44
Buene** 27 623

* Within Albania only.
** Includes Lake Scutari.
Source: Adapted from Athanas Gegaj and Rexhep Krasniqi, _Albania_,
New York, 1964, p. 8.

The sediment carried by the mountain torrents continues to be deposited
but, having created the lowlands, new deposits delay their exploitation.
Stream channels rise as silt is deposited in them and eventually become
higher than the surrounding terrain. Changing channels frustrate
development in many areas. Old channels become barriers to proper
drainage and create swamps or marshlands. It has been difficult to build
roads or railroads across the lowlands or to use the land.

Irrigation has been accomplished ingeniously by Albanian peasants for
many years, to the degree that they and their expertise have been sought
after throughout Europe. Projects required to irrigate or to reclaim
large areas of the lowlands, however, are on a scale that probably
cannot be accomplished without financial assistance from outside the
country.

Although water is available in quantities adequate for irrigation and it
has the amount of fall necessary for hydroelectric power production,
terrain and seasonal factors are such that major capital investment
would be required for both irrigation and power projects. Snow
stabilizes drainage of the higher northern and eastern mountains but,
unfortunately, the only major snow accumulations are in the Drin basin,
influencing only the one river system.

NATURAL RESOURCES

Soils

Soil resources are small. Arable land figures notwithstanding, good
agricultural land amounts to only about 5 percent of the country's area.
Soils over limestone are thin or altogether lacking. Serpentine rock
erodes slowly and produces clays of little agricultural value. The
softer rocks of the intermediate mountains crumble easily into course
and infertile sands and gravels that take many years to acquire humus.
The alluvial soil of the lowland plains, therefore, tends to be sterile
in addition to receiving its precipitation seasonally and being poorly
drained. There is little land along the narrow valley floors. The best
soils, those within the inland basins, are excellent. The narrow margin
of slightly elevated land between the coastal plains and the mountains
also provides excellent arable fields.

Vegetation

Western sources have estimated that, in 1969, 11 percent of the land
area was arable, of which nea