Bay of Grama

Bay of Grama
Bay of Grama
Location Southern Europe
Coordinates 40°12′56″N 19°28′24″E / 40.21556°N 19.47333°E / 40.21556; 19.47333Coordinates: 40°12′56″N 19°28′24″E / 40.21556°N 19.47333°E / 40.21556; 19.47333
Ocean/sea sources Ionian Sea, Mediterranean Sea
Basin countries Albania
Max. width ca. 100 m (330 ft)
Average depth ca. 200 m (660 ft)
Settlements Vlorë, Sarandë

The Bay of Grama (Albanian pronunciation: [ˈɟiːɾi i ˈgraːməs] — Albanian: Gjiri i Gramës) is a bay of the Ionian Sea situated along the Albanian Ionian Sea Coast on the Mediterranean Sea in Southern Europe. It is one of many bays of the western Ceraunian Mountains along the Albanian Riviera south of the Karaburun Peninsula.[1]

The bay is home to precious archaeological, historical and cultural values, as it served as an important harbour and shelter for the ones sailing along the coast during classical antiquity.[2] On the vertical cliffs and rocks, there are numerous carved ancient inscriptions from the Illyrians and Ancient Greeks; the name of the bay is closely associated with engraved inscriptions.[3]

Representing a rocky bay, the shore is dominated by coastal cliffs, sloping vertically into the sea, and rocky, pebbled beaches. It stretches within the Karaburun-Sazan Marine Park and was designated as a natural monument because of its outstanding landscape dotted with solutional and sea caves.[4] [5]

The precious landscapes of the bay are of global importance, because they contribute to the country's ecological balance and provide habitat for numerous globally threatened and endangered species. The sea caves are an exceptional ecosystem and give important refuge to the mediterranean monk seal, the rarest seal species in the world.[6][7]

A panoramic view above the Bay of Grama.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Agjencia Kombëtare e Zonave të Mbrojtura (AKZM). "Gjiri dhe shpella e Gramës". akzm.gov.al (in Albanian). Tirana.
  2. ↑ "THE FIRST MPA IN ALBANIA, SAZANI ISLAND – KARABURUNI PENINSULA, AS A REGIONAL PRIORITY CONSERVATION AREA FOR MARINE BIODIVERSITY" (PDF). zrsvn.si.
  3. ↑ Peter Lucas. The OSS in World War II Albania: Covert Operations and Collaboration with Communist Partisans. McFarland, 2017. p. 50. ISBN 9781476609430.
  4. ↑ "Management Plan for National Marine Park Karaburun-Sazan" (PDF). mcpa.iwlearn.org. p. 10.
  5. ↑ Instituti i Monumenteve të Kulturës (IMK). "LISTA E MONUMENTEVE TË KULTURËS - QARKU VLORË 2017" (PDF). imk.gov.al (in Albanian).
  6. ↑ Ministria e Mjedisit, Pyjeve dhe Administrimit të Ujrave. "Protected area gap assessment, marine biodiversity and legislation on marine protected areas" (PDF). undp.org. Tirana. p. 61.
  7. ↑ World Wide Fund for Nature. "Mediterranean Monk Seal One Of The Rarest Mammals In The World". wwf.panda.org/.
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