The Shalë ( sq-definite, Shala) is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

flowing inside the

Albanian Alps The Accursed Mountains ( sq, Bjeshkët e Nemuna; sh-Cyrl-Latn, Проклетије, Prokletije, ; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), also known as the Albanian Alps ( sq, Alpet Shqiptare), are a mountain group in the western part of the B ...

in northern

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. Its source is in the

, near the village

Theth Theth ( sq, Thethi) is a small village within Shkodër County, Albania. Following the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Shkodër, and has been declared a Protected Historic Center by the Albanian Government. The commu ...

, close to the border with

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

. The Shalë flows generally south through the municipal units Shalë, Shosh and

Temal Temal is a former municipality in the Shkodër County, northwestern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Vau i Dejës. The population at the 2011 census was 1,562.Koman Reservoir Lake Koman ( sq, Liqeni i Komanit) is a reservoir on the Drin River in northern Albania. Lake Koman is surrounded by dense forested hills, vertical slopes, deep gorges, and a narrow valley, completely taken up by the river. Besides the Drin, it i ...

, fed and drained by the river Drin, near the village Telum. It has a length of 37 km from the source at the top of Radohina to Dri, it springs at the source of Shtraza at the top of Theth village, at the foot of the top of Radohina, from where it descends down through the valley of Shala, from Thethi, Ndërlysa and Musha, from Breg-Lumi to Porta e Shalës (Gorge of Rrshqëm), through Lotaj and in the valley of Shoshi, while its discharge goes to Lesniqe in Dri (today Lake Koman) . It is a mountain river with an average drop of 22 meters in one kilometer. Shala River is distinguished by its crystalline water, with an average annual flow of about 34 m³ / sec. The maximum inflows reach in November with 52m3 / sec, while the minimum inflows in August in which it reaches 9m³ / sec. The Shala River is rich in a variety of fish, but the most widespread is trout, which grows only in freshwater. The cool blue color of the water is characteristic of this river, the steep cliffs that surround it, seem to touch the sky by hand. In the river Shala there is a rare beauty, where it is difficult to say only in words. The Shala River in the years of democracy has become a tourist destination for both foreigners and locals, from where many visitors describe it as the pearl of the beauties of Koman and Albania.

References

Rivers of Albania Geography of Shkodër County Valbonë Valley National Park Braided rivers in Albania {{Albania-river-stub

See also

References