Kukës in the context of "Black Drin"

The Kingdom of Dardania (Latin: Regnum Dardaniae) was a polity in the central Balkans in the region of Dardania during classical antiquity. It is named after the Dardani, a Paleo-Balkan tribe that formed the core of the Dardanian polity. Dardania was centered around present-day Kosovo, but also included parts of North Macedonia (northwestern area) and Albania (Kukës, Tropoja, Has). The eastern parts of Dardania were at the Thraco-Illyrian contact zone. Marcus Licinius Crassus, grandson of the triumvir Marcus Crassus, officially annexed the kingdom in 28 BC while on campaign against the Dacians and Bastarnae. The region was subsequently incorporated into the province of Moesia in 15 BC, and later in 293 AD, as the province of Dardania.

Koritnik (Albanian definite form: Koritniku) is a wooded, limestone mountain, located in northeastern Albania and southwest Kosovo between the cities of Kukës and Prizren. The mountain is entirely surrounded by branches of the White Drin river. The highest point of Koritnik massif, Maja e Pikëllimës reaches an elevation of 2,393 metres (7,851 ft) above the Adriatic. Gryka e Vanavës (English: Vanave Gorge) separates the mountain from Gjallica. The gorge is 3.5 km (2.2 mi) long, 30 m (100 ft) wide, and about 300 m (980 ft) deep.

The massif falls within the Balkan mixed forests terrestrial ecoregion of the Palearctic temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome. The slopes of the mountain meadows are mostly covered with coniferous forests. The high pastures of the Koritnik mountain help sustain a population of around 60 chamois.

Gjallica or Gjallica e Lumës is a limestone mountain at 2,487 m (8,159 ft) above sea level and the highest summit in the region of Kukës County, Albania. It lies 8 km (5 mi) southeast of the city of Kukës, having a cap covered by snow up to June when the winters are cold and snowy.

The mountain falls within the Balkan mixed forests and Dinaric Mountains mixed forests terrestrial ecoregions of the Palearctic Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome. The slopes of the mountain are entirely covered with coniferous forests. It has thick vegetation of pines and beeches on high altitude, but sparse vegetation on the foot of the mountain due to the now closed plant that emitted harmful gases for the vegetation close to it. Gjallica appears to be very tall because the Black Drin valley to its west is only 250 m (820 ft) above sea level.

The Drin (/driːn/; Albanian pronunciation: [dɾin], Albanian definite form: Drini, pronounced [ˈdɾini]) or Drim (Serbian and Macedonian: Дрим, pronounced [drim]), is a river in Southeastern Europe with two major tributaries – the White Drin and the Black Drin and two distributaries – one discharging into the Adriatic Sea, in the Gulf of Drin and the other into the Buna River. Its catchment area extends across Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Greece, Montenegro and North Macedonia and is home to more than 1.6 million people. The river and its tributaries form the Gulf of Drin, an ocean basin that encompasses the northern Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast.

At 285 kilometres (177 miles) long, the Drin is the longest river of Albania and its tributaries cross through both Kosovo and North Macedonia. Its northern tributary, the White Drin starts from the foothills of Žljeb, at White Drin Waterfall in west Kosovo, and flows generally south, whereas its southern tributary, the Black Drin originates from Ohrid lake in the town of Struga, North Macedonia and flows north. Both tributaries' confluence occurs near Kukës in northeast Albania and Drin then flows westwards through the Albanian Alps and Dukagjin Highlands, where three successive dams were erected between 1960s and late 1980s, forming 3 large artificial lakes. The Drin then passes Vau i Dejës and drains into the Adriatic Sea through its two distributaries in Buna river and west of Lezhë.

Kukës County (Albanian pronunciation: [kuːkəs]; Albanian: Qarku i Kukësit) is a landlocked county in northeastern Albania, with the capital in Kukës. The county spans 2,374 square kilometres (917 sq mi) and had a total population of 61,998 people as of 2021. The county borders on the counties of Dibër, Lezhë and Shkodër and the countries of Montenegro, Kosovo and North Macedonia. It is divided into three municipalities: Has, Kukës and Tropojë. The municipalities are further subdivided into 290 towns and villages in total.

The human presence in the lands of modern Kukës County can be traced back to the Bronze Ages, when ancient Illyrians, Dardanians and Romans established settlements in the region. Several Illyrian tombs were discovered in the villages of Këneta and Kolsh close to Kukës.