largest lake in the Balkans, on the frontier between Montenegro and Albania. Its area is 150 square miles (390 square km), but it reaches 205 square miles (530 square km) at its seasonal high water. The lake was formerly an arm of the Adriatic Sea. On its west and northwest are steep mountains; its eastern side has a surrounding plain and marshland extending to Podgorica in the north. Six rivers flow into the lake, of which the principal is the Morača. The Bojana River flows out at the lake's southern end to the Adriatic. Around the lakeshore are many small villages that are noted for their old monasteries and fortresses. The Albanian town of Shkodër (Skadar) is at the southern end of the lake.