The Vivari Channel ( Albanian: Kanali i Butrintit, also known as Butrinto River) links Lake Butrint in the extreme south of

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

with the Straits of Corfu, and forms a border of the peninsula of Butrint. The natural channel flows in both directions every six hours, from the lake to the sea and vice versa during the rising tide facilitating the access of saline waters into Lake Butrint. A pontoon is situated near the gate of the

Butrint National Park Butrint National Park () is a national park in Vlorë County, southern Albania. It is located south of Sarandë. The park encompasses of hilly terrain with freshwater lakes, wetlands, salt marshes, open plains, reed beds and islands. The park' ...

. Two small forts, the Ali Pasha Castle and the Venetian Triangular Castle, are located near the mouth of the channel; both were built during the rule of

Ali Pasha of Ioannina Ali Pasha (1740 – 24 January 1822), commonly known as Ali Pasha of Yanina or Ali Pasha of Tepelena, was an Albanian ruler who served as Ottoman pasha of the Pashalik of Yanina, a large part of western Rumelia. Under his rule, it acquired a ...

. According to international organizations, the channel serves as the demarcation line where the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

ends and the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea (, ; or , ; , ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, ...

begins. The channel creates a unique situation in Lake Butrint, which is partly fed with fresh water and partly with salt water, thereby creating ideal conditions for

mollusks Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The num ...

farming. During the communist regime, many students used to volunteer in the summer time to search for ancient ruins in the Butrint National Park.Butrint national park Nature and Archaeology
Retrieved 8 May 2024.

References

{{reflist Bodies of water of Albania Geography of Vlorë County Landforms of the Ionian Islands (region) Channels of Europe Butrint National Park

See also

References