Albania has an extensive hydrographic network of 152 rivers and streams, including 10 large rivers flowing from southeast to northwest, mainly discharging towards the Adriatic Sea. Combined, they produce a total annual flow rate of .[1] [2]
In the mountainous regions, the rivers meander through narrow valleys with steep banks and great depth, collecting streams and silt during heavy rains. Their beds become erosive, causing frequent changes in their paths.[3]
The rivers are mainly fed by atmospheric precipitation (65-92%) and underground water (8-35%), with an average rainfall layer of 1,494 mm and a runoff layer of 945 mm. Water flow varies by season, with winter having the largest annual flow (40%), followed by spring, autumn, and summer. The rivers contain an average mineralization of 150 to 500 mg/L and an average annual volume of suspended solids of 60 million tons, with greater erosion occurring in the catchment basins of Osum, Devoll, and Erzen. Temperatures in the winter months fall to 3.5-8.9°C, and in the summer months reach 17.8-24.6°C.[4]
| No. | Image | River | Length | Basin | Annual flow | Map | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drin | 285km (177miles) | 14173km² | 352m3/s | |||
| 2 | Devoll | 196km (122miles) | 3140km² | 49.5m3/s | |||
| 3 | Vjosa | 192km (119miles) | 6706km² | 195m3/s | |||
| 4 | Shkumbin | 181.4km (112.7miles) | 2444km² | 61.5m3/s | |||
| 5 | Osum | 161km (100miles) | 2073km² | 32.5m3/s | |||
| 6 | Mat | 1150NaN0 | 2441km² | 103m3/s | |||
| 7 | Erzen | 109km (68miles) | 760km² | 18.1m3/s | |||
| 8 | Fan | 94km (58miles) | 1080km² | 46m3/s | |||
| 9 | Seman | 85km (53miles) | 5649km² | 95.7m3/s | |||
| 10 | Drino | 84.6km (52.6miles) | 1320km² | 41.6m3/s |
| No. | Image | River | Length | Basin | Annual flow | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Shushicë | 81.6km (50.7miles) | 715km² | 24.3m3/s | ||
| 12 | Ishëm | 62.2km (38.6miles) | 673km² | 21.5m3/s | ||
| 13 | Cem | 58.8km (36.5miles) | 368km² | 24.86m3/s | ||
| 14 | Kir | 52km (32miles) | 261km² | 17m3/s | ||
| 15 | Valbonë | 50.6km (31.4miles) | 657km² | 33m3/s | ||
| 16 | Pavllë | 50km (30miles) | 374km² | 6.51m3/s | ||
| 17 | Bunë | 44km (27miles) | 5187km² | 320m3/s | ||
| 18 | Lëngaricë | 36.8km (22.9miles) | 337.1km² | 7.86m3/s | ||
| 19 | Shalë | 35km (22miles) | 269km² | 33.7m3/s | ||
| 20 | Kalasë | 34km (21miles) | 258km² | 7.46m3/s | ||
| 21 | Lanë | 28.9km (18miles) | 66.9km² | 242m3/s | ||
| 22 | Gashi | 27km (17miles) | ||||
| 23 | Bistricë | 25km (16miles) | 189km² | 23.9m3/s | ||
| 24 | Bënça | 15km (09miles) | 188km² | 8.8m3/s | ||
Organized by drainage basin. Albanian-language names of the water bodies are listed if different from English. Italics indicate that the body of water is not in or bordering Albania.