Malissori tribesmen

Malësia or Malcía is a historical and ethnographic region in northern Albania, consisting of the Malësi e Madhe District. It is made up of five mountains (Albanian: Pesë Male), and seven Roman Catholic Clans (Albanian: 7 Fise). The tribes are known as Malësor.

Malësia e Madhe is the region's official name (or, in Gheg dialect, Malcía, pronounced Malsia) which may be translated as "Greater Highlands." In the Middle Ages, the region was recorded as Pultí, though the earliest extant source in which the name "Malësia" is mentioned dates back to 1400 AD.

The highlands of Lake Scutari are known as Malësia e Shkodrës (Serbo-Croatian: Skadarska Malesija).

Malësia has a population of about 60,000 people and is mostly inhabited by ethnic Albanians.

The largest settlement in the area is the town of Tuzi, which has a population of about 4,000 people (over half of which are Albanians).

After the establishment of Albania as part of the Ottoman Empire, the Malësia people sided with the Montenegrins for many centuries to come, fighting the Ottomans. However, when the famous Albanian Nobles, called Bushati, ran northern Albania, the Malësia people gave up their alliance with the Montenegrins and allied with the Bushati as they were of Albanian blood and heritage, although officials of the Ottoman Empire. During the Ottoman occupation, Malësia people have had the most rights among many peoples of the Balkans. Most of the time they have refused to pay taxes, give soldiers to the Ottoman Army, and accept the laws of the Ottoman Empire.

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