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Lake Prespa

Coordinates:40°54′N21°02′E/ 40.900°N 21.033°E/40.900; 21.033
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For other uses, seePrespa (disambiguation).
Lake Prespa
The Island of Maligrad in the Albanian part of the Lake
Location of the lake in Europe
Location of the lake in Europe
Lake Prespa
Location of the lake in Europe
Location of the lake in Europe
Lake Prespa
Location of the lake in Europe
Location of the lake in Europe
Lake Prespa
Location of the lake in Europe
Location of the lake in Europe
Lake Prespa
Location of the lake in Europe
Location of the lake in Europe
Lake Prespa
LocationBalkan Peninsula
Coordinates40°54′N21°02′E/ 40.900°N 21.033°E/40.900; 21.033
TypeAncient lake,tectonic
Primary outflowsLake Ohridvia karstic channels
BasincountriesNorth Macedonia
Albania
Greece
Surface area259 km2(100 sq mi)
Max. depth54 m (177 ft)
Surface elevation853 m (2,799 ft)
IslandsGolem Grad,Mal Grad
Official nameLake Prespa
Designated4 April 1995
Reference no.726[1]
Official nameAlbanian Prespa Lakes
Designated13 June 2013
Reference no.2151[2]

TheLake Prespais located on thetripointofNorth Macedonia,AlbaniaandGreece.It is a system of two lakes separated by anisthmus:the Great Prespa Lake, divided between the three countries, and the Little Prespa Lake, mostly within Greece. They are the highesttectonic lakesin theBalkans,at an elevation of 853 metres (2,799 ft).

The area contains three national parks:Galičica National Parkin North Macedonia,Prespa National Parkin Albania, andPrespa National Parkin Greece. The largest town in the region isResenin North Macedonia. In 2014,Ohrid-Prespa Transboundary Biosphere Reservebetween Albania and North Macedonia was added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves.[3]

Geography[edit]

The Great Prespa Lake (Macedonian:Преспанско Езеро,Prespansko Ezero,Albanian:Liqeni i Prespës së Madhe,Greek:Μεγάλη Πρέσπα,Megáli Préspa) has the total surface of 259 km2(100.00 sq mi). The largest part of it, 176.3 km2(68.07 sq mi) belongs to North Macedonia; 46.3 km2(17.88 sq mi) to Albania; and 36.4 km2(14.05 sq mi) to Greece.

To the south, the Little Prespa Lake[4](Greek: Μικρή Πρέσπα,Mikri Prespa;Albanian:Prespa e Vogël;Macedonian: Мало Преспанско Езеро) has the total surface area of 46.8 km2(18.07 sq mi), most of it in Greece, with the westernmost tip (4.3 km2(1.66 sq mi)) in Albania.

The two lakes are separated by a 4-kilometre-long (2.5 mi) and 500-metre-wide (550 yd) isthmus on the Greek territory, carrying an embankment with a road connecting the village ofPsarades.A short stretch of a canal connects the lakes on the western side of the isthmus.

History[edit]

Topographic map of Lake Prespa andLake Ohrid.
Spongilla prespensisis endemic to Lake Prespa

In Classical times, the Prespa region formed part of ancientLynkestis,and the lakes were called Little and Great Brygeis. In the 10th century, theTsar Samuilbuilt the fortress and church ofSt. Achilliuson an island called Agios Achillios in the Small Prespa Lake, on the Greek side of the border. The biggest island in the Great Prespa Lake, within North Macedonia, is calledGolem Grad( "Large Town" ), and Snake Island (Zmiski Ostrov). The other islandMal Grad( "Small Town", in Albania) is the site of a ruined 14th century monastery dedicated toSt. Peter.Today, both islands are uninhabited.

Because Great Prespa Lake sits in limestone country about 150m aboveLake Ohrid,which lies only about 10 km (6 miles) to the west, the only outlets for its waters are through underground channels in thekarstand emerge fromspringswhich feed streams running into Lake Ohrid.[5]

For many years, the Greek part of the Prespa Lakes region was an underpopulated, military sensitive area which required special permission for outsiders to visit. It saw fierce fighting during theGreek Civil Warand much of the local population subsequently emigrated to escape endemic poverty and political strife. The region remained little developed until the 1970s, when it began to be promoted as a tourist destination. With an abundance of rare fauna and flora, the area was declared a Transnational Park in 2000. In 1999 the Society for the Protection of Prespa received theRamsar Wetland Conservation Awardfor its conservation efforts regarding the Lake PrespaRamsarsite, and was eventually included on 3 July 2013.

In 2018, Great Prespa Lake was the setting for the signing of thePrespa Agreement,intended to resolve theMacedonia naming disputeby renaming the Republic of Macedonia toNorth Macedonia.[6]The agreement was signed on 17 June 2018 in a high-level ceremony at the Greek border village ofPsaradeson the lake, by the two foreign ministersNikola Dimitrov(of the Republic of Macedonia) andNikos Kotzias(ofGreece) and in the presence of the respective prime ministers,Zoran ZaevandAlexis Tsipras.[7]After the ceremony, Tsipras and Zaev crossed over the border to North Macedonia's side of the lake for lunch at the village ofOteševo,in a highly symbolic move that marked the first time a Greek prime minister ever entered the Republic of Macedonia since it declared independence in 1991.[8]

Wildlife[edit]

Only 11 native fish species are known from the lake. Of these 9 of these areendemic:Alburnoides prespensis,Alburnus belvica,Barbus prespensis,Chondrostoma prespense,Cobitis meridionalis,Pelasgus prespensis,Rutilus prespensis,Salmo peristericusandSqualius prespensis;the additional two areAnguilla anguilla(European eel) andCyprinus carpio(European carp).[9]The lake is also home to the freshwaterspongeSpongilla prespensis[10]

Important Bird Areas[edit]

North Macedonia's part of the lake has been designated anImportant Bird Area(IBA) byBirdLife Internationalbecause it supports populations offerruginous ducks,tufted ducks,Dalmatian pelicansandpygmy cormorants.[11]The Albanian part of the lake is a separate but corresponding IBA for the same reason,[12]as is the Greek southern section of the lake.[13]

Gallery[edit]

  • Fisherman's hut in Oteševo, North Macedonia
    Fisherman's hut inOteševo,North Macedonia
  • Beach "Ribarsko Selo" in Oteševo, North Macedonia
    Beach "Ribarsko Selo" in Oteševo, North Macedonia
  • Beach at Konjsko, North Macedonia
    Beach atKonjsko,North Macedonia
  • Prespa as seen from Oteševo - Stenje route in North Macedonia
    Prespa as seen from Oteševo -Stenjeroute in North Macedonia
  • The lake as seen from Oteševo - Stenje route
    The lake as seen from Oteševo - Stenje route
  • "Evropa" hotel in Oteševo, now abandoned
    "Evropa" hotel in Oteševo, now abandoned
  • The southern shoreline (Stenje - Konjsko)
    The southern shoreline (Stenje - Konjsko)
  • Fisherman's huts at "Ribarsko Selo"
    Fisherman's huts at "Ribarsko Selo"
  • Shoreline along the Greek side
    Shoreline along the Greek side
  • View from Greek side
    View from Greek side
  • Cliff face around Greek side
    Cliff face around Greek side
  • Maligrad Island in Albania
    Maligrad Island in Albania

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Lake Prespa".RamsarSites Information Service.Retrieved25 April2018.
  2. ^"Albanian Prespa Lakes".RamsarSites Information Service.Retrieved25 April2018.
  3. ^Thirteen sites added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves–UNESCO
  4. ^Kapka Kassabova, To the Lake, Granta 2020, map 1 gives simply Lake Prespa and Little Prespa, not Great and Small Prespa
  5. ^Thomas Wilke, Risto Väinolä, Frank Riedel (2009),Patterns and Processes of Speciation in Ancient Lakes: Proceedings of the Fourth Symposium on Speciation in Ancient Lakes, Berlin, Germany, September 4–8, 2006 (Developments in Hydrobiology),p. 107, Springer,ISBN1-4020-9581-3
  6. ^"Final Agreement for the Settlement of the Differences as Described in the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 817 (1993) and 845 (1993), the Termination of the Interim Accord of 1995, and the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership Between the Parties"(PDF).Kathimerini.Retrieved13 June2018.
  7. ^"Greece, Macedonia sign pact to change ex-Yugoslav republic's name".Reuters.17 June 2018.Retrieved17 June2018.
  8. ^"Prespa: Alexis Tsipras is the first Greek prime minister to visit FYROM (original: Πρέσπες: Ο Αλέξης Τσίπρας είναι ο πρώτος Έλληνας πρωθυπουργός που επισκέφθηκε την πΓΔΜ)".HuffPost.17 June 2018.Retrieved17 June2018.
  9. ^Talevski, T.; Milosevic, D.; Maric, D.; Petrovic, D.; Talevska, M.; Talevska, A. (2009). "Biodiversity of Ichthyofauna from Lake Prespa, Lake Ohrid and Lake Skadar".Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment.23(sup1). Informa UK Limited: 400–404.doi:10.1080/13102818.2009.10818449.ISSN1310-2818.S2CID84541133.
  10. ^"Spongilla prespensis".World Register of Marine Species.Retrieved19 September2012.
  11. ^"Lake Prespa".BirdLife Data Zone.BirdLife International. 2021.Retrieved11 March2021.
  12. ^"Lake Megali Prespa".BirdLife Data Zone.BirdLife International. 2021.Retrieved11 March2021.
  13. ^"Prespa National Park and Varnountas mountains".BirdLife Data Zone.BirdLife International. 2021.Retrieved11 March2021.

Sources[edit]

  • "Prespa, Lake".Encyclopædia Britannica,2005.
  • "Prespa, Lake".The Columbia Encyclopedia,2004.

External links[edit]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide forPrespa.
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