| Karavasta Lagoon | |
|---|---|
The lagoon seen from space
| |
| Location | 20 km (12 mi) from Lushnjë, Albania |
| Coordinates | 40°55′39″N 19°29′55″E / 40.92750°N 19.49861°E / 40.92750; 19.49861 |
| Length | 15.4 km (9.6 mi)[1] |
| Width | 4.1 km (2.5 mi)[1] |
| Area | 42 km2 (16 sq mi)[2] |
| Elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Established | 1966[3] |
Karavasta Lagoon (Albanian: Laguna e Karavastasë) is the largest lagooninAlbania 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.
The name is mentioned for the first time in 1297, when the people of the Albanian Principality of MatarangaofCaravastasi (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]
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.
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 AreabyBirdLife 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.
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.
The Karavasta lagoon is the largest surface (4100 ha) of this wetland complex; it is 15.4 km long and 4.1 km wide.
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The major feature is the large Karavasta lagoon (c.4,200 ha)
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.
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.
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.
Europe
