Pogradec is a city in southeastern Albania, situated on the shores of Ohrid lake. It is the capital of the District of Pogradec, in the County of Korçë, with a population of around 30,000 (2005 est). The total area of the district is 725 km².

Pogradec alone occupies about 15 km². This city is surrounded by hills on the southern and western side. The lake is in the eastern and northern side of the city. The highway linking to Tirana, Elbasan and Korçë passes through the city. It is located SE of Elbasan, SW of Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia, N of Korçë and NW of Florina in Greece.

The name of the town is Slavic in origin and means literally "Under the little town". This is a reference to the former Illyrian settlement, situated on a hill above Pogradec. It was known as Istarova or Istarye during Ottoman rule and was bounded to as kaza center in Görice Sanjak of Manastir Vilayet before Balkan Wars.