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 dilapidated 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; however each of Albania's post-communist elections have been marred by claims of electoral fraud. The 2009 general elections resulted in a coalition government the first such in the country's history. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession. 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.


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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

Area
Rank: 145
Land: 27,398 km²
Water: 1350 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

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

Coastline: 362 km

Maritime claims
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 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
Permanent crops: 2.57%
Other: 75.79% (2011)

Irrigated land: 1884 km² (2006)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 41.7 km³ (2011)

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: 3,011,405 (July 2013 est.)
Rank: 138
Growth rate: 0.29% (2013 est.)
Growth rate rank: 169
Below poverty line: 12.5% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Adjective: Albanian

Ethnic groups: Albanian 95% Greek 3% other 2% (Vlach Roma (Gypsy) Serb Macedonian Bulgarian) (1989 est.)

Languages: Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect) Greek Vlach Romani Slavic dialects

Religions: Muslim 70% Albanian Orthodox 20% Roman Catholic 10%

Demographic profile

Age structure
15-24 years: 19.6% (male 300,977/female 287,976)
25-54 years: 39.7% (male 568,330/female 626,949)
55-64 years: 10% (male 150,665/female 151,068)
65 years and over: 10.8% (male 153,818/female 172,424) (2013 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 30.1 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 15.6 %
Potential support ratio: 6.4 (2013)

Median age
Male: 29.9 years
Female: 32.4 years (2013 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.29% (2013 est.)
Rank: 169

Birth rate: 12.57 births/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 159

Death rate: 6.36 deaths/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 156

Net migration rate: -3.32 migrant(s)/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 180

Population distribution

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 2.3% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: TIRANA (capital) 419,000 (2011)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 23.9

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 123
Male: 15.18 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 11.94 deaths/1000 live births (2013 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 60
Male: 75.16 years
Female: 80.67 years (2013 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.49 children born/woman (2013 est.)
Rank: 190

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 69.3% (2008/09)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 1.11 physicians/1000 population (2011)

Hospital bed density: 2.4 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

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

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 21.3% (2008)
Rank: 88

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 6.3% (2009)
Rank: 79

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy
Total population: 96.8%
Male: 98%
Female: 95.7% (2011 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 11 years
Female: 11 years (2003)

Youth unemployment


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

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital
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) also known as Flag Day

Constitution: several previous; latest approved by parliament 21 October 1998 adopted by popular referendum 22 November 1998 promulgated 28 November 1998; amended 2008 2012 (2012)

Legal system: civil law system except in the northern rural areas where customary law known as the 'Code of Leke' prevails

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Head of government: Prime Minister Edi Rama (since 10 September 2013)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister nominated by the president and approved by parliament
Elections: president is elected by the Assembly for a five-year term and is eligible for a second term (a candidate needs a three-fifths majority of the Assembly's 140 votes (84 votes) in one of the first three rounds of voting or a simple majority in round four or five to become president; up to five rounds of voting are held if necessary); four election rounds held between 30 May and 11 June 2012 (next election to be held in 2017); prime minister appointed by the president on the proposal of the party or coalition of parties that has the majority of seats in the Assembly
Election results: Bujar NISHANI elected president on fourth round of voting; Assembly vote (for first three rounds three-fifths majority 84 votes required; fourth round a simple majority of votes is required): Bujar NISHANI 73 votes; note - NISHANI took office 24 July 2012

Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 deputies; 100 deputies elected directly in single member electoral zones with an approximate number of voters; 40 deputies elected from multi-name lists of parties or party coalitions according to their respective order; elected for a four-year term)
Elections: last held on 23 June 2013 (next to be held in 2017)
Election results: percent of vote by party- PS 41.12% PD 30.41% LSI 10.44% PR 3.04% PDIU 2.59% other 12.4%; seats by party- PS 66 PD 49 LSI 16 PDIU 4 PR 3 other 2

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president with the consent of the Assembly to serve single 9-year terms; chairman elected by the People's Assembly for single 3-year term; Court of Cassation judges including the chairman appointed by the president with the consent of the Assembly to serve single 9-year terms)
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: BSEC CD CE CEI EAPC EBRD EITI (candidate country) FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA NATO OAS (observer) OIC OIF OPCW OSCE PCA SELEC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 1312 18th Street NW 4th Floor Washington DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 223-4,942
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 628-7,342
In the us consulate general: New York
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; the design is claimed to be that of 15th-century hero George Castriota SKANDERBEG who led a successful uprising against the 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 'Shkypetars' which translates as 'sons of the eagle'

National symbols: double-headed eagle

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Aleksander Stavre DRENOVA/Ciprian PORUMBESCU

National heritage


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Economy overview: Albania a formerly closed centrally-planned state is making the difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. Macroeconomic growth averaged around 6% between 2004-08 but declined to about 3% in 2009-11 and 0.5% in 2012. Inflation is low and stable. 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. Remittances a significant catalyst for economic growth declined from 12-15% of GDP before the 2008 financial crisis to 8% of GDP in 2010 mostly from Albanians residing in Greece and Italy. The agricultural sector which accounts for almost half of employment but only about one-fifth of GDP is limited primarily to small family operations and subsistence farming because of lack of modern equipment unclear property rights and the prevalence of small inefficient plots of land. Energy shortages because of a reliance on hydropower - 98% of the electrical power produced in Albania - and antiquated and inadequate infrastructure contribute to Albania's poor business environment and lack of success in attracting new foreign investment needed to expand the country's export base. FDI is among the lowest in the region but the government has embarked on an ambitious program to improve the business climate through fiscal and legislative reforms. The completion of a new thermal power plant near Vlore has helped diversify generation capacity and plans to upgrade transmission lines between Albania and Montenegro and Kosovo would help relieve the energy shortages. Also with help from EU funds the government is taking steps to improve the poor national road and rail network a long-standing barrier to sustained economic growth. The country will continue to face challenges from increasing public debt having slightly exceeded its former statutory limit of 60% of GDP in 2012. Strong trade remittance and banking sector ties with Greece and Italy make Albania vulnerable to spillover effects of the global financial crisis.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 122

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 147

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 131

Gross national saving:
Rank: 107

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 8.1%
Investment in fixed capital: 24.9%
Investment in inventories: 0%
Exports of goods and services: 34.4%
Imports of goods and services: -54.6%: (2012 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 15.4%
Services: 66.5%: (2012 est.)

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

Industries: perfumes and cosmetic products food and tobacco products; textiles and clothing; lumber oil cement chemicals mining basic metals hydropower

Industrial production growth rate: 5% (2012 est.)
Rank: 57

Labor force: 1.098 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 141
By occupation industry: 23%
By occupation services: 29.2%
Note: (September 2010 est.)

Unemployment rate: 13.4% (2011 est.)
Rank: 132

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 12.5% (2008 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: 29% (2008)

Distribution of family income gini index: 26.7 (2005)
Rank: 89

Budget
Expenditures: $3.477 billion (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -3.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 129

Taxes and other revenues: 24.7% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 131

Public debt: 58.7% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 47

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.5% (2011 est.)
Rank: 40

Central bank discount rate: 5.25% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 67

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 12.43% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 65

Stock of narrow money: $2.575 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 119

Stock of broad money: $9.426 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 107

Stock of domestic credit: $8.408 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 104

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: $-1.65 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 123

Exports: $962.1 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 152
Commodities: textiles and footwear; asphalt metals and metallic ores crude oil; vegetables fruits tobacco
Partners: Italy 51.1% Spain 9.2% Turkey 6.3% Greece 4.4% (2012)

Imports: $4.461 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 138
Commodities: machinery and equipment foodstuffs textiles chemicals
Partners: Italy 31.9% Greece 9.5% China 6.4% Germany 6% Turkey 5.7% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.473 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 113

Debt external: $5.938 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 115

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 7.481 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 102
Consumption: 4.669 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 117
Exports: 301 million kWh (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 68
Imports: 3.475 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 43
Installed generating capacity: 1.621 million kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 113
Generation sources fossil fuels: 9.9% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 194
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 37
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 90.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 13
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 150

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 16,870 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 83
Crude oil exports: 8,997 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 59
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 151
Crude oil proven reserves: 172.4 million bbl (1 January 2013 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 62

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 3,121 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 108
Products consumption: 38,390 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 110
Products exports: 67.56 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 120
Products imports: 22,810 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 100

Natural gas
Production: 10 million m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 92
Consumption: 10 million m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 113
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 56
Imports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 152
Proven reserves: 849.5 million m³ (1 January 2013 es)
Proven reserves rank: 105

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 4.183 million Mt (2011 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 131

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 312,000 (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 114
Mobile cellular: 3.5 million (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 125

Telephone system
Domestic: offsetting the shortage of fixed line capacity mobile-cellular phone service has been available since 1996; by 2011 multiple companies were providing mobile services and mobile teledensity had reached 100 per 100 persons; Internet broadband services initiated in 2005 but growth has been slow; 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 (2011)

Broadcast media: 3 public TV networks one of which transmits by satellite to Albanian-language communities in neighboring countries; more than 60 private TV stations; many viewers can pick up Italian and Greek TV broadcasts via terrestrial reception; cable TV service is available; 2 public radio networks and roughly 25 private radio stations; several international broadcasters are available (2010)

Internet
Country code: .al
Hosts: 15,528 (2012)
Hosts rank: 124
Users: 1.3 million (2009)
Users rank: 91

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 1.49% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 104

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 19 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; 18 is the legal minimum age in case of general/partial compulsory mobilization (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 4 (2013)
Rank: 183
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2012)

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 331 km; oil 249 km (2013)

Railways
Rank: 117
Standard gauge: 339 km 1.435-m gauge (2009)

Roadways
Rank: 116
Paved: 7,020 km
Unpaved: 10,980 km (2002)

Waterways: 41 km (on the Bojana River) (2011)
Rank: 104

Merchant marine
Rank: 99
By type: cargo 16 roll on/roll off 1
Foreign owned: 1 (Turkey 1)
Registered in other countries: 5 (Antigua and Barbuda 1 Panama 4) (2010)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

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 expanding cannabis production; ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and expanding in Europe; vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional trafficking in narcotics a