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; however there have been claims of electoral fraud in every one of Albania's post-communist elections. The 2009 general elections resulted in no single party gaining a majority of the 140 seats in Parliament and the Movement for Socialist Integration (LSI) and the Democratic Party (DP) combined to form a coalition government the first such in Albania's history. The Socialist Party (SP) has in effect boycotted Parliament since it convened in September 2009 and has called for investigations into alleged electoral fraud in the June 2009 elections. 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

Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N 20 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 28,748 km²
Rank: 145
Land: 27,398 km²
Water: 1350 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: 3,650 km² (2008)

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)

Population: 2,994,667 (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 137
Growth rate: 0.267% (2011 est.)
Growth rate rank: 170
Below poverty line: 12.5% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Albanian
Adjective: Albanian

Ethnic groups: Albanian 95% Greek 3% other 2% (Vlach Roma (Gypsy) Serb Macedonian Bulgarian) (1989 est.)
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: Muslim 70% Albanian Orthodox 20% Roman Catholic 10%
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

Age structure
0-14 years: 21.4%
15-64 years: 68.1% (male 996,666/female 1,043,472)
65 years and over: 10.5% (male 148,151/female 165,345) (2011 est.)

Median age
Total: 30.4 years
Male: 29.2 years
Female: 31.6 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.267% (2011 est.)
Rank: 170

Birth rate: 12.15 births/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 163

Death rate: 6.15 deaths/1000 population (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 158

Net migration rate: -3.34 migrant(s)/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 181

Urbanization
Urban population: 52% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 2.3% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents
International agreements party to: Air Pollution 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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.118 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 14.61 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 122
Male: 16.23 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 12.79 deaths/1000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.41 years
Rank: 60
Male: 74.82 years
Female: 80.3 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.48 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Rank: 186

Drinking water source:

Physicians density: 1.146 physicians/1000 population (2007)
Rank: 97

Hospital bed density: 2.92 beds/1000 population (2007)
Rank: 78

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 6.6% (2005)
Rank: 75

Education expenditures: NA

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)

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: parliamentary democracy

Capital
Name: Tirana
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

Independence: 28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday: Independence Day 28 November (1912) also known as Flag Day

Constitution: approved by parliament 21 October 1998; adopted by popular referendum 22 November 1998; promulgated 28 November 1998

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President of the Republic Bamir TOPI
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 three-fifths the 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; Assembly vote fourth round (three-fifths majority 84 votes required): Bamir TOPI 85 votes Neritan CEKA 5 votes

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 4-year term)
Elections: last held on 28 June 2009 (next to be held in 2013)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PD 68 PS 65 LSI 4 other 3

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court consists of 9 members appointed by the president with the consent of the Assembly who serve 9-year terms (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term); the High Court members appointed by the president with the consent of the Assembly for a 9-year term; note - there are also courts of appeal and courts of first instance

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; New Democracy Party or PDR [Genc POLLO]; Party for Justice and Integration or PDI [Shpetim IDRIZ]; Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Social Democracy Party or PDS [Paskel MILO]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI]; Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI [Ilir META]; Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA]; Unity for Human Rights Party or PBDNJ [Vangjel DULE]

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Gilbert GALANXHI
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
In the us consulate general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Alexander ARVIZU
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 (1443-1478); 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
Name: 'Hymni i Flamurit'
Lyricsmusic: Aleksander Stavre DRENOVA/Ciprian PORUMBESCU
Note: adopted 1912

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 2009-10. 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 have declined from 12-15% of GDP to 9% of GDP in 2009 mostly from Albanians residing in Greece and Italy; this helps offset the towering trade deficit. 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 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: Albania has an informal and unreported sector that may be as large as 50% of official GDP
Rank: 115
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 108

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 123
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 20.1%
Industry: 19.3%
Services: 60.5% (2010 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: 3% (2010 est.)
Rank: 113

Labor force: 1.053 million (2010 est.)
Rank: 141
By occupation agriculture: 47.8%
By occupation industry: 23%
By occupation services: 29.2% (September 2010 est.)

Unemployment rate: 13% (2009 est.)
Rank: 142
Note: these are official rates but actual rates may exceed 30% due to preponderance of near-subsistence farming

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

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.5%
Highest 10: 29% (2008)

Distribution of family income gini index: 26.7 (2005)
Rank: 91

Budget
Revenues: $3.124 billion
Expenditures: $3.491 billion (2010 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -3.1% of GDP (2010 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 100

Taxes and other revenues: 26.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
Rank: 111

Public debt: 57.3% of GDP (2009 est.)
Rank: 39

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.3% (2009 est.)
Rank: 115

Central bank discount rate: 5.25% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 71

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 12.667% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 78

Stock of narrow money: $2.969 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 114

Stock of broad money: $9.096 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 105

Stock of domestic credit: $8.162 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 102

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: -$1.845 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 151

Exports: $1.048 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 141
Commodities: textiles and footwear; asphalt metals and metallic ores crude oil; vegetables fruits tobacco
Partners: Italy 50.8% Kosovo 6.2% Turkey 5.9% Greece 5.4% China 5.5% (2010 est.)

Imports: $4.264 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 124
Commodities: machinery and equipment foodstuffs textiles chemicals
Partners: Italy 28% Greece 13% China 6.3% Turkey 5.6% Germany 5.6% (2010 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.37 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 108

Debt external: $4.719 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 112

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 5.201 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 113
Consumption: 6.593 billion kWh
Consumption rank: 102
Consumption note: 35% of electricity is lost in the system as a result of transmission inefficiencies and theft (2009 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2009 est.)
Imports: 1.884 billion kWh (2009 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 30 million m³ (2009 est.)
Production rank: 86
Consumption: 30 million m³ (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 110
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 50
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 79
Proven reserves: 849.5 million m³ (1 January 2011 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 101

Telephones
Main lines in use: 331,500 (2010)
Main lines in use rank: 113
Mobile cellular: 4.548 million (2010)
Mobile cellular rank: 106

Telephone system
General assessment: despite new investment in fixed lines teledensity remains low with roughly 10 fixed lines per 100 people; mobile-cellular telephone use is widespread and generally effective
Domestic: offsetting the shortage of fixed line capacity mobile-cellular phone service has been available since 1996; by 2010 multiple companies were providing mobile services and mobile teledensity exceeded 130 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 (2009)

Broadcast media: 3 public television networks one of which transmits by satellite to Albanian-language communities in neighboring countries; more than 60 private television stations operating; 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: 15,098 (2010)
Hosts rank: 117
Users: 1.3 million (2009)
Users rank: 91

Military expenditures: 1.49% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 101

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

Airports: 5 (2010)
Rank: 178
With paved runways total: 4
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2010)
With unpaved runways total: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2010)

Heliports: 1 (2010)

Pipelines: gas 339 km; oil 207 km (2010)

Railways
Total: 339 km
Rank: 117
Standard gauge: 339 km 1.435-m gauge (2010)

Roadways
Total: 18,000 km
Rank: 116
Paved: 7,020 km
Unpaved: 10,980 km (2002)

Waterways: 41 km (on the Bojana River) (2010)
Rank: 104

Merchant marine
Total: 25
Rank: 93
By type: bulk carrier 1 cargo 23 roll on/roll off 1
Foreign owned: 1 (Turkey 1)
Registered in other countries: 4 (Antigua and Barbuda 1 Panama 3) (2010)

Ports and terminals: Durres Sarande Shengjin Vlore

Disputes international: none

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 na