Lake · Albania, Montenegro
Lake Skadar
Lake Skadar is the largest lake on the Balkan Peninsula. It lies on the border between Montenegro and Albania, and about 270 kinds of birds have been seen on its water and shores.
Picture credit: Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Julianruizp (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Alexkom000 (CC BY 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Lake Skadar?
Countries on its shores: Albania, Montenegro.
Largest lake of: Albania, Montenegro.
Middle of the lake: 42.17° N, 19.32° E
The story behind it
Lake Skadar changes its size with the seasons. In the dry summer it covers about 370 km², but after the winter rains it can spread to about 530 km². About two thirds of it belong to Montenegro and one third to Albania, and for both countries it is the largest lake. Most of the lake is only a few metres deep. Yet in some places springs bubble up from deep holes in the lake bed, down to about 44 metres, which is even below sea level. The Morača River brings about 60 percent of the water, and the Bojana River carries it away. Some of the last pelicans in Europe live here, among them the Dalmatian pelican with its curly head feathers. On the island of Beška stand old churches, and on the tiny island of Grmožur there is an old fortress. The Montenegrin part of the lake has been a national park since 1983.
Find it on the globe
Lake Skadar is there as a small blue dot with its name, right on the water. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
It sits at its real coordinates, not near them — the same numbers listed in the facts above. Switch off the layer for this kind of place and it disappears again; the buttons for that are down the right-hand edge.
Questions children ask
How big is Lake Skadar?
Lake Skadar covers about 370 km² in the dry season and up to about 530 km² after heavy rain. That makes it the largest lake on the Balkan Peninsula.
For which countries is Lake Skadar the largest lake?
It is the largest lake of both Montenegro and Albania. Even Albania's third of it is bigger than Albania's parts of Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa.
Where does the water of Lake Skadar come from?
Most of it comes from the Morača River, which brings about 60 percent. More water rises from springs in the lake bed, and the Bojana River carries it away.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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