| Small Prespa Lake | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Small Prespa | |
  Small Prespa Lake | |
 Location | |
| Location | Balkans (primarilyGreece,Albania – a small part) |
| Coordinates | 40°46′N21°06′E / 40.767°N 21.100°E /40.767; 21.100 |
| Type | tectonic |
| Basin countries | Greece, Albania |
| Surface area | 46.8 km2 (18.1 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 7.7 m (25 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 853 m (2,799 ft) |
| Islands | Agios Achillios,Vidronisi |
| Official name | Mikri Prespa Lake (Greece) |
| Designated | 21 August 1975 |
| Reference no. | 60[1] |
| Official name | Albanian Prespa Lakes |
| Designated | 13 June 2013 |
| Reference no. | 2151[2] |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Small Prespa Lake | |
Small Prespa Lake (Greek:Λίμνη Μικρή Πρέσπα,Limni Mikri Prespa;Albanian:Prespa e Vogël;Macedonian:Мало Преспанско Езеро,Malo Prespansko Ezero) is alake shared betweenGreece (138 km² drainage area; 42.5 km² surface area) andAlbania (51 km² drainage area; 4.3 km² surface area). It is the smaller of the twoPrespa Lakes.
Small Prespa Lake in particular has been recognized as an important wetland ecosystems favoring breeding and feeding of rare water bird species. It is best known for hosting the largest breeding colony of theDalmatian pelican in the world. The flora in the region is composed of more than 1,500 plant species of which 146 endemic species in the Lake Ohrid and 39 endemic species from thePrespa Lakes.
The villages of Rakickë, Shyec, Buzliqen and Tren surround the Albanian portion of the lake. In Greece the villages surrounding the lake areAgios Germanos,Laimos, Milionas, Platy, Kallithea, Lefkonas,Prespes, Karyes, Mikrolimni, Oxia,Pyli and Vrontero.
During 1970, significant amounts of water from theDevoll river was diverted into the lake with the intention to use it latter during the summer time for the irrigation purposes. Due to the high suspended solids in the river water significant siltation did occur on the Albanian side. The practice has recently stopped. The Albanian part of this lake has a surface of 420 hectares. In 1999 the Society for the Protection of Prespa received theRamsar Wetland Conservation Award for its conservation efforts regarding the Lake PrespaRamsar site.[3]
Small Prespa Lake contains the island of Agios Achilleios (Saint Achilleus); in February 1948, in the midst of theGreek Civil War,Nikos Zachariadis, the General Secretary of theCommunist Party of Greece, married Roula Koukoulou, his long-time lover, on this island, in a widely publicized ceremony.[4]
Located on Agios Achilleios is also the Basilica of SaintAchillius of Larissa. It is an example of the survival of Early Christian architectural style in the Byzantine period.[5] Agios Achilleios was also an early capital of Bulgarian rulerSamuel in the 10th century. The island became a tourist and fishing centre in the 1970s.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Media related toSmall Prespa Lake at Wikimedia Commons| Natural lakes |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial | |||||
| Urban Tirana | |||||
| National (Woodland) Parks |  | |
|---|---|---|
| National Marine Parks | ||
| National Parks | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
