The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Albania’s capital Tirana and its surroundings.
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The area features a series of mountain ranges that run northwest to southeast, separated by wide valleys. In this image, captured in January 2025, some peaks are blanketed with snow.
Fertile plains covered by farmland stretch along the Adriatic coast. This is the most important agricultural and industrial region of the country — and the most densely populated.
Visible as a grey area in the centre of the image, Tirana lies at the end of a plain, enclosed on three sides by mountains and hills, about 27 km east of the Adriatic coast. It is the country’s largest city and main industrial centre.
There are a number of artificial lakes in and around the city, including lakes Tirana, Farka, Paskuqan, and Tapizes. Farka Lake is the emerald green water body southeast of Tirana. Visible as a dark green area to its west, the Grand Park of Tirana includes an artificial lake and many other landmarks, such as the Saint Procopius Church, the Presidential Palace, the zoo and the botanical garden.
Moving north, we can identify the u-shaped lake Paskuqan and Lake Tapizes next to the runways of Tirana International Airport.
Around 25 km east of Tirana is Mt Dajti National Park. Dotted with canyons, waterfalls, caves and lakes, it is home to a great diversity of ecosystems. Beech, oak and pine forests grow on the mountainside, while the higher slopes have little vegetation. Due to the panoramic view of Tirana and its plain, Mount Dajti is also referred to as the Balcony of Tirana.
The national park includes one of Tirana’s main water sources, Lake Bovilla, a 4.6 sq km reservoir, which appears as the largest emerald-green body of water in the image. Its water level varies during the year and can rise by 7–10 m during the rainy, winter months.
Other urban centres visible in this image are Durrës, Albania’s largest and most important port, and Kavajë, located on the coastal plain just south of the Bay of Durrës.