Small Prespa Lake | World's Largest Colony of the Dalmatian Pelican

Updated: Mar 6

Author

George Papadellis | SG Head

Small Prespa Lake (Μικρη Πρεσπα – Mikri Prespa in Greek) is the 2nd in size lake of the two Prespa Lakes (the other is the Great Prespa Lake), and it is shared between Greece (90,81% of the total surface) and Albania (9,19% of the total surface). The Society for the Protection of Prespa has been awarded for its significant work and efforts with the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award.

Photo by: iStock.com | dinosmichail

Limni Mikri Prespa is a very important wetland of Greece, which hosts mainly rare bird species, such as the Dalmatian Pelican, of which Prespa hosts the largest breeding colony on a global scale. But Small Prespa Lake (Λίμνη Μικρή Πρέσπα) is not only famous for its fauna species. The area around Mikri Prespa also hosts more than 1.500 plant species, attracting many naturalists, environmentalists and nature experts from around the world.

Photo by: Spyros Liokis, Megali Prespa (1), CC BY-SA 4.0

As you can see on the map below, Great Prespa Lake and Small Prespa Lake (Μικρη και Μεγαλη Πρεσπα) are very close to one another and they are not connected over the land. Small Prespa belongs mostly to Greece and Great Prespa belongs mostly to Albania, and they are close to the Lakes Ohrid (Albania), Kastoria (Greece) and Vegoritida (Greece).

Map by: Google

Small Prespa Lake hosts a small island that became a tourist and fishing centre somewhere in the decade of 1970, the Agios Achillios island, on which there is a marvellous cultural monument, the Basilica (Church) of Agios Achillios of Larissa, an example of Early Christian architecture during the Byzantine era.