Malzi

Malzi
Municipal unit
Malzi
Coordinates: 42°6′N 20°17′E
Country	Albania
County	Kukës
Municipality	Kukës
Population  (2023)
• Municipal unit	1,616
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal Code	8512

Malzi (Albanian definite form: Malziu) is a former municipality in Kukës County, Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Kukës.[1] The population at the 2023 census was 1,616.[2]

The municipal unit consists of the following villages:

• Çam
• Dukagjin
• Gdheshtë
• Kalimash
• Kryemadh
• Mgullë
• Petkaj
• Pistë
• Shëmri
• Shikaj
• Shtanë
• Spas

The region is mentioned by Albanologist Robert Elsie in a 2015 book by him as one of the 69 different tribes in northern Albania.[3]

Etymology

The name of the region dates back to 1444 and is mentioned several times over the centuries. The most accepted theory is that the region was named Malzi (Albanian for Black Mountain) because of the black pined mountain forests of the region.

References

1. "Law nr. 115/2014" (PDF) (in Albanian). p. 6373. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
2. "Population and Housing Census, Kukës 2023" (PDF). INSTAT. p. 107. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
3. Elsie 2015, pp. 286–287

Sources

• Elsie, Robert (2015). The Tribes of Albania: History, Society and Culture. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-0-85773-932-2.