Topographically, the county is dominated by mountainous and high terrain, with a great variety of natural features including valleys, canyons, gorges, rivers, glacial lakes and dense forests. Various mountains ranging between 1,500 and 2,700 metres (4,921 and 8,858 ft) metersabove sea level run the length of the county from north to south, including theKorab mountains in the east withMali i Gramës andKorab at an altitude of 2,764 metres (9,068 ft) being the highest mountain in the county and as well as inAlbania. TheDejë mountain 2,245 metres (7,365 ft) rises in the center, while in the east the county is dominated by theLura mountains. TheSkanderbeg mountains on the west separates theCentral Mountain Range with theWestern Lowlands. The county, marked by a significant biological diversity, is water-rich with a dense river network, a rich aquifer system, and significant karst underground watercourses. It is home to the source of the riverMat which rises inMartanesh. Besides the Mat, theDrin river is an important waterway in the region.[4]
The county territory covers four distinct climatic types as of theKöppen climate classification;oceanic,continental,mediterranean andsubarctic.[5] Located in the interior of Albania, the climate ismediterranean withcontinental influences.[6] Mean monthly temperature ranges between −20 °C (−4 °F) (in January) and 25–30 °C (77–86 °F) (in July). Mean annual precipitation ranges between 600 millimetres (24 inches) and 1,000 millimetres (39 inches) depending on geographic region and prevailing climate type.
Dibër is an historically homogeneous county. Its capital and most populous city isPeshkopi.Tourism is one of the most important sectors in the county and has the largest potential to be a source for sustainable income, due to its natural and cultural heritage. Although the county has abundant natural resources likechromium,sulfur andmarble. Dibër is predominantly an agriculture county.
Human activity in the territory of the modern Dibër County can be traced back to theNeolithic.[7]
The region that today corresponds to the county territory was inhabited by the ancientIllyriantribe of Penestae.[8] They were the first people to leave lasting traces and cultural heritage throughout the region.[9] It is evidenced by the settlements of theEarly Bronze Age in Manasdren, theMiddle Bronze Age in Çetush, theLate Bronze Age in Pesjakë and several others.[7]
Dibër is one of 12counties of Albania, located in the south and southeast of theNorthern Region. It lies betweenlatitudes 42° N, andlongitudes 20° E. The county area is 2,586 km2 (998 sq mi) and the sixth largest by area in Albania and the second largest in the Northern Region. It is limited to the counties ofKukës to the north and northeast,Lezhë to the northwest,Durrës to the east,Tirana to the southwest,Elbasan to the southeast andNorth Macedonia to the west.
Much of the Dibër County is dominated by mountainous or high terrain, with a great variety of natural features caused by prehistoricglaciers and variedtopography. The county lies about 380 meters up to 2,700 metresabove sea level.[11] The main topographic features of the county are the presence of the three major mountain ranges which are theKorab mountains in the east, theLura mountains in the east and theSkanderbeg mountains in the west, separating theCentral Mountain Range with theWestern Lowlands.
The most important rivers flowing through Dibër include theMat andBlack Drin. The Mat river has its source inMartanesh. It heads westwards through deepgorges andcanyons toMat and northwest through the towns ofKlos andBurrel. The Black Drin flows out from theOhrid lake and passes throughPeshkopi andMaqellara. Rising in Ohrid, theDrin river originates nearKukës at the confluence of the Black Drin andWhite Drin.
It has a total population of around 107,178 people as of the 2023 census.[2] The population density is 41 inhabitants per square kilometre (110/sq mi). Compared to other counties, Dibër has a very low population density. In addition, the remote mountainous areas are almost unpopulated. The largest cities arePeshkopi,Burrel,Bulqizë andKlos.
Data from the 2023 census showed that Dibër County was 81.5% Albanian, 1.61% Bulgarian, 0.20% Macedonian, 0.48% Roma or Balkan Egyptian, while the remaining 15.93% did not specify their ethnicity.
Between the 2011 and 2023 censuses in Dibër, the religious landscape underwent changes. The proportion ofSunni Muslims decreased from 81.4% to 62.7%. Conversely, the presence ofBektashi Muslims increased from 3.8% to 5.9%.Catholic Christians decreased from 2.0% to 0.1%.Orthodox Christians remained relatively stable at around 0.1%.Evangelical Christians also remained stable at around 0.01%.
There was a notable increase in the segment of the population identifying asbelievers without denomination, which grew from 4.4% to 9.0%. The proportion ofatheists remained stable at around 0.7%. The percentage of individuals who preferred not to answer decreased from 6.2% to 4.1%, while the category of "Not stated/other" saw a significant increase from 1.4% to 15.9%.[16]
Population of Dibër according to religious group (2011–2023)
Dibër County’s economy historically depended on agriculture and sheparding, although the collapse of communism and lack of jobs has led to many Albanians migrating abroad. Dibra is consequently one of the poorer regions of Albania due to its remote and rugged situation, although it is more developed than neighboring Elbasan and Kukës counties which have seen severe economic stagnation. Dibër County is the second least developed county in Albania with only Kukës being less developed.[17]
^University of Tirana."TURIZMI NË RRETHIN E DIBRËS"(PDF).doktoratura.unitir.edu.al (in Albanian). pp. 24–27. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 2017-10-08. Retrieved2017-10-08.
^Sinani, Rakip (2005).Dibra dhe dibranët në faqet e historisë [Dibër and the Dibrans in the Pages of History] (in Albanian). Tiranë: KTISTALINA-KH. p. 20.ISBN99943-625-8-5.
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