Vlorë County
Vlorë County (Albanian: Qarku i Vlorës) is one of the 12 counties of Albania. The population at the 2011 census was 175,640, in an area of 2706 km². Its capital is the city Vlorë.
Names
The modern name for Vlorë is the Albanian form Vlorë or Vlora, pronounced [ˈvlɔɾə], while in the Gheg Albanian dialect it is known as Vlonë. Vlorë was created in antiquity as a Greek colony in the territory of Illyria. Its first name, still used today in Greece, is Aulón (Greek: Αυλών), which means valley and may have been a reinterpretation of a pre-Greek name. In early 20th century, Vlorë was referred to in English as Avlona or by the Italian name Valona. During the Ottoman era, the Turkish name Avlonya was also used.
History
In antiquity the region was inhabited by the Illyrian tribe of the Chaonians. The Ancient Greeks developed the town of Sarandë which they referred to as Onchesmos (or Anchiasmos) Onchesmos flourished as the port of the Chaonian capital of Phoenice (modern-day Finiq). Further north another Chaonian settlement was founded, Himarë, while the Corinthians found the colony of Aulon at the bay of Vlorë. Additional ancient settlements in the region included Thronium, Amantia, Oricum.
Vlorë
Vlorë is a coastal city and municipality in southern Albania. It is the second largest port city of Albania, after Durrës. It is where the Albanian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on November 28, 1912. Vlorë was briefly the capital of Albania.
Founded as an ancient Greek colony in the 6th century BC by the name of Aulon and continuously inhabited for about 26 centuries, Vlorë is home to the Port of Vlorë and University of Vlorë as the most important economical and cultural city of southwestern Albania.
The present municipality was formed by 2015 local government reform, which merged these former municipalities: Novoselë, Orikum, Qendër Vlorë, Shushicë and Vlorë; they became municipal units. The seat of the municipality is Vlorë. The total population is 104,827 (2011 census), in a total area of 616.85 km2. The population of the former municipality at the 2011 census was 79,621. The new municipality extends from Vjosë river delta near Novoselë up to Llogara Pass including the town of Orikum.
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