Shkodër in the context of "Labeatae"

Albania, officially the Republic of Albania, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south. With an area of 28,748 km (11,100 sq mi), it has a varied range of climatic, geological, hydrological and morphological conditions. Albania's landscapes range from rugged snow-capped mountains in the Albanian Alps and the Korab, Skanderbeg, Pindus and Ceraunian Mountains, to fertile lowland plains extending from the Adriatic and Ionian seacoasts. Tirana is the capital and largest city in the country, followed by Durrës, Vlorë, and Shkodër.

Albania was inhabited by several Illyrian tribes, among them the Ardiaei, Bylliones, Dassaretii, Enchele, and Taulantians, with the Chaonians settled in the southwest. Several colonies were founded by the Ancient Greeks along the Albanian coast, most notably Apollonia. The Illyrians were the dominant power in Albania before the rise of Macedon. Following the Illyrian Wars, Albania was integrated into the Roman Empire and remained in the Byzantine Empire after its partition. During the Middle Ages, several Albanian principalities emerged, most notably the Principality of Arbanon, Kingdom of Albania, Principality of Albania and Albania Veneta. In the 15th century, Albania became a center of resistance against Ottoman expansion under the leadership of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, whose military campaigns repelled Ottoman advances for over two decades. Although incorporated into the Ottoman Empire, Albania retained distinct cultural and social identities throughout four centuries of foreign rule, culminating in the Albanian Renaissance in the 19th century. Albania declared independence in 1912, followed by a turbulent 20th century marked by monarchy, foreign occupation during both World Wars, and a repressive communist regime under Enver Hoxha.

The Ardiaei were an Illyrian people who resided in the territory of present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Croatia between the Adriatic coast on the south, Konjic on the north, along the Neretva river and its right bank on the west, and extending to Lake Shkodra to the southeast. From the 3rd century BC to 168 BC the capital cities of the Ardiaean State were Rhizon and Scodra.

The Ardiaean kingdom was transformed into a formidable power—both on land and sea—under the leadership of Agron of Illyria. During this time, Agron captured parts of Epirus, Corcyra, Epidamnos, and Pharos in succession, establishing garrisons there. The Ardiaean realm became one of Rome's major enemies, and the primary threat to it in the Adriatic Sea. A series of wars were fought between the Roman Republic and the Illyrian (Ardiaean-Labaeatan) kingdom in the 3rd–2nd centuries BC. Polybius (203 BC–120 BC) wrote that they were subdued by the Romans in 229 BC. The Epitome of Livy reports the Roman consul Fulvius Flaccus put down an uprising in 135 BC undertaken by Ardiaei and Pleraei in Roman Illyria.

Skanderbeg Mountains (Albanian: Vargmalet e Skënderbeut), also known as Vargmalet Perëndimore, are a prominent mountain range situated in the northwestern section of the Central Mountain Region of Albania. The range stretches approximately 100 km (62 mi), making it the longest in the country. It extends from the Gjadër river valley in the northwest to the Shkumbin river valley in the southeast; and from the trough of Mat in the east, to the plains between Lezhë, Tirana and Lower Shkodër in the west.

The eastern side of the range is composed primarily of limestone from the Triassic-Jurassic periods, separated into distinct blocks, while the western side is composed of limestone from the Ordovician and the Cretaceous-Paleogene periods, forming belts amid the Paleogene flysch. Ultrabasic rocks are also present, and the older flysch appears in the form of surface bands on the eastern side of the range.

This is a list of cities and towns in Albania categorised by municipality, county and population, according to the criteria used by the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT). As of 2014, there were 74 cities classified as urban areas and 2,972 villages as rural areas in Albania. The legislation of Albania provides no official classification on the criteria of how to define a city or urban area. Furthermore, according to the methodology for cities conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), five areas, including Tirana, Durrës, Elbasan, Shkodër and Vlorë, can be classified as urban audit cities.

Shkodër County (Albanian: Qarku i Shkodrës) is a county in northwestern Albania, with the capital in Shkodër. The county spans 3,562 square kilometres (1,375 sq mi) and had a total population of 154,479 people as of the 2023 census. The county borders on the counties of Lezhë, Kukës and the country of Montenegro. The county consists of five municipalities: Fushë-Arrëz, Malësi e Madhe, Pukë, Shkodër and Vau i Dejës.

During the Bronze Age, the area was inhabited by various Illyrian tribes such as the Ardiaeis and Labeataes. Illyria was annexed by Rome in the second century BC, becoming an integral part of the Roman Empire and its successor the Byzantine Empire. Falling under Venetian and Ottoman dominion in the late Middle Ages, the modern nation state of Albania emerged in 1912 following its independence.

Lake Skadar or Lake Scutari (Albanian: Liqeni i Shkodrës, pronounced [liˈcɛni i ˈʃkɔdrəs]; Montenegrin: Скадарско језеро, Skadarsko jezero, pronounced [skâdarskɔː jɛ̂zɛrɔ]) – also called Lake Shkodër lies on the border of Albania and Montenegro, and is the largest lake in Southern Europe. It is named after the Albanian city of Shkodër which lies at its southeastern coast. It is a karst lake.

The Montenegrin section of the lake and surrounding land have been designated as a national park, while the Albanian part constitutes a nature reserve and a Ramsar site.

The Kir (Albanian: Kir or Kiri) is a river in northern Albania that first flows south-southwest and then southwest out of the North Albanian Alps and enters a distributary of the Drin just below Shkodër.

In the upper reaches the river cuts the "Canyon of the Kir" with dramatic cliffs.The Albanian tribe or fis of Kiri inhabited this area. Just outside Shkodër, in Mes, the old stone Mes Bridge crosses the Kir.

Gentius (Ancient Greek: Γένθιος, Génthios; fl. 181–168 BC) was an Illyrian king who belonged to the Labeatan dynasty. He ruled in 181–168 BC, being the last attested Illyrian king. He was the son of Pleuratus III, a king who kept positive relations with Rome. The capital city of the Illyrian kingdom under Gentius was Scodra, now Shkodër, Albania.

In 180 BC, during his early reign, the Dalmatae and Daorsi declared themselves independent from his rule and the city of Rhizon abandoned him prior to his defeat, receiving immunity from the Romans. He married Etuta, the daughter of the Dardanian king Monunius II.

The Archdiocese of Shkodër–Pult (Albanian: Kryedioqeza e Shkodrës–Pult, Latin: Archidioecesis Scodrensis–Pulatensis), historically known as Scutari, is one of two Metropolitan archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Albania.

The archdiocese's cathedral is St. Stephen's Cathedral (Albanian: Katedralja e Shën Shtjefnit Protomartir) in Shkoder, dedicated to St. Stephen Protomartyr.