The Mat River originates from Kaptina e Martanesh. It has a length of 144 km, and a catchment area of about 2,441 km2 and an average height of the basin of about 746 m. Its main branches are Fani and Uraka. The multi-year average discharge of the Mat River into the sea is 103 m3/sec, with a runoff coefficient for the entire watershed of 0.80. Underground nourishment represents 30% of the annual runoff and surface nourishment (from rain and snow) 70%. The volume of suspended alluvium is over 2 million tons, while the module of suspended alluvium is 828 tons/km2 per year.
Two large HPPs have been built on the Mat River; Ulza and Shkopeti, while a HPP was also built in Kačinar on the Fan branch. There are many small HPPs as well.
In Shkopet, the river passes through a narrow gorge through the mountain range that separates the district of Mati from the coastal plains. It enters the plains between Milot and Zejmen, also serving as a dividing line between Kurbin and Lezha.
The entire Mati valley is shaded by the river, but especially the upper part of the basin (Klos-Martanesh, Klos-Xiber, Uraka) and the Shkopet gorge are also wonderful from the river.
Various discoveries show that the Mat River was once navigable in its lower reaches.
