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The Republic of Albania, or Albania (Albanian: Shqipëria, meaning Land of the Eagles), is a country in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro in the north, Serbia in the north-east, the Republic of Macedonia in the east, and Greece in the south, has a coast on the Adriatic Sea in the west, and a coast on the Ionian Sea in the southwest.
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| National motto: None | |||||
| Official language | Albanian | ||||
| Capital | Tirana | ||||
| President | Alfred Moisiu | ||||
| Prime Minister | Fatos Nano | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 139th 28,748 km² 4.7% | ||||
| Population | Ranked 126th
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| Independence - Date | From the Ottoman Empire November 28, 1912 | ||||
| Currency | Lek | ||||
| Time zone | UTC +2 | ||||
| National anthem | Hymni i Flamurit | ||||
| Internet TLD | .AL | ||||
| Calling Code | 355 | ||||
Main article: History of Albania
Illyrians arise as a people speaking an Indo-European language around 1000 BC. Their culture is influenced by the Greek culture, Albania being also the site of several Greek colonies. After being conquered by a number of nations, it became a part of the Ottoman Empire in 1478.
After the First Balkan War, Albania declared independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912. The country was ruled by king Zog I until 1937 when it was occupied by Italy. The communists took over in 1945, under the leader of the resistence, Enver Hoxha. From 1945 until 1990 Albania had one of the most repressive governments in Europe.
Until 1990, five years after the death of Hoxha, Albania was an extremely isolationist communist state, with little contact even with the other communist states. Between 1990 and 1992 Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven difficult as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks with links to high government officials, and disruptive political opponents.
Main article: Politics of Albania
Head of state is the president, which is elected by the Kuvendi Popullor, or People's Assembly. The main part of the Assembly's 155 members are elected by the Albanians in elections every 5 years. The president is assisted by a council of ministers, which is appointed by the president.
Main articles: Districts of Albania and Counties of Albania
Albania is divided into 36 districts called rrethe. Several districts are then grouped into a county or prefecture called qark, of which there are 12. The capital city, Tiranë, has a special status. The districts are:
See also: List of cities in Albania (Note: some cities have the same name as the district they are in).
Main article: Geography of Albania
Albania consists of mostly hilly and mountainous terrain, the highest mountain reaching up to 2,753 m. The country mostly has a land climate, with cold winters and hot summers.
Besides capital city Tirana, with 520,000 inhabitants, the principal cities are Durrës, Elbasan, Shkodër, Gjirokastër, Vlorë and Korçë.
Main article: Economy of Albania
Albania is one of Europe's poorest countries, with half of the economically-active population still engaged in agriculture and a fifth said to be working abroad. The country has to deal with a high unemployment rate, corruption up to high government levels and organised crime.
Albania is aided financially from abroad, notably by Greece and Italy.
The country exports nearly nothing and imports a lot from Greece and Italy. The money for imports comes from the financial aid and from the money that refugees working abroad bring to Albania. This is a good status-quo business for both Greece and Italy. The Greek government also makes money by unofficially selling visas to Albanian citizens, who are not allowed to travel freely abroad. For this reason both countries have several visa consulates in major cities of Albania, and oppose indirectly every possibility of free movement from Albanian citizens in EU.
Main article: Demographics of Albania
Most of the population is Albanian (95% 1989 est.), but there is a sizeable Greek minority (3% 1989 est.). Many ethnic Albanians also live in bordering Kosovo. The language is Albanian, although some Greek is also spoken.
Since the occupation by the Ottomans, the majority of Albanians have been Muslim (70%), even though religion was prohibited during the communist era. The Eastern Orthodox (20%) and Catholic Church (10%) are the other main religions in Albania.
Main article: Culture of Albania
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