In its natural state it is characterized by
low scrub vegetation, varying from barren to dense. There are large
areas of marshland and other areas of bare eroded badlands. Where
elevations rise slightly and precipitation is regular--in the foothills
of the central uplands, for example--the land is excellent. Marginal
land is being reclaimed wherever irrigation is possible.

The land itself is of recent geological origin. It has been, and is
being, created by sediments from the many torrents that erode the
interior mountains. New alluvial deposits tend to be gravelly, without
humus, and require many years before sufficient vegetation to make them
fertile can be established. The sedimentation process, moreover, raises
river channels above the level of the nearby terrain. Channels change
frequently, devastating areas that have not been stabilized and creating
marshes in others by blocking off the drainage. Road builders are
confronted with difficult and constantly changing conditions.

Rainfall is heavy during the winter and is infrequent to nonexistent
during nearly half the year. Mosquitoes thrive in the hot, humid, and
marshy land. Only since about 1930 have there been effective measures to
control malaria. Before then no extensive working of areas near the
marshes could be seriously considered. For these reasons the coastal
zone, in addition to supporting few people, has until relatively
recently acted as a barrier, hindering, rather than encouraging, contact
with the interior.

Coastal hills descend abruptly to Ionian Sea beaches along the Albanian
Riviera from Vlore Bay southward to about Sarande. The 500- and
1,000-foot contour lines are within a mile or so of the water along
nearly the entire distance. In the northern portion a 4,000-foot ridge
is frequently only two to three miles inland. South of Sarande is
another small area of coastal lowlands fronting on the Ionian Sea and
separated from the Greek island of Corfu (Kerkira) by a mile-wide
channel. Climate and soil conditions permit the cultivation of citrus
fruits in this southernmost area of Albania.

Central Uplands

The central uplands region extends south from the Drin River valley,
which marks the southern boundary of the North Albanian Alpine area, to
the southern mountains. It is an area of generally lower mountain
terrain immediately east of the lowlands. In the north, from the Drin
River to the vicinity of Elbasan, it constitutes an area about