Mali i Gjerë () is a

massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...

located between the municipalities of

Sarandë Sarandë (; sq-definite, Saranda; ) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Sarandë Municipality. Geographically, the city is located on an open sea gulf of the Ionian Sea within the Mediterrane ...

and

Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in Southern Albania, southern Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë moun ...

, in southern

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

. It constitutes the watershed boundary of the Delvina basin and the

Drino The Drino or Drinos (, ) is a river in southern Albania and northwestern Greece, and a tributary of the Vjosë. Its source is in the northwestern part of the Ioannina regional unit, near the village Delvinaki. The 84.6 km (52.6 mi) long Drino ...

valley as well as the waters that flow into the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

and Ionian seas. The highest point is ''Maja e Frashërit'', reaching a height of . Other peaks include Maja e Kikshajt , Maja e Nikollasit , Maja e Bidos , Maja e Pilloit , etc.

Etymology

The mountain is referred to as Mali i Gjerë in Albanian and as Platovouni () in Greek, and both names convey the same meaning of a broad or ''wide mountain''.

Geology

Mali i Gjerë stretches from the valley of Kardhiq in the northwest to Qafa e Muzinës in the south, at a length of about . The massif is composed of

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era is the Era (geology), era of Earth's Geologic time scale, geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Period (geology), Periods. It is characterized by the dominance of archosaurian r ...

and

Paleogene The Paleogene Period ( ; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Neogene Period Ma. It is the fir ...

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

that form a large asymmetric

anticlinal Anticlinal may refer to: *Anticline, in structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core *Anticlinal, in stereochemistry, a torsion angle between 90° to 150°, and –90° to –150°; see Alkane_st ...

structure with a less steep eastern flank and a western flank separated by a tectonic overthrust. The watershed ridge as well as the wide eastern slope gently incline (hence the name), and are filled with various forms of

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

erosion. The main passes are Muzina, Sopot and Skërficka.

Biodiversity

At the southwestern and northeastern foothills are found a number of karst springs (Bistrica, Vërgoi, Viroi). The main tributary is sourced from a well-known karst spring called the

Blue Eye Eye color is a polygenic phenotypic trait determined by two factors: the pigmentation of the eye's iris and the frequency-dependence of the scattering of light by the turbid medium in the stroma of the iris. In humans, the pigmentation of th ...

(), which is a popular tourist attraction due to its scenic environment. Woodland is scarce, but the area is rich in summer pastures and several types of medicinal plants (tea, orchid, hawthorn, yarrow, oregano). Among the wild animals, the mountain partridge is commonly encountered. The eastern slope of the mountain is surrounded by the nearby settlements of Gjirokastër, Lower Dropull,

Lazarat Lazarat ( sq-definite, Lazarati) is a village in Gjirokastër County, in southern Albania. It is located in the Dropull valley. Formerly functioning as a municipality, as part of the 2015 local government reform, it became a subdivision of the muni ...

, and Mashkullore, while on the western slope are situated Delvina and the villages of Rrëzoma. The karst massif spreads mostly within Albania, covering about , with extending into the Greek territory.

Human History

In antiquity, the Mali i Gjerë range divided the territory of the ancient Greek tribe of the

Chaonians The Chaonians () were an Ancient Greeks, ancient Greek people that inhabited the historical Epirus, region of Epirus which today is part of northwestern Greece and southern Albania.; ; ; ; ; Together with the Molossians and the Thesprotians, the ...

in two parts; the western part centered around

Phoenice Phoenice or Phoenike () was an ancient Greek city in Epirus and capital of the Chaonians.: "To the north the Chaonians had expelled the Corcyraeans from their holdings on the mainland and built fortifications at Buthrotum, Kalivo and Kara-Ali- ...

and the eastern one centered around

Antigonea Antigonia (), also transliterated as Antigonea and Antigoneia, was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek city in Chaonia, Epirus, and the chief inland city of the ancient Chaonians. It is located just south of the village of Saraqinisht, Gjirokast� ...

References

{{reflist Mountains of Albania One-thousanders of Albania

Etymology

Geology

Biodiversity

Human History

See also

References