 |
| Flag Description: red with a black two-headed eagle in the center; the design is claimed to be that of 15th-century hero Georgi Kastrioti SKANDERBEG, who led a successful uprising against the Ottoman Turks that resulted in a short-lived independence for some Albanian regions (1443-78); an unsubstantiated explanation for the eagle symbol is the tradition that Albanians see themselves as descendants of the eagle; they refer to themselves as "Shqiptare," which translates as "sons of the eagle" Source: World Factbook |
History & Background of Albania
Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939 and occupied by Germany in 1943. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of isolated communist rule and
established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents.
Albania has made progress in its democratic development since it first held multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. Most of Albania's post-communist elections were marred by claims of electoral fraud; however, international observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and in June 2014 became an EU candidate. Albania in April 2017 received a European Commission recommendation to open EU accession negotiations following the passage of historic EU-mandated justice reforms in 2016. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, it has slowed, and the country is still one of the poorest in Europe. A large informal economy and a weak energy and transportation infrastructure remain obstacles. Source: World Factbook
established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents.
Albania has made progress in its democratic development since it first held multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. Most of Albania's post-communist elections were marred by claims of electoral fraud; however, international observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and in June 2014 became an EU candidate. Albania in April 2017 received a European Commission recommendation to open EU accession negotiations following the passage of historic EU-mandated justice reforms in 2016. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, it has slowed, and the country is still one of the poorest in Europe. A large informal economy and a weak energy and transportation infrastructure remain obstacles. Source: World Factbook
| People & Society | |
|---|---|
| Currency | Lek |
| Languages | Albanian 98.8% (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek 0.5%, other 0.6% (including Macedonian, Romani, Vlach, Turkish, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian), unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.) |
| Population | 3,057,220 (July 2018 est.) |
| Time Zone | UTC+1 (CET- Central European Time) UTC+2 (CEST- Central European Summer Time) |
| Dialing Code | +355 |
| Religion | Muslim 56.7% Roman Catholic 10% Orthodox 6.8% Atheist 2.5% Bektashi (a Sufi order) 2.1% Other 5.7% Unspecified 16.2% (2011 est.) note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice |
| Nationality | Albanian |
| Ethnicity | Albanian 82.6% Greek 0.9% Other 1% (including Vlach, Romani, Macedonian, Montenegrin, and Egyptian) Unspecified 15.5% (2011 est.) |
| Country Known For | Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu aka Mother Teresa |
| Current Time | |
| Current Date | |
| Government | |
| Country Name | Republic of Albania |
| Official Language | Albanian |
| Capital | Tirana |
| Government Type | parliamentary republic |
| Political Parties No. | Democratic Party or PD [Lulzim BASHA] Party for Justice, Integration and Unity or PDIU [Shpetim IDRIZI] (formerly part of APMI) Social Democratic Party or PSD [Paskal MILO] Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI [Monika KRYEMADHI] Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA] |
| Administrative divisions | 12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Berat, Diber, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Korce, Kukes, Lezhe, Shkoder, Tirane, Vlore |
| Independence | 28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire) |
| National Holiday | Independence Day, 28 November (1912), also known as Flag Day |
| Official Website | http://www.kryeministria.al/ |
| Geography | |
| Location | Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece to the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north |
| Total Area | 28,748 sq km |
| Climate | mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter |
| Neighboring Countries | Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo |
| Natural Resources | petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower, arable land |
| Capital | Tirana |
| Main Cities | Tirana, Durrës, Vlorë, Elbasan, Shkodër |
| Water | 1,350 sq km |
| Highest Point | Mount Korab 2,764 m (9,068 ft) |
| Lowest Point | Adriatic Sea 0 m (0 ft) |
| Map Reference | Europe |
| Military & Security | |
| Armed Forces |  Albanian General Staff Albanian Air Force Albanian Land Force Albanian Naval Force Military Police Support Command |
| Headquarter | Tirana, Albania |
| Active Personnel | 8,500 |
| Budget | $201.5 million |
| Economy | |
| Import | $4.103 billion (2017 est.) $3.67 billion (2016 est.) |
| Export | $900.7 million (2017 est.) $789.1 million (2016 est.) |
| Industries | food; footwear, apparel and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower |
| Agriculture | wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, olives and olive oil, grapes; meat, dairy products; sheep and goats |
| Labor Force | 1.198 million (2017 est.) |
| Major Trading Partners | Italy, China, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Switzerland and Russia |
| GDP | $36.01 billion (2017 est.) $34.67 billion (2016 est.) $33.55 billion (2015 est.) |
| Communication | |
| Telephone Main Lines | 247,010 |
| Mobile Cellular | 3,497,950 |
| Internet TLD | .al |
| Internet Users | 2,016,516 |
| Broadcast Media | Albania has more than 65 TV stations, including several that broadcast nationally; Albanian TV broadcasts are also available to Albanian-speaking populations in neighboring countries; many viewers have access to Italian and Greek TV broadcasts via terrestrial reception; Albania's TV stations have begun a government-mandated conversion from analog to digital broadcast; the government has pledged to provide analog-to-digital converters to low-income families affected by this decision; cable TV service is available; 2 public radio networks and roughly 78 private radio stations; several international broadcasters are available (2019) |
| Transportation | |
| Railways | 677 km (447 km of major railway lines and 230 km of secondary lines) (2015) |
| Helicopters | 1 (2013) |
| Airports | 4 (2016) |
| Roadways | 3,945 km (2018) |
| Education | |
| Universities No. | 30 |
| Literacy Rate | literacy rate in Albania was 98.7%; the male literacy rate was 99.2% and female literacy rate was 98.3%. (2015) |
| Energy | |
| Electricity Production | 7.138 billion kWh (2016 est.) |
| Population without Electricity | 0% |
| Crude Oil Production | 14,000 bbl/day (2018 est.) |
| Natural gas production | 50.97 million cu m (2017 est.) |
| Refined Petrolium production | 5,638 bbl/day (2015 est.) |
| Travel & Tourism | |
| Travellers per year | 3.8 million |
| Driving Side | Right |
| Tourism Spots | Berat, Albanian Riviera, Apollonia, Durres, Gjirokastra, Kruja, Tirana, Shkodra |
| National Things | |
| National Day | 28 November |
| National Sport | Football |
| National Food | Tavë Kosi (amb, rice, and yoghurt sauce) |
| National Dress | Fustanella: traditional skirt-like garment worn by men. Tirq: long pants worn by men. Brekusha: for men and women. Xhubleta: Only worn by women. |
| National Color | Red and black |
| National Language | Albanian |
