Lake Ohrid (, , , ,
Liqeni i Pogradecit), straddles the mountainous border between southwestern
Macedonia and eastern
Albania. It is one of
Europe's deepest and oldest lakes, preserving a unique aquatic ecosystem that is of worldwide importance, with more than 200 endemic species. The importance of the lake was further emphasized when it was declared a
World Heritage Site by
UNESCO in 1979 and when, in 2010,
NASA decided to name one of
Titan's lakes after Lake Ohrid. In 2014, the Ohrid-
Prespa Transboundary Reserve between Albania and Macedonia was added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The towns situated at the lakeside are
Pogradec in Albania, along with
Ohrid and
Struga in Macedonia. The lake is otherwise
densely surrounded by settlements in the form of villages and resorts in both basin countries.