Map of Albania | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: In 1990 Albania ended 44 years of xenophobic communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven difficult as corrupt governments have tried to deal with high unemployment a dilapidated infrastructure widespread gangsterism and disruptive political opponents. International observers judged local elections in 2000 to be acceptable and a step toward democratic development but serious deficiencies remain to be corrected before the the 2001 parliamentary elections.


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Location: Southeastern Europe bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea between Greece and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N 20 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 28,748 km²
Land: 27,398 km²
Water: 1,350 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 720 km
Border countries: (3) Greece 282 km; , The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 151 km; , Yugoslavia 287 km

Coastline: 362 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: mild temperate; cool cloudy wet winters; hot clear dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter

Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,753 m

Natural resources: petroleum natural gas coal chromium copper timber nickel hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 21%
Permanent crops: 5%
Permanent pastures: 15%
Forests and woodland: 38%
Other: 21% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 3,410 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; drought

Geography
Note: strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)


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Population: 3,510,484 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 0.88% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: 19.6% (1996 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Albanian
Adjective: Albanian

Ethnic groups
Note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from 1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)

Languages: Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect) Greek

Religions
Note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 29.53% (male 536,495; female 500,026)
15-64 years: 63.48% (male 1,073,351; female 1,155,115)
65 years and over: 6.99% (male 107,476; female 138,021) (2001 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.88% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 19.01 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 6.5 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -3.69 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.08 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.07 male/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male/female
Total population: 0.96 male/female (2001 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 39.99 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.83 years
Male: 69.01 years
Female: 74.87 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.32 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: less than 100 (2000 est.)
Deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 9 and over can read and write
Total population: 93% (1997 est.)
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Albania
Conventional short form: Albania
Local long form: Republika e Shqiperise
Local short form: Shqiperia
Former: People's Socialist Republic of Albania

Government type: emerging democracy

Capital: Tirana

Administrative divisions
Note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

Dependent areas

Independence: 28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire)

National holiday: Independence Day 28 November (1912)

Constitution: a new constitution was adopted by popular referendum on 28 November 1998; note - the opposition Democratic Party boycotted the vote

Legal system: has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: President of the Republic Rexhep MEIDANI (since 24 July 1997)
Head of government: Prime Minister Ilir META (since 29 October 1999)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and approved by the president
Elections: president elected by the People's Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 24 July 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Rexhep MEIDANI elected president; People's Assembly vote by number - total votes 122, for 110, against 3, abstained 2, invalid 7

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 29 June 1997 (next held 24 June 2001, 2nd round 8 July 2001)
Election results: percent of vote by party - PS 53.36%, PD 25.33%, PSD 2.5%, PBDNJ 2.78%, PBK 2.36%, PAD 2.85%, PR 2.25%, PLL 3.09%, PDK 1.00%, PBSD 0.84%; seats by party - PS 101, PD 27, PSD 8, PBDNJ 4, PBK 3, PAD 2, PR 2, PLL 2, PDK 1, PBSD 1, PUK 1, independents 3

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term)

Political parties and leaders: Albanian National Front (Balli Kombetar) or PBK [Abaz ERMENJI]; Albanian Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Albanian Socialist Party or PS (formerly the Albania Workers Party) [Fatos NANO chairman]; Christian Democratic Party or PDK [Zef BUSHATI]; Democratic Alliance or PAD [Neritan CEKA]; Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Group of Reformist Democrats [Leonard NDOKA]; Liberal Union Party [Teodor LACO]; note - Teodor LACO of the Liberal Union Party was leader of the Social Democratic Union of Albania or PBSD; Movement of Legality Party or PLL [Nderim KUPI]; OMONIA [Vagjelis DULES]; Party of National Unity or PUK [Idajet BEQUIRI]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI]; Unity for Human Rights Party or PBDNJ [Vasil MELO chairman]

International organization participation: ACCT (associate) BSEC CCC CE CEI EAPC EBRD ECE FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Intelsat (nonsignatory user) Interpol IOC IOM ISO (correspondent) ITU OIC OPCW OSCE PFP UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNOMIG UPU WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Petrit BUSHATI
In the us chancery: 2,100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 223-4,942
In the us fax: [1] (202) 628-7,342
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph LIMPRECHT
From the us embassy: Rruga Elbasanit Labinoti 103, Tirana
From the us mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100(A), APO AE 9,624
From the us telephone: [355] (42) 32,875, 33,520
From the us fax: [355] (42) 32,222

Flag description: red with a black two-headed eagle in the center

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Poor by European standards Albania is making the difficult transition to a more open-market economy. The economy rebounded in 1993-95 after a severe depression accompanying the end of the previous centrally planned system in 1990 and 1991. However a weakening of government resolve to maintain stabilization policies in the election year of 1996 contributed to renewal of inflationary pressures spurred by the budget deficit which exceeded 12% of GDP. The collapse of financial pyramid schemes in early 1997 - which had attracted deposits from a substantial portion of Albania's population - triggered severe social unrest which led to more than 1500 deaths widespread destruction of property and a 7% drop in GDP. The government has taken measures to curb violent crime and to revive economic activity and trade. The economy is bolstered by remittances from some 20% of the labor force that works abroad mostly in Greece and Italy. These remittances supplement GDP and help offset the large foreign trade deficit. Most agricultural land was privatized in 1992 substantially improving peasant incomes. In 1998 Albania recovered the 7% drop in GDP of 1997 and pushed ahead by 8% in 1999 and by 7.5% in 2000. International aid helped defray the high costs of receiving and returning refugees from the Kosovo conflict. Privatization scored some successes in 2000 but other reforms lagged.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 7.5% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 55%
Industry: 24%
Services: 21% (2000)

Agriculture products: wheat corn potatoes vegetables fruits sugar beets grapes; meat dairy products

Industries: food processing textiles and clothing; lumber oil cement chemicals mining basic metals hydropower

Industrial production growth rate: 9% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 1.692 million (including 352,000 emigrant workers and 261,000 domestically unemployed) (1994 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 50%
By occupation industry and services: 50%

Unemployment rate: 16% (2000 est.) officially; may be as high as 25%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 19.6% (1996 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $393 million
Expenditures: $676 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1% (2000 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $310 million (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: textiles and footwear; asphalt metals and metallic ores crude oil; vegetables fruits tobacco
Partners: Italy 67% Greece 15% Germany 5% Austria 2% The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 2% (2000)

Imports: $1 billion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment foodstuffs textiles chemicals
Partners: Italy 37% Greece 28% Turkey 6% Germany 6% Bulgaria 3% (2000)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $1 billion (2000)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: leke per US dollar - 146.08 (December 2000)143.71 (2000) 137.69 (1999) 150.63 (1998) 148.93 (1997) 104.50 (1996); note - leke is the plural of lek


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 5.332 billion kWh (1999)
By source fossil fuel: 3.81%
By source hydro: 96.19%
By source nuclear: 0%
By source other: 0% (1999)

Electricity consumption: 5.379 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity exports: 100 million kWh (1999)

Electricity imports: 600 million kWh (2000)

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular: 3,100 (1999)

Telephone system
General assessment: Albania has the poorest telephone service in Europe with fewer than two telephones per 100 inhabitants; it is doubtful that every village has telephone service
Domestic: obsolete wire system; no longer provides a telephone for every village; in 1992, following the fall of the communist government, peasants cut the wire to about 1,000 villages and used it to build fences
International: inadequate; international traffic carried by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece

Broadcast media

Internet country code: .al

Internet users: 2,500 (2000)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $42 million (FY99)
Percent of gdp: 1.5% (FY99)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 11 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 8
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 4 (2000 est.)

Airports with paved runways
Total: 3
2438 to 3047 m: 3 (2000 est.)

Airports with unpaved runways
Total: 8
Over 3047 m: 1
15-24 to 2437 m: 1
914 to 1523 m: 2
Under 914 m: 4 (2000 est.)

Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 145 km; petroleum products 55 km; natural gas 64 km (1991)

Railways
Total: 447 km
Standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2001)

Roadways

Waterways
Note: includes Albanian sections of Lake Scutari, Lake Ohrid, and Lake Prespa (1990)

Merchant marine
Total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 17,797 GRT/26,324 DWT
Ships by type: cargo 9 (2000 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: the Albanian Government supports protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians outside of its borders but has downplayed them to further its primary foreign policy goal of regional cooperation; Albanian majority in Kosovo seeks independence from Yugoslavia; Albanians in The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia claim discrimination in education access to public-sector jobs and representation in government

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs