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Prespa is the name of two freshwater lakes in southeast Europe, shared by Greece, Albania, and the Republic of Macedonia. Of the total surface area, 190 km² belongs to the Republic of Macedonia, 84.8 km² to Greece and 38.8 km² to Albania. They are the highest tectonical lakes in the Balkans, standing at an altitude of 853 m (2,798 ft). Image File history File links Prespa_lakes_map. ... Image File history File links Prespa_lakes_map. ... Image File history File links Ohrid_prespa_nasa. ... Image File history File links Ohrid_prespa_nasa. ... A man-made lake in Keukenhof, Netherlands A lake is a body of water or other liquid of considerable size surrounded by land. ... The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe southeastern Europe (see the Definitions and boundaries section below). ... Anthem: (Macedonian for Today over Macedonia) Capital (and largest city) Skopje Macedonian, Albanian1 Government Parliamentary republic  - President Branko Crvenkovski  - Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski Independence from Yugoslavia   - Declared September 8, 1991  Area  - Total 25,333 km² (148th) 9,779 sq mi   - Water (%) 1. ... ... Balkan peninsula with northwest border Isonzo-Krka-Sava The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe a region of southeastern Europe. ... Altitude is the elevation of an object from a known level or datum. ...

The Great Prespa Lake (Macedonian: Преспанско Езеро Prespansko Ezero, Greek: Μεγάλη Πρέσπα Limni Megali Prespa, Albanian: Liqeni i Prespës) is divided between Albania, Greece and the Republic of Macedonia. The Small Prespa Lake (Greek: Μικρή Πρέσπα Limni Mikrá Prespa) is shared only between Greece (138 km² drainage area; 43.5 km² surface area) and Albania (51 km² drainage area; 3.9 km² surface area).

In the 10th century, the Bulgarian tsar Samuil built the fortress and church of St. Achillios on an island called Agios Achillios in the Small Prespa Lake, on the Greek side of the border. The biggest island in the Great Prespa Lake, on the Republic of Macedonia's side, is called Golem Grad ("Large Town"). It is substantially bigger than the other island Mal Grad (Small Town, in Albania) and is the site of a ruined 14th century monastery dedicated to St. Peter. Today, both islands are uninhabited. As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ... Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria (c. ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside-down, as shown in this painting by Caravaggio. ...

Because Great Prespa Lake sits about 150m above Lake Ohrid, which lies only about 10 km (6 miles) to the west, its waters run through underground channels in the karst and emerge from springs which feed streams running into Lake Ohrid. Lake Ohrid (Macedonian: Охридско Езеро, Ohridsko Ezero Albanian: Liqeni i Ohrit) straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern region of the Republic of Macedonia and eastern Albania. ... Karst topography occurs when a landscape is marked by underground drainage patterns. ... A natural spring on Mackinac Island in Michigan. ...

For many years, the Greek part of the Prespa Lakes region was an underpopulated, military sensitive area which required special permission for outsiders to visit. It saw fierce fighting during the Greek Civil War and much of the local population subsequently emigrated to escape endemic poverty and political strife. The region remained little developed until the 1970s, when it began to be promoted as a tourist destination. With an abundance of rare fauna and flora, the area was declared a Transnational Park in 2000. Combatants Hellenic Army, Royalist forces, Republicans, British troops Communist guerillas (ELAS, DSE) Commanders Alexander Papagos, Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos, James Van Fleet Markos Vafiadis Strength 100,000 men 20,000 men and women[] Casualties 12,777 killed 37,732 wounded 4,527 missing 38,000 killed[] 40,000 captured or surrendered The... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

The largest town in the Prespa Lakes region is Resen in the Republic of Macedonia. Resen (Macedonian: Ресен) is a city in Republic of Macedonia. ...

References

• "Prespa, Lake". Encyclopædia Britannica, 2005.
• "Prespa, Lake". The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2004.

External links

• Transboundary Prespa Park
• Map of the Prespa Lakes - Michelin
• Satellite images of the Prespa Lakes - Google Maps

Coordinates: 40°54′N 21°02′E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...