Karavasta Lagoon

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See also: Divjakë Karavasta National Park
Karavasta Lagoon
The lagoon seen from space
Map
Location20 km (12 mi) from Lushnjë, Albania
Coordinates40°55′39″N 19°29′55″E / 40.92750°N 19.49861°E / 40.92750; 19.49861
Length15.4 km (9.6 mi)[1]
Width4.1 km (2.5 mi)[1]
Area42 km2 (16 sq mi)[2]
Elevation0 m (0 ft)
Established1966[3]

Karavasta Lagoon (Albanian: Laguna e Karavastasë) is the largest lagoon in Albania and one of the largest adjoining the Mediterranean Sea, spanning an area of 42 km2 (16 sq mi). Karavasta is part of the Divjakë Karavasta National Park and is separated from the Adriatic Sea by a large strip of sand. It sprawls across the Myzeqe coastal plain near Divjakë and some 20 km (12 mi) near Lushnjë.

Name

Karavasta Lagoon within the Albanian Principality of Mataranga.

The name is mentioned for the first time in 1297, when the people of the Albanian Principality of Mataranga of Caravastasi (Latin: homines Matarangi de Caravastasi) attacked and robbed a ship that had stopped in the lagoon.[4]

The Albanian name Karavasta is a loan from Greek: καραβοστάση karavostasi "place of anchorage".[5] Evidently Karavasta in medieval times was navigable and served as a natural harbor for ships, and perhaps as a place for building ships.[4]

Flora and fauna

Karavasta hosts many pine trees and small sandy islands. It is renowned for hosting the Dalmatian pelican; 6.4% of the Europe's population of the Dalmatian pelican is found in Karavasta.[6][7][8] The lagoon falls within the Illyrian deciduous forests terrestrial ecoregion of the Palearctic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. The climate is typically mediterranean.

Geomorphology

The lagoon is located inside the boundaries of Divjaka-Karavasta National Park and has been recognised as a wetland of international importance by designation under the Ramsar Convention. The lagoon has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International, because it supports significant numbers of the populations of various bird species.[9]

The Karavasta Lagoon is within the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance[10] and is part of the Divjake-Karavasta National Park.

Preservation

Since disinfection campaigns have long been halted, the area is known to have a very active mosquito season. However, in 2014, disinfection campaigns have started and a park rehabilitation project has been initiated by the national authorities. It included a hunting moratorium which revived bird-watching activities.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Karavasta Lagoon.

References

  1. ^ a b Munari, C., Tessari, U., Rossi, R., Mistri, M. (2010). "The ecological status of Karavasta Lagoon (Albania): closing the stable door before the horse has bolted?" (PDF). Marine Environmental Research (2009). Marine Environmental Research. 69 (1): 10–17. doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2009.07.003. PMID 19679346. The Karavasta lagoon is the largest surface (4100 ha) of this wetland complex; it is 15.4 km long and 4.1 km wide.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "KARAVASTA LAGOON MANAGEMENT PLAN" (PDF). ramsar.org. p. 6. The major feature is the large Karavasta lagoon (c.4,200 ha)
  3. ^ "Bryophytes of the Karavasta Lagoon area, with new reports for Albania" (PDF). bio.bas.bg. p. 39. The coastal lagoon, and the forested areas (Forest of Divjaka) on the northwestern side of the lagoon, have been a National Park, and therefore a protected area since 1966.
  4. ^ a b Baçe, Apollon; Aleksi, Avenir (1986). "Skelat grykëlumore të Adriatikut gjatë mesjetës (shek. XI – XV)". Monumentet. 31: 30.
  5. ^ Kyriazis, Doris (2001). "Greek Influence on the Albanian Language". Didaktorika.gr (in Greek). Aristotle University of Thessaloniki: 56, 223, 382. Retrieved 29 November 2022. καραβοστάσι το, νε. 'αραξοβόλι, αγκυροβόλιο' -Η λ. και ως τόπων, στη Μάνη, Κύπρο κι αλλαχού (Δημ.3626) < καράβι + -στάσι Karavast'a θ. Τόπων., ονομασία λιμνοθάλασσας κοντά στην Αυλώνα (Laguna e Karavastasë). Η λ. (Çabej SGJ II 268) σε έγγρ. του 1297: homines Matarangi de Caravastassi (Acta Albaniae I Nr. 528). T. Kravast'a (Çabej ό.π.). Τόπων. Karavostasi FOE 275. Çabej ό.π.: Από νε. καραβόστασις. Δάνειο σχετικά νέο λόγω της μη μετατροπής s > sh.
  6. ^ "THE COASTAL GEOMORPHOLOGY OF THE SEMANI RIVER MOUTH-KARAVSTA LAGOON IN THE SOUTHERN ADRIATIC SEA" (PDF). balkangeophysoc.gr. p. 152. The area well known for the Dalmatian pelican colony Pelicanus crispus which numbers some 60-70 couples, which represent 5% of the total world population of this species.
  7. ^ "Bashkia Fier » Karavasta Lagoon". Bashkia Fier. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  8. ^ "ACTION PLAN FOR THE DALMATIAN PELICAN" (PDF). ec.europa.eu. p. 10.
  9. ^ BirdLife International. "Karavasta Lagoon". datazone.birdlife.org.
  10. ^ Ramsar (September 11, 2014). "The list of wetlands of international importance" (PDF) (in English and Spanish). Ramsar. p. 5. Retrieved 14 August 2010.