Vlorë County

Vlorë County covers the coastal zone where the Adriatic ends and the Ionian begins, defined by the deep Vlora Bay — the widest bay on the Albanian coast — and the Karaburun Peninsula that closes it from the west. The peninsula itself is a protected nature reserve, uninhabited, accessible by boat from Orikum or Vlorë town, with the submarine cave of Haxhi Ali on the western Ionian side drawing freediving and scuba operators from the Albanian Riviera. The bay coast north of Vlorë runs through the sandy beaches at Radhima and Zvërnec Island — the island with the 14th-century monastery connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway — and the fishing port infrastructure of Vlorë town itself. The tidal range in Vlora Bay is moderate by Albanian standards, running roughly 0.3 to 0.5 metres, driven by the Adriatic semidiurnal signal that amplifies slightly in the geometry of the closed bay. Spring tides push the upper end of that range, neaps compress toward 0.2 metres. The Vjosë river mouth, the last undammed wild river of any size in Europe north of the Alps, empties into the Adriatic at Narta Lagoon north of Vlorë, and the seasonal flood pulse from the river catchment in spring adds a freshwater layer and turbidity that affects the fishing-port operations and the lagoon bird habitat independently of the tidal cycle. The Narta Lagoon is a flamingo staging site in spring and a significant grey mullet, sea bass, and sea bream fishery year-round.