Hydrogeological Map of Albania
Source: Ministry of Industry and Mines (1985)

Albania has an extensive hydrographic network of 152 rivers and streams, including 10 large rivers flowing from southeast to northwest, mainly discharging towards the Adriatic Sea. Combined, they produce a total annual flow rate of 1,308 cubic metres per second (46,200 cu ft/s).^[1][2]

In the mountainous regions, the rivers meander through narrow valleys with steep banks and great depth, collecting streams and silt during heavy rains. Their beds become erosive, causing frequent changes in their paths.^[3]

The rivers are mainly fed by atmospheric precipitation (65-92%) and underground water (8-35%), with an average rainfall layer of 1,494 mm and a runoff layer of 945 mm. Water flow varies by season, with winter having the largest annual flow (40%), followed by spring, autumn, and summer. The rivers contain an average mineralization of 150 to 500 mg/L and an average annual volume of suspended solids of 60 million tons, with greater erosion occurring in the catchment basins of Osum, Devoll, and Erzen. Temperatures in the winter months fall to 3.5-8.9°C, and in the summer months reach 17.8-24.6°C.^[4]

List of rivers

Main rivers

No.	Image	River	Length	Basin	Annual flow	Map
1		Drin	285 km (177 mi)	14,173 km2 (5,472 sq mi)	352 m3/s (12,400 cu ft/s)
2		Devoll	196 km (122 mi)	3,140 km2 (1,210 sq mi)	49.5 m3/s (1,750 cu ft/s)
3		Vjosa	192 km (119 mi)	6,706 km2 (2,589 sq mi)	195 m3/s (6,900 cu ft/s)
4		Shkumbin	181.4 km (112.7 mi)	2,444 km2 (944 sq mi)	61.5 m3/s (2,170 cu ft/s)
5		Osum	161 km (100 mi)	2,073 km2 (800 sq mi)	32.5 m3/s (1,150 cu ft/s)
6		Mat	115 km (71 mi)	2,441 km2 (942 sq mi)	103 m3/s (3,600 cu ft/s)
7		Erzen	109 km (68 mi)	760 km2 (290 sq mi)	18.1 m3/s (640 cu ft/s)
8		Fan	94 km (58 mi)	1,080 km2 (420 sq mi)	46 m3/s (1,600 cu ft/s)
9		Seman	85 km (53 mi)	5,649 km2 (2,181 sq mi)	95.7 m3/s (3,380 cu ft/s)
10		Drino	84.6 km (52.6 mi)	1,320 km2 (510 sq mi)	41.6 m3/s (1,470 cu ft/s)

Other rivers

No.	Image	River	Length	Basin	Annual flow	Map
11		Shushicë	81.6 km (50.7 mi)	715 km2 (276 sq mi)	24.3 m3/s (860 cu ft/s)
12		Ishëm	62.2 km (38.6 mi)	673 km2 (260 sq mi)	21.5 m3/s (760 cu ft/s)
13		Cem	58.8 km (36.5 mi)	368 km2 (142 sq mi)	24.86 m3/s (878 cu ft/s)
14		Kir	52 km (32 mi)	261 km2 (101 sq mi)	17 m3/s (600 cu ft/s)
15		Valbonë	50.6 km (31.4 mi)	657 km2 (254 sq mi)	33 m3/s (1,200 cu ft/s)
16		Pavllë	50 km (31 mi)	374 km2 (144 sq mi)	6.51 m3/s (230 cu ft/s)
17		Bunë	44 km (27 mi)	5,187 km2 (2,003 sq mi)	320 m3/s (11,000 cu ft/s)
18		Lëngaricë	36.8 km (22.9 mi)	337.1 km2 (130.2 sq mi)	7.86 m3/s (278 cu ft/s)
19		Shalë	35 km (22 mi)	269 km2 (104 sq mi)	33.7 m3/s (1,190 cu ft/s)
20		Kalasë	34 km (21 mi)	258 km2 (100 sq mi)	7.46 m3/s (263 cu ft/s)
21		Lanë	28.9 km (18.0 mi)	66.9 km2 (25.8 sq mi)	242 m3/s (8,500 cu ft/s)
22		Gashi	27 km (17 mi)
23		Bistricë	25 km (16 mi)	189 km2 (73 sq mi)	23.9 m3/s (840 cu ft/s)
24		Bënça	15 km (9.3 mi)	188 km2 (73 sq mi)	8.8 m3/s (310 cu ft/s)

Basins

Organized by drainage basin. Albanian-language names of the water bodies are listed if different from English. Italics indicate that the body of water is not in or bordering Albania.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rivers of Albania.

• Protected areas of Albania
• Geography of Albania
• Climate of Albania
• Biodiversity of Albania

References