The Southern Mountain Range ( sq, Krahina Malore Jugore) is a

physiogeographical Physical geography (also known as physiography) is one of the three main branches of geography. Physical geography is the branch of natural science which deals with the processes and patterns in the natural environment such as the atmosphere, ...

region in southern

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 ...

. It is defined by high mountains and few valleys and plains between them. It is also one of the four geographical areas of Albania, the others being the Northern Mountain Range (the Albanian part of the

Prokletije 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 ...

), the

Western Lowlands The Western Lowlands ( sq, Ultësira Bregdetare or Ultësira Perëndimore) is a physiogeographical region encompassing the western edge of Albania. It comprises the flat plains extending in the west along the Albanian Adriatic and Ionian Sea Co ...

( sq, Ultësira Bregdetare), and the

Central Mountain Range The Central Mountain Range is the principal mountain range on the island of Taiwan. It runs from the north of the island to the south. Due to this separation, connecting between the west and east is not very convenient. The tallest peak of th ...

( sq, Krahina Malore Qendrore). The range notably includes two mountain chains: the Trebeshinë- Dhëmbel- Nemërçkë and Shëndelli- Lunxhëri- Bureto. It also includes the

Tomorr Tomorr is a mountain range in the region of Berat and Skrapar, in Albania. It reaches an elevation of above sea level at the Çuka e Partizanit, which is the highest peak in central Albania. Mount Tomorr is one of Albania's biggest water-coll ...

in its northern part, and the

Ceraunian Mountains The Ceraunian Mountains ( sq, Malet e Vetëtimës, "Thunderbolt mountains"; el, Κεραύνια Όρη, ''Keravnia ori''; la, Cerauni Montes), also commonly Akroceraunian Mountains ( grc, Ἀκροκεραύνια, sq, Malet Akrokeraune "male ...

with its summit Çika in the west, two mountains which are close to the

Llogara National Park The Llogara National Park ( sq, Parku Kombëtar i Llogarasë) is a national park centered on the Ceraunian Mountains along the Albanian Riviera in Southwestern Albania, spanning a surface area of . The park's terrain includes large alpine meadow ...

. The mountainous region of Kurvelesh is part of the range, while its coastal region is part of the

Albanian riviera The Albanian Riviera ( sq, Riviera shqiptare, ), also popularly known as Bregu, is a coastline along the Northeastern Ionian Sea in the Mediterranean Sea encompassing the districts of Sarandë and Vlorë in Southwestern Albania. It forms an impo ...

. The only notable plain in the region is the Vurg plain. The mean

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...

for November through January is 1,000 mm.

Nemërçkë Mountains

Nemërçkë is a short mountain range in southern Albania on the border between Albania and Greece, which extends from the north-west to the south-east. To the north Nemërçkë is separated from the Albanian

Pindus mountain The Pindus (also Pindos or Pindhos; el, Πίνδος, Píndos; sq, Pindet; rup, Pindu) is a mountain range located in Northern Greece and Southern Albania. It is roughly 160 km (100 miles) long, with a maximum elevation of 2,637 metre ...

s, by the Vjosë river, Albania's second longest river, while to the south it reaches the Albanian-Greek border. Vjosë flows to the east of the mountains. Some of northern part of the range, which is also the highest one, is protected by the

Fir of Hotova National Park Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The genus is most closely related t ...

. In geomorphological terms, the Nemërçkes are part of the Nemërçka massif. The summit of the mountain range,

Maja e Papingut Maja e Papingut is a peak of the Nemërçkë mountain ridge located in the south of Albania, near the Vjosë river. Maja e Papingut is the highest point of Nemerçkë and the highest unshared peak in southern Albania at high. From the rocky su ...

is the highest peak. Having an elevation of and a

prominence In topography, prominence (also referred to as autonomous height, relative height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop or relative height in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contou ...

of , it is the 44th most prominent mountain peak in Europe. The mountain is very steep and is characterized by its steep cliffs, which falls impressively on the Vjosë. Other peaks include Maja e Gatakut , Maja e Qesarit , and Maja e Poliçanit .

References

Geography of Albania {{albania-geo-stub