The Kir ( sq, Kir or ''Kiri'') is a river in northern Albania that first flows south-southwest and then southwest out of the

North Albanian Alps The Accursed Mountains ( sq, Bjeshkët e Nemuna; sh-Cyrl-Latn, Проклетије, Prokletije, ; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), also known as the Albanian Alps ( sq, Alpet Shqiptare), are a mountain group in the western part of the B ...

and enters a

distributary A distributary, or a distributary channel, is a stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. Distributaries are a common feature of river deltas. The phenomenon is known as river bifurcation. The opposite of a distribut ...

of the Drin just below

Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Sh ...

. In the upper reaches the river cuts the "Canyon of the Kir" with dramatic cliffs.The

Albanian tribe The Albanian tribes ( sq, fiset shqiptare) form a historical mode of social organization (''farefisní'') in Albania and the southwestern Balkans characterized by a common culture, often common patrilineal kinship ties tracing back to one progeni ...

or ''fis'' of Kiri inhabited this area. Just outside Shkodër, in Mes, the old stone Mes Bridge crosses the Kir.

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Rivers of Albania Geography of Shkodër County {{Albania-river-stub