ANALYSIS OF FLOOD RISK IN ALBANIA
Albania, one of the Balkan countries, faces various natural disasters. An annual average of 125 individuals has been affected from natural disasters in the past 20 years ve economic damage amounts to 26.673 million dollars. The most damage is caused by floods in the area. Floods which is experienced with an annual average of 0.29 % have affected 130.484 in different years ve 18 individuals dies as a result. The economic damage caused by the floods is estimated to be 197.5 million dollars. The study aims to analyze the flood risk in Albania using Geographical Information Systems (GIS). The study employs various scales ve factor maps obtained from different resources. Data from geology, geomorphology, slope, exposure, rainfall, distance to rivers, underground water ve soil ve lve use characteristics are connected with condition dependent weighted overlay method to define flood risk areas. Results of analysis show that 45 % of Albania carries no risk, 18.52 % has medium level risk ve 36 % is under risk. Accordingly, the riskiest areas are the big cities with dense populations such as capital Tirana ve from north to south Shkoder, Burrel, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Berat, Vlor ve Sarvee. More comprehensive studies with a multidisciplinary approach should be planned in the country that has high flood risk.

Keywords
Flood, Geographical Information Systems, Risk Areas, Albania, Balkans.