Saranda or
Sarandë (,
Agioi Saranda, ) is a town and municipality in
Vlorë County, southern
Albania. It is one of the most important tourist attractions of the
Albanian Riviera. It is situated on an open sea gulf of the
Ionian Sea in the central
Mediterranean, about east of the north end of the
Greek island of
Corfu. The present municipality was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities
Ksamil and Sarandë, that became municipal units. The seat of the municipality is the town Sarandë. The total population is 20,227 (2011 census), in a total area of 58.96 km
2. The population of the former municipality at the 2011 census was 17,233, however the population according to the civil offices is 41,173 (2013 estimate). Near Sarandë are the remains of the ancient city of
Butrint, a
UNESCO World Heritage site. Sarandë has a Greek minority and is considered one of the two centers of the
Greek community in Albania.