Small Prespa Lake

Small Prespa Lake
Location
Location	Balkans (primarily Greece, Albania – a small part)
Coordinates	40°46′N 21°06′E / 40.767°N 21.100°ECoordinates: 40°46′N 21°06′E / 40.767°N 21.100°E
Type	tectonic
Basin countries	Greece, Albania
Surface area	46.8 km²
Max. depth	7.7 m
Surface elevation	853 m
Islands	Agios Achillios, Vidronisi

Small Prespa Lake (Greek: Λίμνη Μικρή Πρέσπα, Limni Mikri Prespa; Albanian: Prespa e Vogël, Macedonian: Мало Преспанско Езеро, Malo Prespansko Ezero) is a lake shared between Greece (138 km² drainage area; 42.5 km² surface area) and Albania (51 km² drainage area; 4.3 km² surface area). It is the smaller of the two Prespa Lakes.

Details

Small Prespa Lake in particular has been recognized as an important wetland ecosystems favoring breeding and feeding of rare water bird species. It is best known for hosting the largest breeding colony of the Dalmatian pelican in the world. The flora in the region is composed of more than 1,500 plant species of which 146 endemic species in the Lake Ohrid and 39 endemic species from the Prespa Lakes.

The villages surrounding the lake are Agios Germanos, Laimos, Milionas, Platy, Kallithea, Lefkonas, Prespes, Karyes, Mikrolimni, Oxia, Pyli and Vrontero.

During 1970 significant amounts of water from the Devoll river was diverted into the lake with the intention to use it latter during the summer time for the irrigation purposes. Due to the high suspended solids in the river water significant siltation did occur on the Albanian side. The practice has recently stopped. The Albanian part of this lake has a surface of 420 hectares. In 1999 the Society for the Protection of Prespa received the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award for its conservation efforts regarding the Lake Prespa Ramsar site.^[1]

Agios Achilleios

Small Prespa Lake contains the island of Agios Achilleios (Saint Achilleus); in February 1948, in the midst of the Greek Civil War, Nikos Zachariadis, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece, married Roula Koukoulou, his long-time lover, on this island, in a widely publicized ceremony.^[2]

Located on the island of Agios Achilleios is also the Basilica of Saint Achillius of Larissa. It is an example of the survival of Early Christian architectural style in the Byzantine period.^[3] Agios Achilleios was also an early capital of Bulgarian ruler Samuel in the 10th century. The island became a tourist and fishing centre in the 1970s.

Gallery

• 
  Walkway to Agios Achillios
• 
  View from the summit of Agios Achillios
• 
  Church ruins on Agios Achillios
• 
  The Lake on the Albanian side
• 
  Exterior of Monastery of Pavayia Porfaras, Agios Achillios
• 
  Interior of Monastery of Pavayia Porfaras, Agios Achillios
• 
  Marked summit of Agios Achillios
• 
  Basilica ruins, Agios Axillios

References

1. Etnografia shqiptare. Akademia e Shkencave e RPSH, Instituti i Historisë, Sektori i Etnografisë. 1962.
2. Α.Ε., tovima.gr — Δημοσιογραφικός Οργανισμός Λαμπράκη. "tovima.gr - Ο «μεγάλος αρχηγός» διάλεξε την κρεμάλα". Retrieved 28 October 2016.
3. Stan (Stojan) Malian (1 August 2009). History and Religion of Macedonia: Gateway to Europe. AuthorHouse. pp. 120–. ISBN 978-1-4389-7764-5.

Sources

• http://www.ekby.gr/ekby/en/alwet_web/alwet_site/en/alwet_aims_Prespa_en.html

External links

• Media related to Small Prespa Lake at Wikimedia Commons
• Transboundary Prespa Park