienced mountaineering instructor, in attendance to witness the name-changing ceremony of the main peak from Çuka e Tomorrit to Çuka Partizani. According to mounteneering expert Aleksandër Bojaxhi, the new designation of this mountain peak and others that followed, was not decided by party officials or institutions but by sports forums and even mountaineers themselves.[8]
The mountain peaks listed below are arranged by their massifs. Occasionally, the highest peak of the massif is listed instead, if it holds greater notability. The remaining mountains on the list are important landmarks of biodiversity, history, culture and economic impact.[9]
- ^ Kabo, Mevlan (1991). Gjeografia Fizike e Shqipërisë (1.2 ed.). Tiranë: Qendra e Studimeve Gjeografike. p. 1038.
- ^ Pumo, Eshref (1982). Buletini i Shkencave Gjeologjike (3 ed.). Tiranë: ISPGJM. p. 7.
- ^ Lack, Hans Walter (2020). "The early botanical exploration of Albania (1839–1945)" (PDF). Willdenowia. 50 (3). doi:10.3372/wi.50.50304. S2CID 229304802.
- ^ Ely, John (2002). "Rock Climbing and Mountaineering in Albania" (PDF). bigwalls.net.
- ^ Buda, Aleks (1985). Fjalori Enciklopedik Shqiptar. Tiranë: Akademia e Shkencave e RPSSH. p. 1248.
- ^ "Streifzüge in Ober-Albanien". Verhandlungen der Gesellschaft für Erdkunde. 24: 529-544. 1897.
- ^ "Buletini Mujor i Turizmit Shqiptar". Revista Drini (8). 1 October 1941.
- ^ Polovina, Ylli (2020). Qyteti pranë qiellit. Emal. p. 225. ISBN 9789928046277.
- ^ "Malet më të larta të Shqipërisë". shbat.org. Shoqata Bjeshkatarë dhe Alpinistë Tirana. Retrieved 16 March 2016.