Lake Skadar is the largest lake in the Balkan district, situated at the southern end of the Dinaric Alps on the border of Montenegro and Albania. It lies about 100 km to the southeast of the famous scenic town of Dubrovnik on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. To the southwest of the lake rise high mountains, while to the northeast stretches a wide swamp. There are many islands in the western part of the lake and a number of spots where ground water spouts up from the bottom (Okos). The lake is considered to have been formed by dissolution of limestone in a tectonic basin during the Tertiary or Quarternary period. It is a shallow lake with 8 m maximum depth and 5 m mean depth.

The Moraca River, which is the largest inflowing stream with cold water heavily loaded with suspended solids, has a great influence upon the transparency and water quality of this lake. The Bojana River flows out from the south end and drains into the Adriatic Sea. The phosphate concentration in the lake water is low, and the low transparency is attributed to the large amount of suspended solids in the inflowing water. The lake is rich in fish and waterfowl fauna.