Kukës County (Albanian pronunciation:[kuːkəs];Albanian:Qarku i Kukësit) is a landlockedcounty in northeasternAlbania, with the capital inKukës. The county spans 2,374 square kilometres (917 sq mi) and had a total population of 61,998 people as of 2021.[2] The county borders on the counties ofDibër,Lezhë andShkodër and the countries ofMontenegro,Kosovo andNorth Macedonia. It is divided into threemunicipalities:Has,Kukës andTropojë.[3] The municipalities are further subdivided into 290 towns and villages in total.
The human presence in the lands of modern Kukës County can be traced back to theBronze Ages, when ancientIllyrians,Dardanians andRomans established settlements in the region.[4] Several Illyriantombs were discovered in the villages of Këneta and Kolsh close toKukës.[5]
Kukës is predominantly mountainous and framed bymountain ranges including theAlbanian Alps in the northwest which is typified bykarst topography. The northeast is dominated by the mountains ofGjallica,Koritnik andPashtrik, while the southeastern bound is mostly formed by theKorab andSharr Mountains.[6] At 2,694 metres (8,839 ft),Maja Jezercë is the county's highest peak, and the second highest peak of Albania. Karst topography predominates in the county, resulting in specific landforms and hydrology because of the interaction of the karst and the region's watercourses. It is crossed and drained by theDrin river. The county is also home to the sources of rivers such as theValbona which is part of Tropojë,originates south ofMaja Jezercë andGashi a notabletributary of Valbona.
Located in thenorth of Albania, the climate isalpine andcontinental.[7][8] Mean monthly temperature ranges between 11 °C (52 °F) (in January) and 25 °C (77 °F) (in July). Mean annual precipitation ranges between 900 millimetres (35 inches) and 3,000 millimetres (120 inches) depending on geographic region and prevailing climate type.
According to the last national census from 2011 this county has 85,292 inhabitants. They are mostlyMuslim and a significantCatholic Christian minority are present. They speak theGheg dialect.
Kukës is one of 12counties of Albania, located in the north and northeast of theNorthern Region. The county area is 2,374 km2 (917 sq mi) and the seventh largest county by area in Albania and the third largest in the Northern Region, behindShkodër County andDibër County. It is bordered by the counties ofShkodër County in the west,Dibër County in the south,Lezhë County in the southeast, the countries ofKosovo in the east and northeast andMontenegro in the north and northwest. Its northernmost point is Çerem point at 42° 29' 52" northern latitude; the southernmost isKalis point at 41° 50' 0" northern latitude; the westernmost point is Rrogam at 19° 50' 24" eastern longitude; and the easternmost point isShishtavec at 20° 36' 0" eastern longitude.
The terrain of the county consists of small plains and high mountains. Elevations here range between 250 m (0.16 mi) and 2,200 m (1.4 mi).[9] TheAlbanian Alps are a high mountain range running throughTropojë across the northwest of the county. The northeast contain high and steep peaks includingGjallica,Koritnik andPashtrik. Between these mountains are mostly narrowvalleys,canyons and ravines. From southeast, the county is crossed by theSharr andKorab Mountains.
Hydrologically, the county lies almost entirely within the basin of theDrin and its tributaries. The river flows into theAdriatic Sea after crossing the county territory from the confluence ofBlack Drin andWhite Drin. On their way, its basin and zone of influence naturally correspond to the areas destined for agricultural use. LakeFierza andKoman lies in the county and are fed and drained by rivers Black Drin and White Drin. Other notable rivers includeGashi andValbona.
With a total population of around 61,998 people as of the Albanian census of 2023, Kukës is the second-to-last least populous county inAlbania.[2] The population density is 26 inhabitants per square kilometre (67/sq mi). It has now more than halved from its peak population of 146,081 in the 1989 census. Kukës has the highest total fertility rate of Albania with 2.29 children per woman (compared to the national number of 1.54 children per woman).
From the 2023 census, the county is 94.94% Albanian, 3.51%Bulgarian (largelyGorani in Shishtavec), and the remainder belonging to smaller ethnic groups or no declaration.
According to the 2023 census, Kukës had the highest percentage of Muslims in Albania, followed by small Christian communities and a non-religious population. Overall, 88.6% of residents identified with a religion. Between the 2011 and 2023 censuses in Kukës, the religious composition experienced some alterations, withSunni Muslims maintaining their position as the predominant group. The proportion of Muslims slightly increased from 83.8% to 84.9%. In contrast, the presence ofBektashi Muslims diminished from 0.2% to 0.0%.Catholic Christians saw a marginal rise in their share, moving from 2.6% to 2.9%, whileOrthodox Christians also registered a small increase from 0.0% to 0.1%.Evangelical Christians witnessed a modest growth from 0.0% to 0.2%.
Notably, there was a considerable expansion in the segment of the population identifying asirreligious.Atheists saw a slight uptick from 0.3% to 0.4%, and the number of individuals identifying asbelievers without denomination showed a substantial surge from 2.5% to 5.6%. Conversely, there was a marked decrease in the percentage of individuals who preferred not to answer, falling from 8.2% to 4.4%, and those whose religious affiliation was not stated or available also decreased from 2.5% to 1.0%.[17]
Population of Kukës according to religious group (2011–2023)
Kukës County is Albania's poorest region both historically and presently.[18] Since the 1990s many of its inhabitants have migrated to Tirana or abroad. Prior to the collapse, Kukës industry was rug making, agriculture and textiles. However, since the 1990s much of Kukës population have migrated abroad, leaving to a decline in the local economy and making Kukës among Albania's and Europe's poorest regions and least developed.[19] However, in 2021,Edi Rama opened up Albania's second international Airport in Kukës to revive the stagnant economy there. Nonetheless, Kukës remains three times poorer than the capital city of Tirana.
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