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 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

Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N 20 00 E

Area
Rank: 145
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Coastline: 362 km

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

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

Irrigated land: 3,650 km² (2003)

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: 3,002,859 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 137
Growth rate: 0.28% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 168
Below poverty line: 12.5% (2008 est.)

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%

Population growth rate: 0.28% (2012 est.)
Rank: 168

Birth rate: 12.38 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 158

Death rate: 6.25 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 157

Net migration rate: -3.33 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 180

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 123

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 62

Total fertility rate: 1.48 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 191

Physicians density: 1.146 physicians/1000 population (2007)

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

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

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

Government type: parliamentary democracy

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

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)

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]; New Democratic Spirit or FRD [Bamir TOPI]; 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 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

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

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: 121

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 176

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 128

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

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2010 est.)
Rank: 106

Labor force: 1.071 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 142

Unemployment rate: 13.3% (2011 est.)
Rank: 134

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

Distribution of family income gini index: 26.7 (2005)
Rank: 87

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -3.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 114

Taxes and other revenues: 26.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 118

Public debt: 58.9% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 47

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.5% (2011 est.)
Rank: 30

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

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 12.43% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 67

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: 108

Stock of domestic credit: $8.408 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 107

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: -$1.695 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 126

Exports: $1.954 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 142
Commodities: textiles and footwear; asphalt metals and metallic ores crude oil; vegetables fruits tobacco
Partners: Italy 45.3% China 7.8% Turkey 6.3% Greece 5.2% Spain 5.1% India 4.6% (2011)

Imports: $5.076 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 127
Commodities: machinery and equipment foodstuffs textiles chemicals
Partners: Italy 33% Greece 12.2% China 5.9% Turkey 5.6% Germany 4.3% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.473 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 117

Debt external: $5.188 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 113

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 5.209 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 116
Consumption: 4.521 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 119
Exports: 1.906 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 47
Imports: 1.005 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 60
Installed generating capacity: 1.61 million kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 110
Generation sources fossil fuels: 9.9% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 196
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 39
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 90.1% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 12
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 103

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 15,520 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 77
Crude oil exports: 6,920 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 58
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 151
Crude oil proven reserves: 199.1 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 62

Refined petroleum
Products production: 6,377 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 108
Products consumption: 38,390 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 111
Products exports: 915 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 112
Products imports: 24,610 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 94

Natural gas
Production: 30 million m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 87
Consumption: 30 million m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 112
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 151
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 153
Proven reserves: 849.5 million m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 102

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 4.893 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 124

Telephones
Main lines in use: 338,800 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 111
Mobile cellular: 3.1 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 127

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

Military expenditures: 1.49% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 99

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

Airports: 5 (2012)
Rank: 182

Heliports: 1 (2012)

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

Railways
Rank: 117

Roadways
Rank: 115

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

Merchant marine
Rank: 99

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 narcotics a