Sarandë in the context of "UNESCO"

The Ionian Sea is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania (and western Apulia, Italy) to the north, and the west coast of Greece, including the Peloponnese.

All major islands in the sea, which are located in the east of the sea, belong to Greece. They are collectively named the Ionian Islands, the main ones being Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Lefkada, and Ithaca.

The Ceraunian Mountains (Albanian: Malet e Vetëtimës, Albanian pronunciation: [ˈmalet e vetəˈtiməs], '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 extends for approximately 100 km (62 mi) in a southeast-northwest direction near Sarandë, along the Albanian Riviera, close to Orikum. Geologically, the Karaburun Peninsula belongs to the Ceraunian Mountains, and is separated from the rest by the Llogara Pass (1,027 metres (3,369 ft)) forming the western part of the Ceraunian mountain range, called Acroceraunian Mountains (Albanian: Malet Akrokeraune). The mountains are about 24 km (15 mi) long and about 4–7 km (2.5–4.3 mi) wide. The highest peak is Çikë with an elevation of 2,044 metres (6,706 ft).

The Albanian Ionian Sea Coast (Albanian pronunciation: [brɛˈɡdɛ:ti jˈɔn] — Albanian: Bregdeti Jon) is a coastline of the north-eastern Ionian Sea, that encompasses the south-western border of the Republic of Albania, stretching from the southern half of Karaburun Peninsula, across the historical region of Labëria, the city of Sarandë, the mountains of the Ceraunians, and the Albanian Riviera, to the Lake of Butrint, where the Strait of Corfu separates the country from Greece.

Albania is located in Southern and South-eastern Europe in the western section of the Balkan Peninsula. It borders on Montenegro to the north-west, Kosovo to the north-east, North Macedonia to the east, Greece to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. The coastline occupies a total length of 446 kilometres (277 mi) and explicitly marked by a mountainous landscape supplied with deep bays, numerous islands, high cliffs, rocky and sandy coasts and unique marine life.

Çikë, (Albanian pronunciation: [mali i tʃikəs]) at 2,044 metres (6,706 ft) above sea level, is the highest peak of the Ceraunian Mountains range in Albania which extends approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) along the Albanian Riviera in a northwesterly direction from Sarandë to the Karaburun Peninsula. With a prominence of 1,563 metres (5,128 ft), Çikë is the 85th most prominent mountain peak in Europe.

The climate is Mediterranean, having hot summers and generally warm to cool, dry winters. The mount falls within the Illyrian deciduous forests terrestrial ecoregion of the Palearctic temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome. The mount is also part of the Llogara National Park, which is noted for its rich biodiversity and vegetation. The western flank of the mount is vegetated by species such as the Bulgarian fir, Austrian pine, Bosnian pine and Macedonian pine.

Laberia (Albanian: Labëria) is a historic region that is roughly situated in southwestern Albania. Its inhabitants are known as Labs (referred to as Albanian: Lab, pl. Lebër, also dial. sing. Lap) and its boundaries reach from Vlorë to Himara in the south, to the Greek border near Sarandë, incorporating the Kurvelesh region of Gjirokastër District and extending east to the city of Tepelenë.

Butrint (Greek: Βουθρωτόν and Βουθρωτός, romanized: Bouthrōtón, Latin: Buthrōtum, Albanian: Butrint) was an ancient Greek polis and later Roman city and the seat of an early Christian bishopric in Epirus.

Originally a settlement of the Greek tribe of the Chaonians, it later became part of the state of Epirus and later a Roman colonia and a Byzantine bishopric. It entered into decline in Late Antiquity, before being abandoned during the Middle Ages after a major earthquake flooded most of the city. In modern times it is an archeological site in Vlorë County, Albania, some 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south of Sarandë, close to the Greek border. It is located on a hill overlooking the Vivari Channel and is part of the Butrint National Park. Today, Bouthrotum is a Latin Catholic titular see and also features the Ali Pasha Castle.

The Monastery of the Forty Saint Martyrs (Albanian: Manastiri i 40 Shenjtorëve, Greek: Ιερά Μονή των Αγιών Σαράντα Μαρτύρων, Iera Moni ton Agion Saranta Martyron) is a ruined Eastern Orthodox monastery overlooking the coastal city of Sarandë in southern Albania. The monastery was erected during the 6th century AD and possibly became for at least one millennium the most important pilgrimage site in the Ionian Sea region. The name of the monastery (Agioi Saranta in Greek meaning Forty Saints) was transferred to the adjacent city of Onchesmos. During the People's Republic of Albania (1944-1991) the site was transformed into a military installation. Today only a part of the side walls of its basilica type church survive.

Sarandë District (Albanian: Rrethi i Sarandës) was one of the 36 districts of Albania, which were dissolved in July 2000 and replaced by 12 newly created counties. It had a population of 35,235 in 2001, and an area of 730 km (280 sq mi). The centre of the district was the city of Sarandë. Other places included Konispol (at the border with Greece), Ksamil (a resort), Çukë [sq], Vrinë and Butrint (an archeological site). Its territory is now part of Vlorë County: the municipalities of Sarandë, Konispol, Finiq (partly) and Himara (partly).

Alongside ethnic Albanians, there is a considerable ethnic Greek minority. As of 2002, less than 30% of the inhabitants of the district were Greeks.

Dhërmi (Albanian definite form: Dhërmiu; Greek: Δρυμάδες, Drymádes) is a village in Vlorë County, Albania. It is part of the municipality of Himarë. The village lies 42 kilometers south of the city of Vlorë and 69 kilometers north of the southern city of Sarandë. It is built on a slope of the Ceraunian Mountains at approximately 200 meters in altitude, and comprises three neighborhoods: Gjilek, Kondraq, Kallami, and Dhërmi itself. The mountains descend to the southwest into the Ionian coast and Corfu in the distance to the south. Nearby is the village of Palasë. The local inhabitants of Dhërmi are ethnic Greeks that mainly speak a variant of the Greek Himariote dialect, and partly the Tosk Albanian dialect. During the last decade, the coastal area has seen a boom in the construction of accommodation facilities, such as wooden villa complexes.