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154-521: The Accursed Mountains ( Albanian : Bjeshkët e Nemuna ; Serbo-Croatian : Проклетије , Prokletije , pronounced [prɔklɛ̌tijɛ] ; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), also known as the Albanian Alps ( Albanian : Alpet Shqiptare ; Serbo-Croatian : Албански Алпи , Albanski Alpi ), is a mountain range in coastal Southeast Europe adjacent to the Adriatic Sea . It
308-539: A humid continental climate ( Köppen : Dfa ) with a mean annual temperature of 12.6 °C (55 °F). Precipitation is relatively low due to the pronounced rain shadow of the Accursed Mountains to the northwest, being significantly less than what is received on the Adriatic Sea coast at the same latitude. The summers are long, hot and relatively dry with low humidity. Skopje's average July high
462-678: A Latinis, Grecis et Sclauis ita quod in nullo se intelligunt cum aliis nationibus. (Namely, the above-mentioned Albanians have a language that is different from the languages of Latins, Greeks and Slavs, so that they do not understand each other at all.) The oldest attested document written in Albanian dates to 1462, while the first audio recording in the language was made by Norbert Jokl on 4 April 1914 in Vienna . However, as Fortson notes, Albanian written works existed before this point; they have simply been lost. The existence of written Albanian
616-549: A clear core. Among the biggest are Tamara and Selca, both in the valley of the Cem and belonging to the community of the Kelmend . The community of eight villages – including Vermosh – comprises 6,600 inhabitants. Tamara is currently the only place in the central mountains with infrastructure such as a secondary school. Tamara and Vermosh share a maternity hospital. Until the collapse of communism there were such facilities, for example, in
770-402: A combination of smoke from houses, emissions from the industry, buses, and other forms of public transport, as well as from cars, and a lack of interest in caring for the environment. Central heating is often not affordable, and so households often burn firewood, as well as used car tyres, various plastic garbage, petroleum, and other possible flammable waste, which emits toxic chemicals harmful to
924-905: A common branch in the current phylogenetic classification of the Indo-European language family. The first written mention of Albanian was in 1284 in a witness testimony from the Republic of Ragusa , while a letter written by Dominican Friar Gulielmus Adea in 1332 mentions the Albanians using the Latin alphabet in their writings. The oldest surviving attestation of modern Albanian is from 1462. The two main Albanian dialect groups (or varieties ), Gheg and Tosk , are primarily distinguished by phonological differences and are mutually intelligible in their standard varieties, with Gheg spoken to
1078-573: A common period of prehistoric coexistence of several Indo-European dialects in the Balkans prior to 2000 BC. To this group would belong Albanian, Ancient Greek , Armenian , Phrygian , fragmentary attested languages such as Macedonian , Thracian , or Illyrian , and the relatively well-attested Messapic in Southern Italy. The common features of this group appear at the phonological, morphological, and lexical levels, presumably resulting from
1232-472: A large amount (or the majority) of their sea environment lexicon. A similar phenomenon could be observed with agricultural terms. While the words for 'arable land', 'wheat', 'cereals', 'vineyard', 'yoke', 'harvesting', 'cattle breeding', etc. are native, the words for 'ploughing', 'farm' and 'farmer', agricultural practices, and some harvesting tools are foreign. This, again, points to intense contact with other languages and people, rather than providing evidence of
1386-592: A large, rugged, pathless range. It is one of the rare mountain ranges in Europe that has not been explored entirely. In some areas, the Accursed Mountains run almost parallel with the Šar Mountains in North Macedonia , Albania and Kosovo. This tectonic crash produced the unusual zig-zag shape of the range and also their curving from the dominant Dinaric northwestern – southeastern direction toward
1540-421: A major north–south Balkan route between Belgrade and Athens . It is a centre for the chemical, timber, textile, leather, printing, and metal-processing industries. Industrial development of the city has been accompanied by development of the trade, logistics, and banking sectors, as well as an emphasis on the fields of transportation, culture and sport. According to the last official census from 2021, Skopje had
1694-475: A number of isoglosses with Albanian. Other linguists linked the Albanian language with Latin , Greek and Armenian , while placing Germanic and Balto-Slavic in another branch of Indo-European. In current scholarship there is evidence that Albanian is closely related to Greek and Armenian, while the fact that it is a satem language is less significant. Armenian Greek Phrygian (extinct) Messapic (extinct) Gheg Tosk Messapic
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#17327657402841848-677: A population of 526,502 inhabitants. The city is attested for the first name in Geography by Ptolemy c. 150 AD as one of the cities of Roman Dardania . Ptolemy describes the city in Latin as Scupi and ancient Greek as Σκοῦποι . The toponym likely belongs to a group of similar Illyrian toponyms which have been transmitted to Slavic languages in the same way as the modern Macedonian toponym Skopje : Skoplje and Uskoplje in Bosnia, Uskoplje in Dalmatia (Croatia). Shkup ,
2002-547: A possible linguistic homeland (also known as a Urheimat ). The centre of Albanian settlement remained the Mat River. In 1079, the Albanians were recorded farther south in the valley of the Shkumbin River. The Shkumbin, a 181 km long river that lies near the old Via Egnatia , is approximately the boundary of the primary dialect division for Albanian, Tosk and Gheg . The characteristics of Tosk and Gheg in
2156-471: A pronounced steep topography and glacial features. Maximum relief differences of 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) are found in the Valbona , Grbaja and Ropojani and Cem valleys. Overhanging walls and ridges forming pointed peaks are typical of the western and central Accursed Mountains. The eastern mountains are less rugged with lower relief. The valleys show characteristic effects of Pleistocene glaciation. Most of
2310-933: A strong sense of identity and are unique in that they speak an archaic dialect of Tosk Albanian called Arbëresh . In the United States and Canada, there are approximately 250,000 Albanian speakers. It is primarily spoken on the East Coast of the United States, in cities like New York City, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Detroit, as well as in parts of the states of New Jersey, Ohio, and Connecticut. In Argentina, there are nearly 40,000 Albanian speakers , mostly in Buenos Aires. Approximately 1.3 million people of Albanian ancestry live in Turkey , with more than 500,000 recognizing their ancestry, language and culture . There are other estimates, however, that place
2464-429: A sub-Mediterranean character. Various evergreen bushes are found in the deepest valleys of the canyons and sunny slopes, and in the higher valleys deciduous Shibljak shrubs are common. In the mountains over 100 medicinal herbs are found, including species of the genus Primula , Satureja and Sideritis . Because of its altitude and its favored habitat, the range is one of the centers of arcto-alpine relict flora of
2618-551: A subspecies of the Eurasian lynx , is mainly found in the Theth National Park where about roughly 20–50 individuals still roam, though poaching is still a large threat. Chamois are found throughout the high altitudes; about 720 chamois live between the borders of Kosovo and Montenegro. There is speculation that the mouflon roamed the Accursed Mountains until World War I, when it disappeared. Bird species include
2772-650: A variant of the alpine Wulfenie, but 700 km away it does not grow. Petasites doerfleri is only found on the Jezerca peaks, and the Albanian lily Lilium albanicum and Viola ducagjinica are only found at the top of the Maja Radohimës slope. Also noteworthy is the Viola vilaensis Hayek . Viola chelmea belong to a violet species that occur on the Montenegrin-Albanian border area, especially at
2926-546: A way that the demographic density remains low to limit the impact of potential future earthquakes. Reconstruction following the 1963 earthquake was mainly conducted by the Polish architect Adolf Ciborowski , who had already planned the reconstruction of Warsaw after World War II . Ciborowski divided the city into blocks dedicated to specific activities. The banks of the Vardar river became natural areas and parks, areas between
3080-486: Is 32 °C (90 °F). On average Skopje sees 88 days above 30 °C (86 °F) each year, and 10.2 days above 35.0 °C (95 °F) every year. Winters are short, relatively cold and wet. Snowfalls are common in the winter period, but heavy snow accumulation is rare and the snowcover lasts only for a few hours or a few days if heavy. In summer, temperatures are usually above 31 °C (88 °F) and sometimes above 40 °C (104 °F). In spring and autumn,
3234-475: Is a municipality of its own, with Romani as its local official language. It was developed after the 1963 earthquake to accommodate Roma who had lost their house. The population density varies greatly from one area to another. So does the size of the living area per person. The city average was at 19.41 m (208.93 sq ft) per person as of 2002 , but at 24 m (258 sq ft) in Centar on
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#17327657402843388-423: Is also common. Aspens ( Populus tremula ) grow in damp sites alongside mountain maple ( Acer pseudoplatanus ) and Norway spruce ( Picea abies ). The Accursed Mountains are one of the southernmost areas where spruce grow in Europe. The "combat zones" of the forest are formed with dense thickets of mountain pine ( Pinus mugos) . Conifers like the snakeskin pine ( Pinus heldreichii ) are on carbonate rocks and
3542-667: Is also spoken by 450,000 Albanian immigrants in Greece, making it one of the commonly spoken languages in the country after Greek. Albanian is the third most common mother tongue among foreign residents in Italy . This is due to a substantial Albanian immigration to Italy. Italy has a historical Albanian minority of about 500,000, scattered across southern Italy, known as Arbëreshë . Approximately 1 million Albanians from Kosovo are dispersed throughout Germany , Switzerland and Austria . These are mainly immigrants from Kosovo who migrated during
3696-709: Is also spoken in Greece and by the Albanian diaspora , which is generally concentrated in the Americas , Europe and Oceania . Albanian is estimated to have as many as 7.5 million native speakers. Albanian and other Paleo-Balkan languages had their formative core in the Balkans after the Indo-European migrations in the region. Albanian in antiquity is often thought to have been an Illyrian language for obvious geographic and historical reasons, or otherwise an unmentioned Balkan Indo-European language that
3850-537: Is an Indo-European language and the only surviving representative of the Albanoid branch , which belongs to the Paleo-Balkan group . It is the native language of the Albanian people . Standard Albanian is the official language of Albania and Kosovo , and a co-official language in North Macedonia and Montenegro , as well as a recognized minority language of Italy , Croatia , Romania and Serbia . It
4004-748: Is between 4.6 °C in January and 18.1 °C in July. Several rivers meet the Vardar within the city boundaries. The largest is the Treska , which is 130 km (81 mi) long. It crosses the Matka Canyon before reaching the Vardar on the western extremity of the City of Skopje. The Lepenac , coming from Kosovo , flows into the Vardar on the northwestern end of the urban area. The Serava, also coming from
4158-424: Is between 70 and 90 m deep. The layer is topped by a much smaller layer of clay, sand, silt, and gravel, carried by the Vardar river. It is between 1.5 and 5.2 m deep. In some areas, the subsoil is karstic . It led to the formation of canyons, such as the Matka Canyon , which is surrounded by ten caves. They are between 20 and 176 m deep. Skopje has a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen : Cfa ), bordering on
4312-547: Is built on the foot of Mount Vodno, the urban area is mostly flat. It comprises several minor hills, generally covered with woods and parks, such as Gazi Baba hill (325 m), Zajčev Rid (327 m), the foothills of Mount Vodno (the smallest are between 350 and 400 m high) and the promontory on which Skopje Fortress is built. The Skopje valley is near a seismic fault between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates and experiences regular seismic activity. This activity in enhanced by
4466-424: Is called "Prvo Koplje" and its first ascent was made by the alpinists Žarko Gostović (1950-2019) from Skopje , Macedonia and Ante Bedalov (1952-1974) from Kaštel Kambelovac , Croatia . The two climbed this route starting from 15 June 1972, and finishing the ascent on 18 June 1972, needing three and a half days to finish this first ascent. The Accursed Mountains are a typical Dinaric karst high mountain range with
4620-608: Is considered the closest language to Albanian, grouped in a common branch titled Illyric in Hyllested & Joseph (2022). Hyllested & Joseph (2022) in agreement with recent bibliography identify Greco-Phrygian as the IE branch closest to the Albanian-Messapic one. These two branches form an areal grouping – which is often called "Balkan IE" – with Armenian. The hypothesis of the " Balkan Indo-European " continuum posits
4774-554: Is currently the size of six football pitches, vary in size every year according to the amount of winter snowfall and temperatures during the following summer. Their average total surface area is 5 hectares (0.019 sq mi). Glacier-climate modeling suggests that these glaciers require annual accumulation of between 4,137 and 5,531 mm (162.9 and 217.8 in) (rainfall equivalent) to balance melting, which would correspond to between 49.7 and 66.4 metres (163.1 and 217.8 ft) of snow. A significant proportion of this accumulation
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4928-541: Is cut deeply with valleys in a variety of rock blocks of the mountains north of Përroi i Thatë, the Biga e Gimajive south of it, the Jezerca block between Shala and Valbona valley, the massif of the Maja e Hekurave, the plateau of the Maja e Kolats north of Valbona and Shkëlzen northeast of Valbona. The valleys were formed by glaciers which created very steep walls and hollows up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) deep. The south wall of
5082-687: Is explicitly mentioned in a letter attested from 1332, and the first preserved books, including both those in Gheg and in Tosk, share orthographic features that indicate that some form of common literary language had developed. By the Late Middle Ages , during the period of Humanism and the European Renaissance , the term lingua epirotica ' Epirotan language ' was preferred in the intellectual, literary, and clerical circles of
5236-505: Is likely to be sourced from windblown snow and, in particular, avalanching snow. It is estimated that the total accumulation needed to balance melting is potentially up to twice the amount accumulated from direct precipitation. The presence of these glaciers, amongst the southernmost in Europe, at altitudes well below the regional snow line highlights the importance of local controls on glacier development. The geographers think at least eight glaciers were present in neighbouring mountains during
5390-532: Is mostly inhabited by Muslim Albanians, Turks, and Roma, whereas Christian ethnic Macedonians predominantly reside on the south bank. The earthquake left the city with few historical monuments, apart from the Ottoman Old Bazaar , and the reconstruction, conducted between the 1960s and 1980s, turned Skopje into a modernist city. At the end of the 2000s, the city centre experienced profound changes. A highly controversial urban project, " Skopje 2014 ",
5544-404: Is normal. At higher elevations snow is found even in summer, except in very dry years. There are at least five active glaciers that probably formed during the late Holocene period, and some inactive glaciers between 1,980 and 2,420 meters high. The trough valleys of Ropojani, Grbaja and Valbona were carved by kilometres of glaciers during the last ice age . Detailed geomorphological mapping
5698-566: Is not widely spread, although in the high altitudes snow and fern fields can also keep during the summer on four very small glaciers at high altitudes, the highest one found in the shade of Jezerca. Beech , fir and silicate spruce forests dominate the mountain areas. Rarely, however, the Northern Europe species are found, typically the Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris ). The drought-resistant Mediterranean-sized black pine ( Pinus nigra )
5852-450: Is only 10 km (6.2 mi) wide. Skopje is approximately 245 m above sea level and covers 571.46 km . The urbanized area only covers 337 km , with a density of 65 inhabitants per hectare. Skopje, in its administrative limits, encompasses many villages and other settlements, including Dračevo , Gorno Nerezi and Bardovci. According to the 2021 census, the City of Skopje had 526,502 inhabitants. The City of Skopje reaches
6006-598: Is spoken in North-western Greece, while Arvanitika is spoken by the Arvanites in southern Greece. In addition, Arbëresh is spoken by the Arbëreshë people, descendants of 15th and 16th century migrants who settled in southeastern Italy, in small communities in the regions of Sicily and Calabria . These settlements originated from the (Arvanites) communities probably of Peloponnese known as Morea in
6160-486: Is spoken in the south, and Gheg spoken in the north. Standard Albanian is based on the Tosk dialect. The Shkumbin River is the rough dividing line between the two dialects. Gheg is divided into four sub-dialects: Northwest Gheg, Northeast Gheg, Central Gheg and Southern Gheg. It is primarily spoken in northern Albania, Kosovo , and throughout Montenegro and northwestern North Macedonia . One fairly divergent dialect
6314-530: Is still steep, winding and narrow in places. From Theth, there is a bad track down to the Shala Valley Church and only a walking path along the river leads to Shkodra. SH22 road over the Qafa e Morinës at Bajram Curri after Gjakova has been reconstructed. In the past, the only route for crossing the border between Montenegro and Kosovo was via Rugova Canyon , which was very dangerous and steep. With
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6468-576: Is the Upper Reka dialect , which is however classified as Central Gheg. There is also a diaspora dialect in Croatia , the Arbanasi dialect . Tosk is divided into five sub-dialects, including Northern Tosk (the most numerous in speakers), Labërisht , Cham , Arvanitika , and Arbëresh . Tosk is spoken in southern Albania, southwestern North Macedonia and northern and southern Greece. Cham Albanian
6622-596: Is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia . It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. Skopje lies in the Skopje Basin . Scupi is attested for the first time in the second century AD as a city in Roman Dardania . When the Roman Empire was divided into eastern and western halves in 395 AD, Scupi came under Byzantine rule from Constantinople . During much of
6776-399: Is the most probable. Although Albanian shares lexical isoglosses with Greek , Germanic , and to a lesser extent Balto-Slavic , the vocabulary of Albanian is quite distinct. In 1995, Taylor, Ringe , and Warnow used quantitative linguistic techniques that appeared to obtain an Albanian subgrouping with Germanic, a result which the authors had already reasonably downplayed. Indeed,
6930-569: Is the official language of Albania and Kosovo and a co-official language in North Macedonia and Montenegro . Albanian is a recognised minority language in Croatia , Italy , Romania and in Serbia . Albanian is also spoken by a minority in Greece , specifically in the Thesprotia and Preveza regional units and in a few villages in Ioannina and Florina regional units in Greece. It
7084-559: Is the southernmost subrange of the 1,000-kilometre-long (621 mi) Dinaric Alps range (Dinarides), extending from northern Albania to western Kosovo and northeastern Montenegro . Maja Jezercë , standing at 2,694 m (8,839 ft), is the highest point of the Accursed Mountains and of all Dinaric Alps, and the fifth highest peak in Albania. The range includes the mountain Zla Kolata , which, at 2,534 m (8,314 ft),
7238-577: Is the tallest mountain in Montenegro. The range also includes the mountain Gjeravica , which, at 2,656 m (8,714 ft), is the second tallest mountain in Kosovo. One of the southernmost glacial masses in Europe was discovered in the Albanian part of the range in 2009. The origin of the name "Accursed Mountains" is disputed. According to one local legend, the devil escaped from hell and created
7392-667: The Aegean . The locality eventually disappeared during the Iron Age when Scupi emerged on Zajčev Rid hill, some 5 km (3.1 mi) west of the fortress promontory. At the centre of the Balkan peninsula and on the road between the Danube and Aegean Sea , it was a prosperous locality, although its history is not well known. During the Iron Age, the area of Skopje was inhabited by
7546-772: The Buni Jezercë group of lakes on the northern side of the Jezerca Peak , the Ridsko Lake, the Bukumirsko Lake and the Rikavačko Lake. A recent report from geographers at the University of Manchester details the discovery of four previously unknown glaciers in the Albanian part of the mountain range at 1980–2100 m high, found in the area close to Maja e Jezerces. The glaciers, the largest of which
7700-463: The Congress of Dibra decided that Albanian schools would finally be allowed. Albanian is an isolate within the Indo-European language family; no other language has been conclusively linked to its branch . The only other languages that are the sole surviving members of a branch of Indo-European are Armenian and Greek. The Albanian language is part of the Indo-European language family and
7854-629: The Janissary of Muhammad Ali Pasha , an Albanian who became Wāli , and self-declared Khedive of Egypt and Sudan . In addition to the dynasty that he established, a large part of the former Egyptian and Sudanese aristocracy was of Albanian origin. In addition to the recent emigrants, there are older diasporic communities around the world. Albanian is also spoken by Albanian diaspora communities residing in Australia and New Zealand . The Albanian language has two distinct dialects, Tosk which
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#17327657402848008-808: The Korçë District , Kamnik in Kolonja , Kolsh in the Kukës District , Rashtan in Librazhd , and Nezir in the Mat District . As in other parts of Europe, these PreIE people joined the migratory Indo-European tribes that entered the Balkans and contributed to the formation of the historical Paleo-Balkan tribes. In terms of linguistics, the pre-Indo-European substrate language spoken in the southern Balkans probably influenced pre-Proto-Albanian ,
8162-484: The Kosovo border to the north-east. Clockwise, it is also bordered by the municipalities of Čučer-Sandevo , Lipkovo , Aračinovo , Ilinden , Studeničani , Sopište , Želino and Jegunovce . The Vardar river, which flows through Skopje, is at approximately 60 km (37 mi) from its source near Gostivar . In Skopje, its average discharge is 51 m /s, with a wide amplitude depending on seasons, between 99.6 m /s in May and 18.7 m /s in July. The water temperature
8316-704: The League of Prizren and culminated with the Congress of Manastir held by Albanian intellectuals from 14 to 22 November 1908, in Manastir (present day Bitola ), which decided on which alphabet to use, and what the standardised spelling would be for standard Albanian. This is how the literary language remains. The alphabet is the Latin alphabet with the addition of the letters ⟨ ë ⟩ , ⟨ ç ⟩ , and ten digraphs : dh , th , xh , gj , nj , ng , ll , rr , zh and sh . According to Robert Elsie : The hundred years between 1750 and 1850 were an age of astounding orthographic diversity in Albania. In this period,
8470-546: The Maja Harapit is 800 metres (2,600 ft) high, making it the highest rock face on the Balkan Peninsula. Although some scientific research gives the Accursed Mountains the status of a separate mountain chain, in most other ways this chain is still considered the highest of all Dinaric areas, connected with the Dinaric mountain chain in terms of geology, morphology, and ethnography. The Accursed Mountains are made up of many large sections or mountain massifs/groups, all of which are connected to one another. These massifs include
8624-412: The Matka Canyon . The city itself comprises several parks and gardens amounting to 4,361 hectares. Among these are the City Park (Gradski Park), built by the Ottoman Turks at the beginning of the 20th century; Žena Borec Park, in front of the Parliament; the university arboretum; and Gazi Baba forest. Many streets and boulevards are planted with trees. Steel processing, which is a crucial activity for
8778-407: The Visitor range . Waterfalls are found in some parts of the range. The White Drin Waterfall in Kosovo reaches a height of 25 m (82 ft). Because it is not far from Peja , it is easily accessible and frequented by many visitors. The Grunas Waterfall in Albania is 30 m (98 ft) high and is in the Theth National Park . The Ali Pasha natural springs in Montenegro near Gusinje are
8932-488: The airport , in Petrovec. Air pollution is a serious problem in Skopje, especially in winter. Concentrations of certain types of particulate matter (PM2 and PM10) are regularly over twelve times the WHO recommended maximum levels. In winter, smoke regularly obscures vision and can lead to problems for drivers. Together with Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina , North Macedonia has the most polluted urban areas in Europe. Skopje's high levels of pollution are caused by
9086-526: The early medieval period, the town was contested between the Byzantines and the Bulgarian Empire , whose capital it was between 972 and 992. In 1004, when it was seized by the Byzantine Empire, the city became a centre of a new province called Bulgaria . From 1282, the town was part of the Serbian Empire , of which it was the capital from 1346 to 1371. In 1392, Skopje was conquered by the Ottoman Turks , who called it Üsküb ( اسکوب ). The town stayed under Ottoman control for over 500 years, serving as
9240-449: The fence lizard , green lizard , Greek tortoise and snakes such as the true vipers, including the venomous horned viper and adder . The Accursed Mountains have one endemic species of lizard, the Prokletije rock lizard or Dinarolacerta montenegrina , named after the range. British climbers Sleeman, Elmalie and Ellwood were the first to reach the summit of Maja Jezercë on 26 July 1929. Years later Austrian mountaineers also scaled
9394-521: The golden eagle , snake eagle , honey buzzard , peregrine falcon , capercaillie , rock partridge , scops owl , Eurasian eagle owl and the snow finch . So far 140 species of butterflies have been found, which makes the Accursed Mountains the richest area in Europe for butterflies. The rivers are home to a growing number of marble trout . Among the amphibians are the alpine salamander (southernmost habitat), fire salamander , yellow-bellied toad and fire-bellied toad . The rich herpetofauna include
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#17327657402849548-530: The 14th century, but they failed to cite specific words. The oldest surviving documents written in Albanian are the " formula e pagëzimit " (Baptismal formula), Un'te paghesont' pr'emenit t'Atit e t'Birit e t'Spertit Senit . ("I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit ") recorded by Pal Engjelli, Bishop of Durrës in 1462 in the Gheg dialect, and some New Testament verses from that period. The linguists Stefan Schumacher and Joachim Matzinger (University of Vienna) assert that
9702-424: The 15th century, and some valleys have been inhabited since the Stone Age . At the end of communism, however, several thousand people emigrated and depopulated the area. SH20 road crosses the Accursed Mountains in the Kelmend region of northwestern Albania, stretching from the eastern shore of Lake Scutari at the Han i Hotit border crossing with Montenegro, to the first pass into the valley of Cem. It then leads to
9856-410: The 1990s. In Switzerland , the Albanian language is the sixth most spoken language with 176,293 native speakers. Albanian became an official language in North Macedonia on 15 January 2019. There are large numbers of Albanian speakers in the United States, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Canada . Some of the first ethnic Albanians to arrive in the United States were the Arbëreshë. The Arbëreshë have
10010-438: The 19th century, correlating with the culmination of the Little Ice Age in the European Alps. The vegetation of the Accursed Mountains is among the richest on the Balkan Peninsula and one of the main central European regions for flora . To date, 1,611 wild plants have been described in the Albanian part alone. As of 2013 50 flora species are endemic , sub-endemic and endangered plant species. The southern edge of mountains have
10164-427: The AQILHC (Air Quality Index Levels of Health Concern). Skopje topped the ranks in December 2017 as one of the most polluted cities in the world. In 2017, as part of the city's efforts to reduce pollution, a CityTree was installed, and promoted by German ambassador Christine Althauser. On 29 November 2019, a march, organized by the Skopje Smog Alarm activist community , attracted thousands of people who opposed
10318-416: The Accursed Mountains also include the mountain ranges to Mitrovica with the Hajla and Mokna massifs. Some authors, however, see the river Lim as the northern boundary of the Accursed Mountains in geological terms. From Lake Skadar, the mountains stretch northeast along the Cem river then curve slightly to the east in the direction of Gjeravica summit above the western Kosovo (450m) basin. From here,
10472-443: The Accursed Mountains turn northwards over the Bogićevica massif and Čakor pass and continue with another row of mountains. The Accursed Mountains finish in the area of upper Ibar River valley near Mitrovica , just after the Suva Planina (1,750 metres (5,740 ft)) massif that encircles Dukagjin basin from the north and northwest. The Accursed Mountains are ethnographically and sociologically diverse with many tribes living in
10626-404: The Accursed Mountains — one each in Montenegro, Kosovo, and Albania. Illegal deforestation is a major problem. To some extent even the national parks are affected. In dry summers forest fires are common. All the large mammals including wolves, chamois, foxes, badgers and wild boar are hunted without regard to national park boundaries. In Albania, the new, enlarged Alps of Albania National Park
10780-413: The Adriatic. Water levels fluctuate because the karst topography drains the water underground. Some rivers or streams, such as Përroi i Thatë in Albania, dry out completely during the summer droughts. Although the Lumbardhi i Pejës river in Kosovo is short, it is very powerful and carved the Rugova Canyon. There are about 20 small alpine lakes of glacial origin in the Accursed Mountains. Many lakes are in
10934-453: The Albanian and Germanic branches share a relatively moderate number of lexical cognates. Many shared grammatical elements or features of these two branches do not corroborate the lexical isoglosses. Albanian also shares lexical linguistic affinity with Latin and Romance languages. Sharing linguistic features unique to the languages of the Balkans , Albanian also forms a part of the Balkan linguistic area or sprachbund . The place and
11088-560: The Albanian language was on 14 July 1284 in Ragusa in modern Croatia ( Dubrovnik ) when a crime witness named Matthew testified: "I heard a voice crying on the mountain in the Albanian language" ( Latin : Audivi unam vocem, clamantem in monte in lingua albanesca ). The Albanian language is also mentioned in the Descriptio Europae Orientalis dated in 1308: Habent enim Albani prefati linguam distinctam
11242-435: The Albanian language was put to writing in at least ten different alphabets – most certainly a record for European languages. ... the diverse forms in which this old Balkan language was recorded, from the earliest documents to the beginning of the twentieth century ... consist of adaptations of the Latin, Greek, Arabic, and Cyrillic alphabets and (what is even more interesting) a number of locally invented writing systems. Most of
11396-509: The Balkan Peninsula. Out of 77 arcto-alpine species of former glacial flora on the Balkan Peninsula, a little over 50 species can be found in the Accursed Mountains. The levels of vegetation in the Accursed Mountains meet the alpine level, from upland valleys through the montane mountain stage on forest-free alpine and subalpine mats and subnivale tundra caused by permafrost in vast heaps of rubble with raw soils. A real snow level
11550-678: The Bogiçevica border area between Kosovo and Albania and the Buni i Jezercë trough near the Jezerca and Bojs peaks. Some lakes, such as Lake Liqenat in Kosovo and Hrid Lake in Montenegro, are tourist attractions. Hrid Lake is a clear example of a well-preserved glacial relief. In the Pleistocene period this was a collection area for ice that fell down over steps of rock from surrounding peaks, dragging with it heterogeneous material. Precipitation washed away smaller rocks, but larger ones remain on
11704-824: The Kakinjes group at 2,359 m (7,740 ft), the Shkëlzen group at 2,407 m (7,897 ft), the Bogićevica group at 2,533 m (8,310 ft), the Horolac group at 2,199 m (7,215 ft), the Kershi Kocaj group at 2,399 m (7,871 ft), the Maja e Zezë group at 2,400 m (7,900 ft), the Lumbardhit group at 2,522 m (8,274 ft), the Kopranik group at 2,460 m (8,070 ft),
11858-684: The Lim and those that enter the White Drin and meet the Black Drin downstream at the Drin confluence. The southern and eastern slopes of the Accursed Mountains fall into the latter category. The Tara and Lim rivers, two major sources of the Dinaric river system, originate on the northern borders of the Accursed Mountains. The Vërmosh originates in the northwest mountainous part in Montenegro, close to
12012-609: The Macedonian pine ( Pinus peuce ) of silicates are typical elements of the endemic Balkan flora. A cushion-sedge and blue grass lawn of ( Seslerion juncifoliae ) grows in alpine areas and, on shallow limestone soils, Oxytropidion dinaricae , to which the alpine grass krumm grows as in the Alps . Other plants include Alpine aster Aster alpinus , edelweiss Leontopodium alpinum and white mountain avens Dryas octopetala . These plants are atypical alpine plants specially adapted to
12166-521: The Middle Ages. Among them the Arvanites call themselves Arbëror and sometime Arbëresh. The Arbëresh dialect is closely related to the Arvanites dialect with more Italian vocabulary absorbed during different periods of time. The Albanian language has been written using many alphabets since the earliest records from the 15th century. The history of Albanian language orthography is closely related to
12320-818: The North, had flowed through the Old Bazaar until the 1960s when it was diverted towards the West because its waters were very polluted. Originally, it met the Vardar close to the seat of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts . Nowadays, it flows into the Vardar near the ruins of Scupi . Markova Reka , which originates in Mount Vodno , meets the Vardar at the eastern extremity of the city. These three rivers are less than 70 km (43 mi) long. The City of Skopje incorporates two artificial lakes, on
12474-882: The Popluks group with a height of 2,694 m (8,839 ft), the Shkurt group at 2,554 m (8,379 ft), the Radohimës group at 2,570 m (8,430 ft), the Zaborës e Krasniçës at 2,625 m (8,612 ft), the Bjelic group at 2,556 m (8,386 ft), the Karanfili-Brada group at 2,554 m (8,379 ft), the Rabës group at 2,232 m (7,323 ft), the Ershellit group at 2,066 m (6,778 ft),
12628-510: The Shala Valley. Many residents of the villages in the interior such as Boga, Theth or Valbona live there only in the summer months, as the villages are cut off for many weeks during winter. In addition to the seasonal migration, the whole mountain area is suffering from a severe " brain drain ", as its income from agriculture is low. Many leave to seek work and a little more comfort in the region of Shkodra and Koplik, Tirana or abroad. As
12782-718: The Shkumbin river since the Post-Roman and Pre-Slavic period, straddling the Jireček Line . Centuries-old communities speaking Albanian dialects can be found scattered in Greece (the Arvanites and some communities in Epirus , Western Macedonia and Western Thrace ), Croatia (the Arbanasi ), Italy (the Arbëreshë ) as well as in Romania , Turkey and Ukraine . The Malsia e Madhe Gheg Albanian and two varieties of
12936-881: The Strellc group at 2,377 m (7,799 ft), the Gjeravica group at 2,656 m (8,714 ft), the Junik group at 2,296 m (7,533 ft), the Starac-Qokorr group 2,426 m (7,959 ft), the Hajla group at 2,403 m (7,884 ft), the Stedim-Ahmica group at 2,272 m (7,454 ft), the Zleb-Rusulija group at 2,382 m (7,815 ft), the Mokna group at 2,155 m (7,070 ft) and
13090-548: The Suva Planina group at 1,750 m (5,740 ft). Erosion during glaciation left many telltale features behind. Deep river canyons and flat valleys wind around the ridges of the mountains. The largest canyon is Rugova Canyon . It is situated in Kosovo and is 25 km (16 mi) long from the border with Montenegro to Peja and is 1,000 m (3,281 ft) deep. It has very steep vertical mountain slopes on both sides. Valleys common at lower altitudes are found at
13244-412: The Tosk dialect, Arvanitika in Greece and Arbëresh in southern Italy, have preserved archaic elements of the language. Ethnic Albanians constitute a large diaspora , with many having long assimilated in different cultures and communities. Consequently, Albanian-speakers do not correspond to the total ethnic Albanian population, as many ethnic Albanians may identify as Albanian but are unable to speak
13398-553: The Treska. The lake Matka is the result of the construction of a dam in the Matka Canyon in the 1930s, and the Treska lake was dug for leisure purposes in 1978. Three small natural lakes can be found near Smilkovci , on the northeastern edge of the urban area. The river Vardar historically caused many floods, such as in 1962, when its outflow reached 1110 m /s . Several works have been carried out since Byzantine times to limit
13552-419: The air is safe to inhale. The application relies on both government and volunteer sensors to track hourly air pollution. Unfortunately, government sensors are frequently inoperable and malfunctioning, causing the need for more low-cost, but less accurate, volunteer sensors to be put up by citizens. Faults on government sensors are especially frequent when the pollution is measured is extremely high, according to
13706-742: The alpine level, creating mountain passes and valley troughs, such as Buni Jezerce in Albania. Buni Jezerce means "Valley of the Lakes" and it contains six small glacial lakes, the biggest being called the Big lake of Buni Jezerce . Canyons in the Accursed Mountains Valleys in the Accursed Mountains The Accursed Mountains contain several notable rivers of the region. Rivers in this range fall roughly into two main categories, those that flow into
13860-643: The ancestor idiom of Albanian. The extent of this linguistic impact cannot be determined with precision due to the uncertain position of Albanian among Paleo-Balkan languages and their scarce attestation. Some loanwords, however, have been proposed, such as shegë ' pomegranate ' or lëpjetë ' orach '; compare Pre-Greek λάπαθον , lápathon ' monk's rhubarb '. Skopje Skopje ( / ˈ s k ɒ p j eɪ / SKOP -yay , US also / ˈ s k oʊ p j eɪ / SKOHP -yay ; Macedonian : Скопје [ˈskɔpjɛ] ; Albanian : Shkup , Albanian definite form : Shkupi )
14014-676: The area that will be called the Balkans Peace Park. The Accursed Mountains are home to Albanians , Montenegrins , Serbs and Bosniaks , but they are only very sparsely populated. At the edges there are some settlements: the Albanian Koplik and the Montenegrin Tuzi in the west near the Skadar Lake; Plav and Gusinje in of the northern valley of the upper Lim river in Montenegro and Bajram Curri ,
14168-583: The area was modified by glacial activity with karstic areas in the western parts. The range was formed by the folding resulting from the collision of the African and Eurasian plates . Nowhere in the Balkans have glaciers left so much evidence of erosion. After the Alps , these mountains are the most glaciated in Europe south of the Scandinavian ice sheet . They have very steep limestone slopes with abundant karst features. The Accursed Mountains are
14322-786: The border with Albania. As a tributary of the Drina it drains into the Danube and then into the Black Sea . The Lim flows through the Plav lake. The Ibar , which originates on the slopes of the Hajla , takes a similar route into the Danube via the West Morava in Serbia. In the southern Accursed Mountains, the Drin dominates. It drains most of the ranges with its tributaries and when measured from
14476-687: The capital of the pashasanjak of Üsküp and later the Vilayet of Kosovo . Its central position in the Ottoman Balkans made it a significant centre of commerce and administration during the Ottoman era. In 1912, it was annexed by the Kingdom of Serbia during the Balkan Wars . During World War I the city was seized by the Kingdom of Bulgaria , and, after the war, it became part of
14630-619: The city's name is "Üsküb" ( Ottoman Turkish : اسكوب ) and it was adapted in Western languages in "Uskub" or "Uskup", and these two appellations were used in the Western world until 1912. Some Western sources also cite "Scopia" and "Skopia". Scopia is the name of the city in Aromanian . When Vardar Macedonia was annexed by the Kingdom of Serbia in 1912, the city officially became "Skoplje" ( Serbian Cyrillic : Скопље ) and many languages adopted this name. To reflect local pronunciation,
14784-582: The city's name was eventually spelled as "Skopje" ( Macedonian : Скопје ) after the Second World War , when standard Macedonian became the official language of the new Socialist Republic of Macedonia . Skopje is in the north of the country, in the centre of the Balkan peninsula , and halfway between Belgrade and Athens . The city was built in the Skopje valley, oriented on a west-east axis, along
14938-510: The city, such as Radišani, with 9,000 inhabitants, whereas smaller villages can be found on Mount Vodno or in Saraj municipality , which is the most rural of the ten municipalities that form the City of Skopje. Some localities outside the city limits are also becoming outer suburbs, particularly in Ilinden and Petrovec municipality . They benefit from the presence of major roads, railways, and
15092-474: The city. Every day, it receives 1,500 m of domestic waste and 400 m of industrial waste. Health levels are better in Skopje than in the rest of North Macedonia, and no link has been found between the low environmental quality and the health of the residents. The urban morphology of Skopje was deeply impacted by the 26 July 1963 earthquake , which destroyed 80% of the city, and by the reconstruction that followed. For instance, neighbourhoods were rebuilt in such
15246-456: The city. Macedonians live south of the Vardar , in areas massively rebuilt after 1963, and Muslims live on the northern side, in the oldest neighbourhoods of the city. These neighbourhoods are considered more traditional, whereas the south side evokes to Macedonians modernity and rupture from rural life. The northern areas are the poorest. This is especially true for Topaana , in Čair municipality , and for Šuto Orizari municipality , which are
15400-517: The construction of the Peja – Rožaje highway the situation has greatly improved. In addition, SH42 road leading to Razem from SH21 has also been recently reconstructed. Historically, a caravan route between Podgorica and Plav crossed the mountains along the Lim and Cem rivers. Albanian language Albanian ( endonym : shqip [ʃcip] , gjuha shqipe [ˈɟuha ˈʃcipɛ] , or arbërisht [aɾbəˈɾiʃt] )
15554-457: The contact between the various languages. The concept of this linguistic group is explained as a kind of language league of the Bronze Age (a specific areal-linguistics phenomenon), although it also consisted of languages that were related to each other. A common prestage posterior to PIE comprising Albanian, Greek, and Armenian, is considered as a possible scenario. In this light, due to
15708-566: The course of the Vardar river, which flows into the Aegean Sea in Greece. The valley is approximately 20 km (12 mi) wide and it is limited by several mountain ranges to the north and south. These ranges limit the urban expansion of Skopje, which spreads along the Vardar and the Serava , a small river which comes from the north. In its administrative boundaries, the City of Skopje stretches for more than 33 km (21 mi), but it
15862-796: The cultural orientation and knowledge of certain foreign languages among Albanian writers. The earliest written Albanian records come from the Gheg area in makeshift spellings based on Italian or Greek. Originally, the Tosk dialect was written in the Greek alphabet and the Gheg dialect was written in the Latin script . Both dialects had also been written in the Ottoman Turkish version of the Arabic script , Cyrillic , and some local alphabets ( Elbasan , Vithkuqi , Todhri , Veso Bey, Jan Vellara and others, see original Albanian alphabets ). More specifically,
16016-754: The drinking water used in Skopje comes from a karstic spring in Rašče , west of the city. The Skopje valley is bordered on the West by the Šar Mountains , on the South by the Jakupica range, on the East by hills belonging to the Osogovo range, and on the North by the Skopska Crna Gora . Mount Vodno , the highest point inside the city limits, is 1066 m high and is part of the Jakupica range. Although Skopje
16170-459: The first literary records of Albanian date from the 16th century. The oldest known Albanian printed book, Meshari , or "missal", was written in 1555 by Gjon Buzuku , a Roman Catholic cleric. In 1635, Frang Bardhi wrote the first Latin–Albanian dictionary. The first Albanian school is believed to have been opened by Franciscans in 1638 in Pdhanë . One of the earliest Albanian dictionaries
16324-1360: The government's lack of action in dealing with the city's pollution, which has worsened since 2017, contributing to around 1300 deaths annually. Dardanian Kingdom , 230–28 BC Roman Empire , 28 BC–395 Byzantine Empire , 395–836 First Bulgarian Empire , 836–1004 Byzantine Empire , 1004–1093 Grand Principality of Serbia , 1093–1097 Byzantine Empire , 1098–1203 Second Bulgarian Empire , 1203–1246 Empire of Nicaea , 1246–1255 Second Bulgarian Empire , 1255–1256 Empire of Nicaea , 1256–1261 Byzantine Empire , 1261–1282 [REDACTED] Kingdom of Serbia , 1282–1346 [REDACTED] Serbian Empire , 1346–1371 [REDACTED] District of Branković , 1371–1392 [REDACTED] Ottoman Empire , 1392–1912 [REDACTED] Kingdom of Serbia 1912–1915 [REDACTED] Tsardom of Bulgaria 1915–1918 [REDACTED] Kingdom of Yugoslavia 1918–1941 [REDACTED] Tsardom of Bulgaria 1941–1944 [REDACTED] Democratic Federal Yugoslavia ( Democratic Federal Macedonia ) 1944–1946 [REDACTED] Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( Socialist Republic of Macedonia ) 1946–1992 [REDACTED] North Macedonia 1992–present The rocky promontory on which Skopje Fortress stands
16478-614: The high alpine areas as well as the Rugova Canyon and important rivers. A part of Maja e Ropës mountain was declared a floral mountain reserve by Yugoslavia in 1955, covering an area of 25 ha (62 acres) of mainly Macedonian pine, pine and beech. In the same year the Kozhnjar area was declared a fauna reserve in particular to protect the chamois, covering an area of 161 ha (400 acres). As of 2010, Kosovo, Albania, and Montenegro are planning to create another tri-state park in
16632-447: The jagged glacial karsts in a single day of mischief. Others say a woman cursed the mountains while she and her children trekked through them on a scorching-hot day and could not find any water. A third legend claims Slavic soldiers gave the mountains their name as they struggled to march through them. Both the Albanian ( Bjeshkët e Nemuna ) and Serbo-Croatian ( Prokletije ) names mean "cursed (mountains)". The Accursed Mountains,
16786-643: The lake Bukumirsko Jezero at 2,100 meters, and are only found on Asia Minor and the Balkans where they can grow due to woody, robust rhizome, cleistogamous flowers, and a lack of foothills. The Accursed Mountains are also the only European area where the Tertiary relic Forsythia europaea grow. Large mammal species that have long been extinct in other regions are found here, such as the Eurasian brown bear , grey wolf , golden jackal , red fox , European wildcat , roe deer , fallow deer , red deer , wild boar and European otter . The highly endangered Balkan lynx,
16940-541: The language. Standard Albanian is a standardised form of spoken Albanian based on Tosk . The language is spoken by approximately 6 million people in the Balkans, primarily in Albania, Kosovo , North Macedonia , Serbia , Montenegro and Greece . However, due to old communities in Italy and the large Albanian diaspora , the worldwide total of speakers is much higher than in Southern Europe and numbers approximately 7.5 million. The Albanian language
17094-534: The larger number of possible shared innovations between Greek and Armenian, it appears reasonable to assume, at least tentatively, that Albanian was the first Balkan IE language to branch off. This split and the following ones were perhaps very close in time, allowing only a narrow time frame for shared innovations. Albanian represents one of the core languages of the Balkan Sprachbund . Glottolog and Ethnologue recognize four Albanian languages. They are classified as follows: The first attested written mention of
17248-465: The latter alphabets have now been forgotten and are unknown, even to the Albanians themselves. Albanian constitutes one of the eleven major branches of the Indo-European language family , within which it occupies an independent position. In 1854, Albanian was demonstrated to be an Indo-European language by the philologist Franz Bopp . Albanian was formerly compared by a few Indo-European linguists with Germanic and Balto-Slavic , all of which share
17402-470: The local economy, is responsible for soil pollution with heavy metals such as lead, zinc and cadmium , and air pollution with nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide . Vehicle traffic and district heating plants are also responsible for air pollution. Water treatment plants are being built, but much polluted water is still discharged untreated into the Vardar . Waste is disposed of in the open-air municipal landfill site, 15 km (9.3 mi) north of
17556-436: The main boulevards were built with highrise housing and shopping centres, and the suburbs were left to individual housing and industry. Reconstruction had to be quick to relocate families and to relaunch the local economy. To stimulate economic development, the number of thoroughfares was increased and future urban extension was anticipated. The south bank of the Vardar river generally comprises highrise tower blocks, including
17710-443: The main town of the district Tropoja , in the eastern part of the mountain range. Even the somewhat more distant, larger cities of Shkodra , Podgorica , Gjakova and Peja create their sphere of influence and are frequently visited by inhabitants of the highlands for errands, administrative procedures and market sales. In the mountains, villages only have up to a few hundred inhabitants. They are often scattered settlements without
17864-407: The name of the city in Albanian , developed directly from Roman-era Scupi in agreement with the Albanian phonological development, the basis of evidence of an earlier Albanian settlement in the area. Shkupi is the definite form of Shkup in Albanian. Skopje , the name of the city during the Middle Ages, is the local Slavic (Macedonian) rendition of Scupi . The Ottoman Turkish rendition of
18018-429: The names for fish and for agricultural activities (such as ploughing ) are borrowed from other languages. A deeper analysis of the vocabulary, however, shows that could be a consequence of a prolonged Latin domination of the coastal and plain areas of the country, rather than evidence of the original environment in which the Albanian language was formed. For example, the word for 'fish' is borrowed from Latin, but not
18172-402: The newly formed Kingdom of Yugoslavia as the capital of Vardarska Banovina . In World War II , the city was again captured by Bulgaria and in 1945 became the capital of SR Macedonia , a federated state within Yugoslavia . The city developed rapidly, but this was interrupted in 1963 when it was hit by a disastrous earthquake . Skopje is on the upper course of the Vardar River and is on
18326-401: The north and Tosk spoken to the south of the Shkumbin river . Their characteristics in the treatment of both native words and loanwords provide evidence that the split into the northern and the southern dialects occurred after Christianisation of the region (4th century AD), and most likely not later than the 6th century AD, hence possibly occupying roughly their present area divided by
18480-400: The north bank, where the most ancient parts of the city lie, the Old Bazaar was restored and its surroundings were rebuilt with low-rise buildings, so as not to spoil views of the Skopje Fortress . Several institutions, including the university and the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, were also relocated to the north bank to reduce borders between the ethnic communities. The north bank
18634-437: The northeastern one. In the western and central parts of the range the composition of the mountains is of mainly uniform with Mesozoic limestones and dolomites of the Jurassic and Cretaceous ages. In the eastern Accursed Mountains in addition to the limestone and dolomite series, there are rocks from the late Palaeozoic and Triassic periods, medium-Triassic volcanic rocks and Jurassic metamorphic rocks . The Kalktafel
18788-410: The number of people in Turkey with Albanian ancestry and or background upward to 5 million. However, the vast majority of this population is assimilated and no longer possesses fluency in the Albanian language, though a vibrant Albanian community maintains its distinct identity in Istanbul to this day. Egypt also lays claim to about 18,000 Albanians, mostly Tosk speakers. Many are descendants of
18942-435: The number of tourists rose from 300 to around 7,500 per year. Unlike in the rest of Albania, the increase was due to foreign tourists. Lakes such as Plav and Hrid also receive many tourists during the summer months. In many villages there are small hydroelectric power plants that supply the village with electricity. The 192 km Peaks of the Balkans Trail connects all three countries. Many villages were already settled by
19096-412: The only surviving representative of its own branch , which belongs to the Paleo-Balkan group . Although it is still uncertain which ancient mentioned language of the Balkans it continues, or where in the region its speakers lived. In general, there is insufficient evidence to connect Albanian with one of those languages, whether Illyrian , Thracian , or Dacian . Among these possibilities, Illyrian
19250-516: The population, especially to children and the elderly. The city's smog has reduced its air quality and affected the health of many of its citizens, many of whom have died from pollution-related illnesses. An application called AirCare ('MojVozduh') has been launched by local eco-activist Gorjan Jovanovski to help citizens track pollution levels. It uses a Traffic light system, with purple for heavily polluted air, red for high levels detected, amber for moderate levels detected, and green for when
19404-402: The porous structure of the subsoil. Large earthquakes occurred in Skopje in 518, 1555 and 1963. The Skopje valley belongs to the Vardar geotectonic region, the subsoil of which is formed of Neogene and Quaternary deposits. The substratum is made of Pliocene deposits including sandstone , marl , and various conglomerates. It is covered by a first layer of Quaternary sands and silt, which
19558-451: The premium attraction for the town. Peaks over 2,600 m (8,530 ft) Peaks over 2,500 m (8,202 ft) Peaks over 2,400 m (7,874 ft) Peaks under 2,400 m (7,874 ft) The Accursed Mountains are on the whole the wettest area of Europe. In the village of Boga in the valley, precipitation is 3,033 millimetres (119.4 in) per year, and otherwise 2,000 to 2,500 millimetres (79 to 98 in) per year
19712-416: The region as sheep herders. Names of various Albanian tribes ( Hoti , Gruda , Kelmendi , Kastrati , Dukagjini , Shkreli , Shala , Nikaj , Krasniqi , Gashi , Kuci and Rugova) refer to their geographical locations within the range. On the Montenegrin side of this mountain range, on the rock wall of the summit Koplje, there's a rock climbing route which is the most difficult in this region. The route
19866-404: The risks, and since the construction of the Kozjak dam on the Treska in 1994, the flood risk is close to zero. The subsoil contains a large water table which is alimented by the Vardar river and functions as an underground river. Under the table lies an aquifer contained in marl . The water table is 4 to 12 m under the ground and 4 to 144 m deep. Several wells collect its waters but most of
20020-422: The short growing season, UV radiation, cold and thin soils. The flora in the rocky areas of the Accursed Mountains are particularly noteworthy, because they are rare rich and endemic species, including the Tertiary relic Amphoricarpos neumayeri . Many species of flora are either endemic or are mainly found in the Accursed Mountains. A plantain plant Plantaginaceae is found in the central Accursed Mountains as
20174-424: The source elevation of the Qafa e Predelecit after Vermosh, followed by another border crossing, ending at Gusinje. As of 2015 the SH20 stretch between Hani Hotit and Tamare has been paved and upgraded to European standards. From west to east, there is only the SH21 road recently paved from Koplik to Boga. The road from Qafa Thores leading to Theth has been recently paved with crash barriers and guard rails added, but
20328-435: The source of the White Drin in Radavc to the mouth of the Drin near Lezha , it is 335 km (208 mi) long. However, not all of the Drin flows near or parallel to the Accursed Mountains. One Drin tributary is the Valbona , which drains into the Adriatic Sea , and its eastern tributary the Gashi River. To the west of the mountains is the Cem , which drains the northwestern part of the Montenegrin-Albanian border area to
20482-456: The south bank, and only 14 m (151 sq ft) in Čair on the north bank. In Šuto Orizari , the average was at 13 m (140 sq ft). Outside of the urban area, the City of Skopje encompasses many small settlements. Some of them are becoming outer suburbs, such as Čento , on the road to Belgrade, which has more than 23,000 inhabitants, and Dračevo , which has almost 20,000 inhabitants. Other large settlements are north of
20636-405: The southernmost part of the Dinaric Alps , stretch more than 60 kilometres (40 mi) from Lake Skadar along the Montenegrin–Albanian border in the southwest to Kosovo in the northeast. These points are at 42°45' and 42°15' N in the Mediterranean zone of the western Balkans . The southern boundary of the Accursed Mountains is at the river Drin and its tributary Valbona . In a broader sense,
20790-425: The southwestern and western lake shore. The lake is 295 m (968 ft) long, 110 m (360 ft) wide and about 5 m (16 ft) deep on average. In addition to precipitation, it receives water from sources near its shores. The largest lake is Lake Plav in Montenegro. The lake lies at an altitude of 906 m (2,972 ft) above sea level in the Plav valley, nestled between the Accursed Mountains and
20944-431: The summit. Many explorers and scientists have visited the Accursed Mountains, collecting rocks and samples to display in museums. Before any of these expeditions, the highest peak of the range was believed to be Shkëlzen at 2,407 m (7,897 ft) high, followed by Maja Radohimës at 2,570 m (8,432 ft). By early summer 1929 all the summits were measured by Italian geodetes. There are three national parks in
21098-406: The temperatures range from 15 to 24 °C (59 to 75 °F). In winter, the day temperatures are roughly in the range from 5–10 °C (41–50 °F), but at nights they often fall below 0 °C (32 °F) and sometimes below −10 °C (14 °F). Typically, temperatures throughout one year range from −13 °C to 39 °C. Occurrences of precipitation are evenly distributed throughout
21252-478: The time that the Albanian language was formed are uncertain. The American linguist Eric Hamp has said that during an unknown chronological period a pre-Albanian population (termed as "Albanoid" by Hamp) inhabited areas stretching from Poland to the southwestern Balkans. Further analysis has suggested that it was in a mountainous region rather than on a plain or seacoast. The words for plants and animals characteristic of mountainous regions are entirely original, but
21406-405: The time, and used as a synonym for the Albanian language. Published in Rome in 1635, by the Albanian bishop and writer Frang Bardhi, the first dictionary of the Albanian language was titled Latin : Dictionarium latino-epiroticum ' Latin-Epirotan dictionary ' . During the five-century period of the Ottoman presence in Albania , the language was not officially recognised until 1909, when
21560-410: The treatment of the native words and loanwords from other languages are evidence that the dialectal split preceded the Slavic migrations to the Balkans , which means that in that period (the 5th to 6th centuries AD), Albanians were occupying nearly the same area around the Shkumbin river, which straddled the Jireček Line . References to the existence of Albanian as a distinct language survive from
21714-406: The two main Roma neighbourhoods. They are made of many illegal constructions not connected to electricity and water supply, which are passed from one generation to another. Topaana, close to the Old Bazaar , is a very old area: it was first mentioned as a Roma neighbourhood in the beginning of the 14th century. It has between 3,000 and 5,000 inhabitants. Šuto Orizari, on the northern edge of the city,
21868-423: The vast Karpoš neighbourhood which was built in the 1970s west of the centre. Towards the East, the new municipality of Aerodrom was planned in the 1980s to house 80,000 inhabitants on the site of the old airport. Between Karpoš and Aerodrom lies the city centre, rebuilt according to plans by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange . The centre is surrounded by a row of long buildings suggesting a wall ("Gradski Zid"). On
22022-421: The word for 'gills' which is native. Indigenous are also the words for 'ship', 'raft', 'navigation', 'sea shelves' and a few names of fish kinds, but not the words for 'sail', 'row' and 'harbor'; objects pertaining to navigation itself and a large part of sea fauna. This rather shows that Proto-Albanians were pushed away from coastal areas in early times (probably after the Latin conquest of the region) and thus lost
22176-415: The writers from northern Albania and under the influence of the Catholic Church used Latin letters, those in southern Albania and under the influence of the Greek Orthodox church used Greek letters, while others throughout Albania and under the influence of Islam used Arabic letters. There were initial attempts to create an original Albanian alphabet during the 1750–1850 period. These attempts intensified after
22330-491: The year, being heaviest from October to December, and from April to June. The City of Skopje encompasses various natural environments and its fauna and flora are rich. However, it is threatened by the intensification of agriculture and urban extension. The largest protected area within the city limits is Mount Vodno, which is a popular leisure destination. A cable car connects its peak to the downtown, and many pedestrian paths run through its woods. Other large natural spots include
22484-641: The year-round population dwindles as the terrain becomes less accessible, there are few state or local government employees such as teachers. Local income comes from agriculture, semi-illegal forestry and tourism. In a few places like Theth tourism has been revitalized by recreational hiking. With the help of GTZ , 40 private houses (also referred to as guest houses, or han in Albanian) have been transformed into tourist accommodations or B&Bs. In 2010 there were 130 beds available in total – 100 more than in 2007. Additionally, hiking trails have been marked and trails maps and travel guides published. From 2006 to 2009,
22638-537: Was adopted by the municipal authorities to give the city a more monumental and historical aspect, and thus to transform it into a proper national capital. Several neoclassical buildings destroyed in the 1963 earthquake were rebuilt, including the national theatre, and streets and squares were refurbished. Many other elements were also built, including fountains, statues, hotels, government buildings and bridges. The project has been criticized because of its cost and its historicist aesthetics. The large Albanian minority felt it
22792-409: Was closely related to Illyrian and Messapic . The Indo-European subfamily that gave rise to Albanian is called Albanoid in reference to a specific ethnolinguistically pertinent and historically compact language group. Whether descendants or sisters of what was called ' Illyrian ' by classical sources, Albanian and Messapic , on the basis of shared features and innovations, are grouped together in
22946-420: Was created in 2022, merging the former Theth National Park , Valbona Valley National Park and Gashi River Strict Nature Reserve, totaling a massive coverage area of 86,000 ha (330 sq mi). Theth National Park was designated in 1966 and covered area of 2,630 ha (10.2 sq mi) along the Thethi River. The main attraction in the park is the Grunas Waterfall. The Valbona Valley National Park
23100-424: Was designated in 1996 and covered 8,000 ha (31 sq mi), including the Valbona Valley and the Valbona River . The Montenegrin part of the mountain range was declared Prokletije National Park in 2009, comprising an area of 16,000 ha (62 sq mi). The Bjeshkët e Nemuna National Park on the Kosovar side was established in 2012 with an area of 50,000 ha (190 sq mi), covering
23254-465: Was not represented in the new monuments, and launched side projects, including a new square over the boulevard that separates the city centre from the Old Bazaar . Skopje is an ethnically diverse city, and its urban sociology primarily depends on ethnic and religious affiliation. Macedonians form 66% of the city population, while Albanians and Roma account respectively for 20% and 6%. Each ethnic group generally restricts itself to certain areas of
23408-455: Was the first site to be settled in Skopje. The earliest vestiges of human occupation found on this site date from the Chalcolithic ( 4th millennium BC ). Although the Chalcolithic settlement must have been of some significance, it declined during the Bronze Age . Archeological research suggests that the settlement always belonged to the same culture, which progressively evolved due to contacts with Balkan and Danube cultures, and later with
23562-600: Was used to reconstruct the positions of former glaciers. The longest glacier of Ropojana had a length of 12.5 kilometres (7.8 mi) and a surface area of 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi); others include Valbona glacier at 9.5 kilometres (5.9 mi) and 10.5 square kilometres (4.1 sq mi), Grbaja Glacier at 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) and 6.7 square kilometres (2.6 sq mi) and Bogićevića Glacier at 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) and6.9 square kilometres (2.7 sq mi). In addition, there are about 20 small lakes of glacial origin as described above, including
23716-453: Was written in 1693; it was the Italian manuscript Pratichae Schrivaneschae authored by the Montenegrin sea captain Julije Balović and includes a multilingual dictionary of hundreds of the most frequently used words in everyday life in Italian, Slavic, Greek, Albanian, and Turkish . Pre-Indo-European (PreIE) sites are found throughout the territory of Albania. Such PreIE sites existed in Maliq , Vashtëmi , Burimas , Barç , Dërsnik in
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