Map of Albania | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912 but was conquered by Italy in 1939. 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 xenophobic Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment widespread corruption a dilapidated physical infrastructure powerful organized crime networks and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991 but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997. In the 2005 general elections the Democratic Party and its allies won a decisive victory on pledges of reducing crime and corruption promoting economic growth and decreasing the size of government. The election and particularly the orderly transition of power was considered an important step forward. Although Albania's economy continues to grow the country is still one of the poorest in Europe hampered by a large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure. Albania has played a largely helpful role in managing inter-ethnic tensions in southeastern Europe and is continuing to work toward joining NATO and the EU. Albania with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan has been a strong supporter of the global war on terrorism.


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Location: Southeastern Europe bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea between Greece in the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north

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: 717 km
Border countries: (4) Greece 282 km; , Macedonia 151 km; , Montenegro 172 km; , Kosovo 112 km

Coastline: 362 km

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

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) 2,764 m

Natural resources: petroleum natural gas coal bauxite chromite copper iron ore nickel salt timber hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 20.1%
Permanent crops: 4.21%
Other: 75.69% (2005)

Irrigated land: 3,530 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 41.7 km³ (2001)

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

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


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Population: 3,619,778 (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 0.538% (2008 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 (official - derived from Tosk dialect) Greek Vlach Romani Slavic dialects

Religions
Note: percentages are estimates; there are no available current statistics on religious affiliation; 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: 23.6% (male 447,126/female 406,757)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 1,239,819/female 1,180,720)
65 years and over: 9.5% (male 160,241/female 185,115) (2008 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 29.5 years
Male: 28.9 years
Female: 30.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.538% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 15.22 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 5.44 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.41 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.1 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.1 male/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male/female
Total population: 1.04 male/female (2008 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 19.31 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 19.74 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 18.83 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.78 years
Male: 75.12 years
Female: 80.71 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.02 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 2.9% of GDP (2002)

Literacy
Definition: age 9 and over can read and write
Total population: 98.7%
Male: 99.2%
Female: 98.3% (2001 census)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 11 years
Male: 11 years
Female: 11 years (2004)

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
Name: Tirana (Tirane)
Geographic coordinates: 41 19 N, 19 49 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: 12 counties (qarqe singular - qark); Berat Diber Durres Elbasan Fier Gjirokaster Korce Kukes Lezhe Shkoder Tirane Vlore

Dependent areas

Independence: 28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday: Independence Day 28 November (1912)

Constitution: adopted by popular referendum on 22 November 1998; promulgated 28 November 1998

Legal system: has a civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; has accepted jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court for its citizens

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President of the Republic Bamir TOPI (since 24 July 2007)
Head of government: Prime Minister Sali BERISHA (since 10 September 2005)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by parliament
Elections: president elected by the People's Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); four election rounds held between 8 and 20 July 2007 (next election to be held in 2012); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Bamir TOPI elected president; People's Assembly vote, fourth round (three-fifths majority (84 votes) required): Bamir TOPI 85 votes, Neritan CEKA 5 votes

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 3 July 2005 (next to be held in 2009)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PD 56, PS 42, PR 11, PSD 7, LSI 5, other 19

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term) and multiple appeals and district courts

Political parties and leaders: Agrarian Environmentalist Party or PAA [Lufter XHUVELI]; Christian Democratic Party or PDK [Nard NDOKA]; Communist Party of Albania or PKSH [Hysni MILLOSHI]; Democratic Alliance Party or AD [Neritan CEKA]; Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Legality Movement Party or PLL [Ekrem SPAHIA]; Liberal Union Party or BLD [Arjan STAROVA]; Movement for National Development or LZhK [Dashamir SHEHI]; National Front Party (Balli Kombetar) or PBK [Artur ROSHI]; New Democratic Party or PDR [Genc POLLO]; Party of National Unity or PUK [Idajet BEQIRI]; Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Social Democracy Party of Albania or PDSSh [Paskal MILO]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI]; Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI [Ilir META]; Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA]; Union for Human Rights Party or PBDNj [Vangjel DULE]

International organization participation: BSEC CE CEI EAPC EBRD FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICCt ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITU ITUC MIGA OIC OIF OPCW OSCE PFP SECI UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNOMIG UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Aleksander SALLABANDA
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 Dr. John L. WITHERS, II
From the us embassy: Rruga e Elbasanit, Labinoti #103, Tirana
From the us mailing address: US Department of State, 9,510 Tirana Place, Dulles, VA 20,189-9,510
From the us telephone: [355] (4) 2,247,285
From the us fax: [355] (4) 2,232,222

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Lagging behind its Balkan neighbors Albania is making the difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. The government has taken measures to curb violent crime and recently adopted a fiscal reform package aimed at reducing the large gray economy and attracting foreign investment. The economy is bolstered by annual remittances from abroad of $600-$800 million mostly from Albanians residing in Greece and Italy; this helps offset the towering trade deficit. Agriculture which accounts for more than one-fifth of GDP is held back because of lack of modern equipment unclear property rights and the prevalence of small inefficient plots of land. Energy shortages and antiquated and inadequate infrastructure contribute to Albania's poor business environment which make it difficult to attract and sustain foreign investment. The completion of a new thermal power plant near Vlore and improved transmission line between Albania and Montenegro will help relieve the energy shortages. Also the government is moving slowly to improve the poor national road and rail network a long-standing barrier to sustained economic growth. On the positive side macroeconomic growth was strong in 2003-07 and inflation is low and stable.

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Note: Albania has a large gray economy that may be as large as 50% of official GDP (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 6% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $5,800 (2007 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 21.2%
Industry: 20.5%
Services: 58.3% (2007 est.)

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: 4% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 1.09 million (not including 352,000 emigrant workers) (September 2006 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 58%
By occupation industry: 15%
By occupation services: 27% (September 2006 est.)

Unemployment rate: 13.2% official rate but may exceed 30% due to preponderance of near-subsistence farming (2007 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.4%
Highest 10: 24.4% (2004)

Distribution of family income gini index: 26.7 (2005)

Budget
Revenues: $2.782 billion
Expenditures: $3.155 billion (2007 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 51.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate: 6.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 14.1% (31 December 2007)

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit: $7.341 billion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: -$1.202 billion (2007 est.)

Exports: $1.076 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: textiles and footwear; asphalt metals and metallic ores crude oil; vegetables fruits tobacco
Partners: Italy 72% Greece 8.8% China 2.7% (2007)

Imports: $3.999 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment foodstuffs textiles chemicals
Partners: Italy 27.6% Greece 14.8% Turkey 7.4% China 6.8% Germany 5.6% Switzerland 5% Russia 4.2% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.162 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt external: $1.55 billion (2004)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: leke (ALL) per US dollar - 92.668 (2007) 98.384 (2006) 102.649 (2005) 102.78 (2004) 121.863 (2003)


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Electricity
Production: 2.892 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption: 3.607 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 2.8 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 30 million m³ (2006 est.)
Consumption: 30 million m³ (2006 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 849.5 million m³ (1 January 2008 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 353,600 (2005)
Mobile cellular: 2.3 million (2007)

Telephone system
General assessment: despite new investment in fixed lines, the density of main lines remains low with roughly 10 lines per 100 people; cellular telephone use is widespread and generally effective; combined fixed line and mobile telephone density is approximately 75 telephones per 100 persons
Domestic: offsetting the shortage of fixed line capacity, mobile phone service has been available since 1996; by 2003, two companies were providing mobile services at a greater density than some of Albania's neighbors; Internet broadband services initiated in 2005; Internet cafes are popular in Tirana and have started to spread outside the capital
International: country code - 355; submarine cable provides connectivity to Italy, Croatia, and Greece; the Trans-Balkan Line, a combination submarine cable and land fiber-optic system, provides additional connectivity to Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Turkey; international traffic carried by fiber-optic cable and, when necessary, by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece (2007)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .al
Hosts: 10,162 (2008)
Users: 471,200 (2006)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 1.49% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 19 years of age (2004)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 11 (2007)
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 8
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Heliports: 1 (2007)

Pipelines: gas 339 km; oil 207 km (2007)

Railways
Total: 447 km
Standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways
Total: 18,000 km
Paved: 7,020 km
Unpaved: 10,980 km (2002)

Waterways: 43 km (2007)

Merchant marine
Total: 24
By type: cargo 22, roll on/roll off 2
Foreign owned: 1 (Turkey 1)
Registered in other countries: 2 (Panama 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Durres Sarande Shengjin Vlore


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Disputes international: the Albanian Government calls for the protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians in neighboring countries and the peaceful resolution of interethnic disputes; some ethnic Albanian groups in neighboring countries advocate for a 'greater Albania' but the idea has little appeal among Albanian nationals; the mass emigration of unemployed Albanians remains a problem for developed countries chiefly Greece and Italy

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest Asian opiates hashish and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to a lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe; limited opium and growing cannabis production; ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and expanding in Europe; vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional trafficking in narcotics arms contraband and illegal aliens