Kukës district

Circle :	Kukës
Main place:	Kukës
Qark :	Qark Kukës
Surface:	956 km²
Residents:	47,985   as of 2011
Population density:	50.24 inhabitants / km²
ISO-3166-2 code:	AL-KU
License plate :	KU

The district of Kukës ( Albanian : Rrethi i Kuksit ) is one of the 36 administrative districts of Albania . The district with an area of ​​956 km² belongs to the Qark Kukës . It has approx. 47,985 inhabitants (2011). The district was named after the capital Kukës .

geography

Kukës with Lake Fierza and Gjallica (2,484 m)

The district is located in the north-east of the country in a mountainous region. The mountains reach over 2400 meters east of Kukës heights. The Gjallica is with 2484  m above sea level. A. the highest elevation.

The northern border of the district is formed by the river Drin , which is dammed here to the Liqeni i Fierzës . The Black Drin flows from the south through the circle, which unites in the reservoir with the White Drin coming from the east . The valley of the Drin is usually narrow and inaccessible, like large parts of the area. The eastern border of the district is the land border with Kosovo . In Morina , on the road 39 km east of Kukes in the valley of the White Drin, the main border crossing between Albania and Kosovo lies.

Other border crossings for locals are in the Gora region behind the Gjallica. This highland of Shishtavec is drained by the Luma  .

Chromium was mined east of Kukës , and a mine was reopened further west near the village of Kalimash.

population

The population is rural. Besides Kukës with around 17,000 inhabitants, there are no other cities in the district.

There are hardly any minorities in the Kukës district. Live only in the far east on the border Gorani in some villages like Shishtavec . The residents are almost without exception Sunni Muslims .

traffic

Kalimash tunnel, the heart of the new motorway

For a long time, Kukës was very isolated from the rest of the country. Narrow mountain roads that wind over numerous passes (including the Qafa e Malit ) were the only connection to the centers of Albania. In winter, after snowfall, numerous villages can no longer be reached at all. Kukës Airport was created to better connect the north-east with the rest of the country , but there are hardly any flights to it. A new motorway from central Albania via Kukës to Kosovo with the more than five kilometers long Kalimash tunnel has meanwhile been partially opened to traffic, which shortened the journey by hours.

Before the Second World War , the region around Kukës was strongly linked to Kosovo. After Prizren there are only about 40 kilometers. The closing of the border made the traditional exchange between the regions impossible. Only since the withdrawal of the Serbian army from the border after the end of the Kosovo war, when tens of thousands of Albanian refugees from Kosovo crossed the border near Morina and sought refuge around Kukës, has the border been normal again.

Communities

Surname	Residents	Community type
Kukës	16,719	Bashkia
Arrën	462	Komuna
Bicaj	5,631	Komuna
Bushtrica	1,486	Komuna
Grykë-Çaja	1,440	Komuna
Kalis	827	Komuna
Kolsh	1,250	Komuna
Malzi	3,072	Komuna
Shishtavec	3,835	Komuna
Shtiqën	3,438	Komuna
Surroj	1,099	Komuna
Tërthor	2,959	Komuna
Topoyan	1,753	Komuna
Ujëmisht	1,797	Komuna
Zapod	2,217	Komuna

Web links

• Annasblog: Fierza reservoir with low water level

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Ines Nurja: Censusi i popullsisë dhe banesave / Population and Housing Census - Kukës 2011 . Results Kryesore / Main Results. Ed .: INSTAT . Pjesa / Part 1. Adel Print, Tirana 2013 ( instat.gov.al [PDF; accessed April 14, 2019]).