Description

Delvinë is a town and a municipality in Vlorë County, southern Albania, 16 kilometers (10 miles) northeast of Saranda. It was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Delvinë and Vergo, that became municipal units. The seat of the municipality is the town Delvinë. The total population is 7,598 (2011 census), in a total area of 183.01 square kilometers (70.66 square miles). The population of the former municipality at the 2011 census was 5,754.

The town is built on a mountain slope. It has a mosque, a Catholic church, a Protestant church, and an Orthodox church. Nearby are the remainders of a medieval castle. To the south west of the city is the site of ancient Phoenice, which was declared an Archaeological Park in 2005.

There is little local employment apart from that provided by the State, and Delvinë benefits little from the tourist boom in Saranda.

The town has a mixed population of Albanians and Greeks. According to the Human Rights Watch, Greeks constituted 50% of the town’s population in 1989, but this fell to 25% in 1999.