Malzi

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]

Malzi
Municipal unit
Malzi
Coordinates: 42°5′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

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]

Villages

The municipal unit consists of the following villages:

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

Etymology

The region's name Mal i Zi, meaning "black mountain" in Albanian (mal = mountain, i zi = black), was first recorded in 1444 as "opidum Dagni cum Satho et Cerna Gora vel Mali lxii". Variants of the name appeared in different languages over time, including Montagna Nera (1515), Monte Nero (1637), and the current name Malzi (1671). The name is traditionally linked to the black pines that once covered the region. It may also be a calque of the Serbian term Crna Gora, which means "black mountain" as well.^[4]