UNESCO World Heritage Site

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE
Physical characteristics of the lake, flora and fauna.
Ohrid Lake is one of the richest and most precious biological reserves in Europe. It shines as a unique ecological system and it is characterized by a biodiversity with many endemic species of flora and fauna. Its height above sea level is 695 m, while the surface reaches 358.2 km². 2/3 of this area belongs to the Macedonian Republic and 1/3 to the Albanian Republic. The shore of the lake has a total extension of 87.5 km (about 31 km belong to Albania), the maximum length of which reaches 30.8 km and the maximum width 14.8 km. The lake has an average depth of 164 m while the maximum depth is 289 m. It is constantly fed by a network of more than 40 rivers and small water streams. The Black Drin River originates from it. This process of movement of water from incoming and outgoing sources makes it possible for the lake water to be completely regenerated every 70 years. In addition to its very clean waters, the lake is also known for its special ecosystem, which is considered a museum in nature and a natural center for the preservation of biodiversity and its landscape. It is the habitat of more than 1400 autochthonous species of flora and fauna, 300 of which are endemic. Their presence in the lake is conditioned by many factors such as the very old age of the lake, its geographical position, isolation through a crown of mountains and hills, as well as the state of its waters still in the oligotrophic phase (oligotrophy = little presence of algae resulting in clean and oxygen-rich waters). Among the autochthonous species of the lake are 21 fish species of which 10 are endemic. The most popular of these are Salmo letnica (Koran) and Salmothimus ohridanus (Belushka). About 85% of the lake shells, 50 types of snails, 20 types of plancton, as well as many types of worms and sponges are considered endemic species. An important part of the lake’s ecosystem is also its littoral zone (the depth to which sunlight penetrates, which makes it possible to grow aquatic plants). The littoral zone is the home of many microorganisms as well as the nest of several fish and birds who lay their eggs in this zone.