The Canyon of Gjipe ( sq, Kanioni i Gjipesë) is a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

and calcareous

canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

located between Dhërmi and Vuno carved by the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including C ...

in Vlorë County, Albania. The canyon occupies a length of and a width that can varies between and . It represents a narrow strait, created by the activity of the brook flowing through its narrow pass. There are numerous

rock formation A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock formation'' can also refer to specific sediment ...

s along the canyon, including a number of caves. Located at the transition zone of the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, the scenery is among the mosts visited attractions along the Albanian Riviera. Nonetheless, the canyon has been further recognised as an Important Plant Area of international importance by Plantlife, because it supports a number of rare and endemic species. In terms of phytogeography, the canyon belongs to the

Illyria In classical antiquity, Illyria (; grc, Ἰλλυρία, ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; la, Illyria, ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyr ...

n province of the circumboreal region within the boreal Kingdom. It falls completely within the Illyrian deciduous forests terrestrial ecoregion of the

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...

Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub is a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The biome is generally characterized by dry summers and rainy winters, although in some areas rainfall may be uniform. Summers are typically hot in ...

biome. Among vegetation elements, the presence is extremely significant of the carob and

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

, which has been produced since

antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...

throughout the country. The specific landscape right beside the sea and the particular climate have favored the development of a vast array of faunal species that demonstrates an eminent quality. The canyon contains shallow coastal waters which provide sufficient habitat for the loggerhead sea turtle, the most familiar turtle in the Mediterranean Sea. Dolphins are not really that uncommon in the region. Three species of dolphins have been identified within its waters amongst them the cuvier's beaked whale, common bottlenose dolphin and short-beaked common dolphin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canyon of Gjipe Canyons and gorges of Albania Bays of Albania Tourist attractions in Albania Tourist attractions in Vlorë County Albanian Ionian Sea Coast

See also

References