The Southern Mountain Region () is a

physiogeographical Physical geography (also known as physiography) is one of the three main branches of geography. Physical geography is the branch of natural science which deals with the processes and patterns in the natural environment such as the atmosphere, h ...

region in southern

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 ...

. It is defined by high mountains and few valleys and plains between them. It is also one of the four geographical areas of Albania, the others being the Northern Mountain Range (the Albanian part of the

Accursed Mountains The Accursed Mountains (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Prokletije, Проклетије, separator=" / ", ; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), also known as the Albanian Alps (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Albanski Alpi, Албански Алпи, separator=" / ", li ...

), the

Western Lowlands The Coastal Lowlands () is a physiogeographical region encompassing the western edge of Albania. It comprises the flat plains extending in the west along the Albanian Adriatic and Ionian Sea Coast that are surrounded by hills and mountains as ...

(), and the

Central Mountain Range The Central Mountain Range is the principal mountain range on the island of Taiwan. It runs from the north of the island to the south. It acts as a barrier between the east and west coasts, hindering travel. The tallest peak of the range is ...

(). The range notably includes two mountain chains: the Trebeshinë-

Dhëmbel Dhëmbel ( 'Dhëmbeli') is a massif situated on the border between Gjirokastër and Përmet municipalities, in southern Albania. Part of the Trebeshinë-Dhëmbel- Nemërçkë mountain range, it rises at an elevation of and stretches approximate ...

- Nemërçkë and Shëndelli- Lunxhëri- Bureto. It also includes the

Tomorr Tomorr is a mountain chain in the region of Berat and Skrapar, in Albania. It reaches an elevation of above sea level at the Çuka e Partizanit, which is the highest peak in central Albania. Mount Tomorr is one of Albania's biggest water-col ...

in its northern part, and the

Ceraunian Mountains The Ceraunian Mountains (, , 'Thunderbolt Mountains') are a coastal mountain range in southwestern Albania, within the Vlorë County. The mountain range rises on the northeastern bank of the Ionian Sea and protrudes into the Adriatic Sea. It e ...

with its summit Çika in the west, two mountains which are close to the

Llogara National Park Llogara National Park () is a national park centered on the Ceraunian Mountains along the Albanian Riviera in southwestern Albania, spanning a surface area of . The park's terrain includes large alpine meadows, vertical rock faces, precipices ...

. The mountainous region of Kurvelesh is part of the range, while its coastal region is part of the

Albanian riviera The Albanian Riviera (, ), also popularly known as Bregu, is a coastline along the north-eastern Ionian Sea in the Mediterranean Sea, encompassing the districts of Sarandë and Vlorë in south-western Albania. It forms an important section of t ...

. The only notable plain in the region is the

Vurg Vurg ( sq-definite, Vurgu; ''Vourgos'' or Βούρκος ''Vourkos'') is a plain and region in the southern part of Vlorë County, southwestern Albania. Name The toponym means marshland, in both Albanian and Greek. Before bonification works in th ...

plain. The mean

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...

for November through January is 1,000 mm.

Nemërçkë Mountains

Nemërçkë is a short mountain range in southern Albania on the border between Albania and Greece, which extends from the north-west to the south-east. To the north Nemërçkë is separated from the Albanian

Pindus mountain The Pindus (also Pindos or Pindhos; ; ; ) is a mountain range located in Northern Greece and Southern Albania. It is roughly long, with a maximum elevation of (Mount Smolikas). Because it runs along the border of Thessaly and Epirus, the Pin ...

s, by the

Vjosë The Vjosa (; indefinite form: ) or Aoös () is a river in northwestern Greece and southwestern Albania. Its total length is about , of which the first are in Greece, and the remaining in Albania. Its drainage basin is and its average dischar ...

river, Albania's second longest river, while to the south it reaches the Albanian-Greek border.

flows to the east of the mountains. Some of northern part of the range, which is also the highest one, is protected by the

Fir of Hotova National Park Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...

. In

geomorphological Geomorphology () is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topography, topographic and bathymetry, bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. Ge ...

terms, the Nemërçkes are part of the Nemërçka massif. The summit of the mountain range,

Maja e Papingut Maja e Papingut is a mountain peak of the Nemërçka massif, in southern Albania. Reaching a height of , it is the 3rd most prominent peak in the country and the 44th most prominent peak in Europe. Geology Formerly known as ''Maja e Dritës' ...

is the highest peak. Having an elevation of and a

prominence In topography, prominence or relative height (also referred to as autonomous height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contour line encircling ...

of , it is the 44th most prominent mountain peak in Europe. The mountain is very steep and is characterized by its steep cliffs, which falls impressively on the Vjosë. Other peaks include Maja e Gatakut , Maja e Qesarit , and Maja e Poliçanit .

References

Geography of Albania {{albania-geo-stub