Koplik

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Koplik is a town of around 5,000-7,000 inhabitants, the capital of the Malësi e Madhe (Great Highlands) district in the northwestern tip of Albania. It is situated north of the city of Shkodra.

During the Ottoman occupation the inhabitants of the town converted to Islam, although the rural population in Malesia e Madhe continued to be mainly Catholic. The communist regime put heavy restrictions on mobility but after the fall of communism in 1991, Koplik town experienced a great influx of new settlers from the countryside. This has led to the construction of the city's first Catholic Church since 17-18th century when the conversion to Islam began.

During the embargo against Yugoslavia during the wars there, Koplik benefited from contraband over the Shkodra lake to Montenegro. After the fall of the pyramid schemes in 1997, Koplik, like most smaller towns in Albania has stayed in economic stagnation and most of the people between the ages fifteen and fifty has left the town to seek work elsewhere. The inhabitants see the future outside the country, out west, where they can find jobs and send money back home to support their elders.

Although Koplik itself does not have much to offer, the Shkodra lake and the mountainous areas of the Malsia e madhe are beautiful recreational areas. Roads are poor, but the 3 hour drive to Vermosh is worth it, due to the natural splendor of this region.

The football (soccer) city club is KS Veleçiku Koplik.